NISSAN’S awesome GT-R supercar has finally landed in Australia – but with a modified launch control system as well as the second price increase in a month, even before it officially reaches showrooms – and we were let loose in the 357kW/558Nm all-wheel-drive monster at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway for our first test of the local-spec car on Australian soil. As the most technically advanced performance car produced in Japan, the GT-R proved to be a weapon on the track, but the lack of a road test means that questions remain over its usability for the street. With little change over the 2008 model, we suspect the 2009 GT-R remains a hard-riding challenge for the road with its track-biased suspension and run-flat tyres
R32 Skyline GT-R
Released: June 1991
Ended: February 1993
Family Tree: GT-RTHE original “Godzilla” Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) built in Japan between 1989 and 1994 was sold in limited numbers in Australia to capitalise on the success of the factory race cars here, including Bathurst, but subsequent R33 and R34 models only came here through private imports – and in considerable quantities judging by the number you see on the road. The two-door R32 was built specifically to qualify for international Group A racing and had a turbocharged 2.6-litre straight-six engine producing 205kW and 355Nm in Australia, driving all four wheels.
Super Test
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