NISMO GT-R Unveiled Properly, Including 'Ring Lap Video

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Yesterday came the news that the Nissan GT-R NISMO had leaked out ahead of its official reveal at the Tokyo Motor Show today. Now that it's out properly, here's some more about it.

But first, let FIA GT1 racer Michael Krumm talk you through his lap around the Nordschleife, which only took 7:08.679, a new lap record for volume production cars (the Porsche 918 Spyder is a limited-run car, so that's a different record).

The first thing to clear up from yesterday's post is that there's no mention of any "track pack" version, so that appears to be misinformation from Car & Driver, or maybe an 'RS' version all of its own that'll come along later. That means that the car setting this time is the only version of the GT-R NISMO.

That means it's packing a 3.8L V6 Twin-Turbo producing 600PS (591bhp) and 481lb/ft, which is sent through the usual 6-speed DCT to all four wheels via Nissan's ATTESA-ETS all-wheel-drive system and is propelling a car 65kg lighter than usual (still a rather chubby 1675kg, though). No straight-line performance figures have been revealed yet, but rumours suggest a scarcely-believable 0-60mph time of 2.0 seconds. This is in part down to the uprated engine, which gains 50bhp and 17lb/ft thanks to getting the GT3 racing car's turbochargers and modified ignition, intake and exhaust systems, but it's also down to the bespoke Dunlop tyres, which are very sticky and wrapped tightly around 20" RAYS wheels with a design inspired by the SUPER GT GT500 racing car that's won three championships in six seasons (not the greatest run of victories in the GT-R's history, but still pretty good considering how competitive SUPER GT is). The front wheels on the NISMO road car are half an inch wider than the standard GT-R for more front-end grip, while the bold new aero kit generates 100kg more downforce at 300km/h (186mph) than the standard car. Not that that's a very useful figure most of the time. The suspension has also been upgraded and tuned to achieve "stunning agility, road-holding and handling finesse, without compromising refinement." To that end, the springs and bespoke Bilstein DampTronic dampers being specially tuned to "maximize grip and progressive handling response at the limit." There's also a 17.3mm hollow rear anti-roll bar. Good. The suspension has three modes: Comfort, Normal and R. Because R-Mode makes the car very stiff, Nissan recommends you only use it on the track. These changes all add up to make the NISMO a full 30 seconds quicker around the Green Hell than the original R35-generation GT-R when it debuted in 2007.

Making the foot rest look like a clutch pedal is a dirty trick...

The interior is also more serious. Apparently it retains the back seats, so even though this is a hardcore car, you can still take the kids to school in it. I bet that'll be fun! Up front you get carbon-backed Recaro seats which recline, should you be that way inclined. There's also extra alcantara trim and some red bits, as you'd expect in a car like this.

Supposedly the GT-R NISMO will cost less than $200,000 or £125,000 when it arrives in the western world a few months after its domestic release in February 2014. So if you're desperate to have one, you'll have to shorten the wait by getting a JDM one, yo.

Until then, have some pictures. Unfortunately there are none of the new Dark Matte Grey paint exclusive to the NISMO, but hey ho.

Plenty of vents on here now, some of which are trimmed in unpainted carbon fibre to make a point

The entire rear bumper has been re-profiled to improve air flow along and off it. Also note the titanium exhaust system

Here lurks 600 metric horsepower

The usual (enormous) brakes are enough to deal with the extra power, as the NISMO is 65kg lighter.
Even the little silver GT-R logo thing on the side has been reprofiled, made a tiny bit tinier to save, oh, about 30g

The headlights have been redesigned - or rather the light cluster arrangement - as has the front bumper, particularly at the corners

Interestingly, the driver's seat has a lump between the occupant's thighs, whereas the passenger seat doesn't. I wonder why?

This is what handling looks like. Sort of

Rev counter is trimmed in red, because red is SPORTY.

For the press release and a handful of wallpapers, clicketh hither. I can't wait for this to be added to Gran Turismo 6!