To finish off the R35 Nissan GT-R production run, Nissan is reportedly planning to develop one last model to celebrate its success. Called the Nissan GT-R Spec R, the car will be lighter in weight and offer engine power increases.

It seems like the R35 GT-R has only just been announced, but it’s actually been around now for just under four years. As history will teach us, GT-Rs only hang around for three years or so, like the previous R32 and R33. The latest generation has definitely left a great dent in the modern performance car benchmark, perhaps more so than any previous model.

To finish off the run, according to a report by 7Tune, the Japanese manufacturer is about to embark on testing of the last facelifted model during the second half of this year.

The current MY2011 Nissan GT-R Series 3 will only be released in South Africa within the next few months, offering a power increase from the MY2010 car’s 357 kW and 588 N.m to 390 kW and 612 N.m – and by now we’re sure you’ve heard and possibly seen, the claimed 0 – 100 km/h sprint time of 3.0 seconds!

Now reports suggest the final Spec R version could develop as much as 418 kW. On top of this, the current fastest model in Japan, the Spec V, will be superceded by the Spec R, which will shed around 30 kg of weight for added performance. Will the slight power increase and marginal weight reduction be enough to bring the car into the two second bracket? It will also be interesting to see if Nissan engineers smash another Nurburgring lap time.

Testing of the new model was said to be interrupted by the earthquake in Japan, but we’ll keep you updated on any breaking news on the fastest GT-R yet.

More power, more downforce, more grip and more excitement – that’s the promise from the 2011 Nissan GT-R.

While the original GT-R offered breathtaking performance and exemplary handling, that hasn’t stopped Nissan’s team of dedicated engineers and designers from making it better still. For 2011, the GT-R’s 3.8-litre twin turbocharged V6 engine has been boosted by a healthy 33 kW for a total of 390 kW. The increase in power comes from modifications to the turbo boost pressure, valve timing and air mixture ratio. The inlet pipes have been enlarged and the exhaust system modified, while a new catalyst using fewer precious metals has been adopted. The result is supercar performance with a top speed of 315 km/h.

A series of subtle changes to the chassis have sharpened the already impressive handling, while new tyres, wheels and bigger brakes also enhance the driving experience. Subtle exterior revisions have not only given the GT-R a new look, but improved the car’s aerodynamic performance. Downforce has improved by about 10 per cent while the co-efficient of drag has been lowered to just 0.26.

Inside a number of changes have been made to enhance the sports luxury feel. There are two versions of the standard car available: Premium Edition and Black Edition. Both are comprehensively equipped, but Black Edition features Recaro racing seats as standard.

“A new raft of superlatives is needed to describe the 2011 Nissan GT-R. Every aspect of the car has been enhanced to the point where the high standards set by the original have been surpassed at every level. The GT-R is a truly remarkable machine,” says Andy Palmer, Senior Vice President of Product Planning at Nissan.

The Nissan GT-R Premium Edition sells for R1 314 000 and the the GT-R Black Edition for R1 364 000. The price includes a 3-year/100 000 km warranty and 3-year/50 000 km service plan.

The Nissan R35 GT-R has reinforced its reputation as a supercar slayer and one of the best bang for your buck performance cars money can buy with the latest 2011 model.

The Japanese car manufacturer recently announced the latest 0 – 100km/h acceleration time for the 2011 Nissan GT-R, measured during a media test ride event held at the Sendai Hi-land Race Way on November 12th and 13th, 2010. On both days, the GT-R clocked an astonishing time of 3.0 seconds!

To put things into perspective, a Ferrari 458 Italia costing three times more than the Nissan GT-R has a claimed 0 – 100 km/h of just under 3.4 seconds.

The Official Nissan Press Release (Click to expand)

Find more details of the 2011 Nissan GT-R here.

Nissan’s GT-R has had a bit of a refresh. The changes match those applied to the Japanese market GT-R last month, but have now been made available for European cars.

The biggest news regards the suspension, with the front spring and damper rates tweaked to improve ride and handling, with better handling also promised thanks to the improved responsiveness and stiffer rear suspension.

The gearbox logic has been changed, with more aggressive downshifts adopted when in automatic mode, while there are additional cooling ducts on the carbon fibre rear diffuser to aid airflow to the exhaust and transmission.

