Nissan GT-R gets even faster

NISSAN has revealed its annual GT-R update ahead of an arrival in selected Australian showrooms from February 1.

In line with its original pledge to constantly update its all-wheel drive supercar flagship, the MY13 model receives a range of tweaks claimed to further sharpen handling, improve the throttle response and boost the already insane off-the-line acceleration.

The latter means the latest GT-R is capable of dispatching the 0-100km/h sprint in a mind-boggling 2.7 seconds – down from 2.8 seconds for the MY12 GT-R which itself brought a host of updates including more power and torque when launched just eight months ago in March.

While outputs for the 3.8-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder are unchanged at 404kW and 628Nm, engineers added new high-output injectors to improve response across the rev band, a new turbo relief valve and a new oil pan.

Further improvements for MY13 include extra body rigidity via reinforcements to the dash panel bar and instrument panel member and new cam bolts to the front suspension to improve camber accuracy and cornering stability.

The company also tweaked the dampers, springs and front anti-roll bar to lower the centre of gravity, while the torque-carrying capacity of the driveshafts to the hub bearings has been increased to improve reliability in high-stress situations such as track driving.

The company said it applied lessons learned from racing the GT-R in this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hour race to the road-going model, improving its lap time around the famed German circuit by a further 2.4 seconds, bringing it down to 7 minutes and 19.1 seconds.

GT-R development driver Toshio Suzuki said Nissan “participated in the (24 Hour) race using parts for normal road conditions and, although there were some minor issues, we experienced no critical problems, so we could see the GTR’s potential”.

But GT-R creator Kazutoshi Mizuno said in an official launch video that Nissan aimed not just to make the GT-R faster, but also safer and more refined.

“What is important for Nissan as an auto-maker is our commitment to areas such as safety,” he said.

“We not only contend that in a GT-R a normal car conversation is possible at 300km/h on the German autobahn, or that the car can do a lap at Nurburgring in seven minutes 18 seconds, but we consider areas that other competitors don’t.

“‘How do we design a car to endure a flat tyre at 300km/h that can make it to the repair shop?’ or ‘How do we protect the passenger in case of an accident at 200km/h?’ or ‘How do we activate the VDC (vehicle dynamics control) system at over 250km/h’?“Overall, besides just marketing tag lines, we need to develop technologies of trust that other manufacturers don’t. That contributes to the Nissan brand and what I want to push.” The latest GT-R changes follow the release of the MY12 model in March, when Nissan brought more engine performance and transmission upgrades in return for a $2000 price increase to $170,800.

Full MY13 details will be revealed at the car’s Japanese launch at the end of the year, while revised Australian pricing will be announced at launch next year.