There’s a more rearward bias for the EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) while there’s also increased cooling for the rear brakes, and emissions tweaks ensure a 3g drop in CO2, down to 295 g/km.

Inside the car there’s a few changes too, namely a more trick navigation and sound system, with a huge hard drive for storing music and a super sharp screen.

So nothing earth shattering really, but the rather good Nissan GT-R – 2009 World Performance Car of The Year – hardly needed much in the way of improvements. The changes will be present on all GT-R’s ordered from now, with no price hike planned, meaning things still kick off at just under R1.2 million.

Read our review of the ’09 Nissan GT-R.

Adapted from Evo

Nissan has unveiled the updated 2010 GT-R lineup at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Set to go on sale early next year, the GT-R features a new Carwings HDD-based navigation system and the rear diffuser from GT-R SpecV.

In terms of performance, Nissan has recalibrated the suspension settings “to offer enhanced, premium quality ride comfort, while still providing the driver with a feeling of direct contact with the road surface.” To do this, the company stiffened the rear suspension radius rod bushings, as well as the front shock absorbers and springs.

The range-topping GT-R SpecV also receives revised rear shock absorber settings as well as new high performance tyres from Dunlop (the previous Bridgestone tyres will be available as an option).

Finally, “both the Nissan GT-R and GT-R SpecV achieve improved low- and mid-range engine response, thanks to newly adopted hexagonal meshed catalyst cells that reduce ventilation/airflow resistance.”

Japanese pricing starts at 8,61 million Yen for the standard GT-R and tops out at 15,75 million Yen for a GT-R SpecV.

Adapted from WorldCarFans

The development and launch of the current R35 Nissan GT-R was an epic achievement for the Japanese automaker. After all, Nissan was able design and engineer a sports car capable of outperforming exotic supercars with pricetags twice as high, as well as make it seat four adults in relative comfort and be easy to drive everyday.

A series of planned updates of the car should allow the GT-R to remain supreme for some time to come, and this will reportedly include the introduction of a brand new model around 2013.

At a special event at Nissan’s Nurburgring Technical Centre last week, Nissan’s vice president of global product planning, Andy Palmer, reaffirmed Nissan’s commitment to the GT-R project.

Palmer also confirmed that a model replacement program for the GT-R was still in place despite the economic downturn. He explained that Nissan is planning to mimic the timescale used by Porsche for its 911 GT-2, which means a model life cycle of around five to six years.

Palmer said the R36 GT-R would be more of an evolution of the current model’s platform rather than a completely new car like the R35. This means that a twin-turbocharged V-6 powertrain will remain, as will the current rear transaxle configuration.

This fits with Nissan’s plan to continuously improve on the GT-R to ensure the car remains competitive.

Via MotorAuthority

The Nissan GT-R, winner of the 2009 World Performance Car of the Year, improved its lap time at the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife circuit in late April with a time of 7 minutes 26.70 seconds. This new lap time means the GT-R is now only 0.4 seconds slower than the considerably more powerful Corvette ZR1.

Previous recorded lap times at the ‘ring were:

• 7 minutes 27.56 seconds on April 15, 2009
• 7 minutes 29 in April, 2008
• 7 minutes 38 in September, 2007

“This record demonstrates our commitment to the continuous evolution of the Nissan GT-R,” said Kazutoshi Mizuno, Chief Vehicle Engineer and Chief Vehicle Specialist.

“We would like to continue delivering the passion and pride of ownership to our customers by improving its performance every year.”

The Nissan GT-R has won more than a dozen awards globally including Car of the Year from CAR Magazine in the UK and Car of the Year by both Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine in the US.

The Nissan GT-R benefits from a strong image and heritage amongst performance car aficionados, especially in Australia, which was the only country globally to officially retail the previous R32 in the early ’90s.

The R35 GT-R was launched in Australia, Europe, GCC and New Zealand last month. Australian customers have so far ordered more than 170 GT-R’s.

In Japan more than 5900 GT-R’s have been sold up to March 2009. It went on sale in the US in July 2008 where 2100 have also been sold so far.

The new Nurburgring record lap was again set by Nissan Chief test driver Toshio Suzuki, who visited Australia in February for the car’s official launch. The blistering lap time was achieved on Dunlop tyres in dry but dusty conditions.

Adapted from CarAdvice