R-36 is greenlighted and set to arrive 2013!
'Evolutionary' R36 should be with us by 2013
PistonHeads was at Nissan’s Nurburgring Technical Centre earlier this week, when VP of global product planning Andy Palmer paid a flying visit to show his support for the GT-R programme lead by Kazutoshi Mizuno.It was Andy’s first meeting with the Japanese GT-R ‘away team’ at the Nurburgring and, speaking informally to the assembled engineers and support staff, he spoke warmly of their achievements and reaffirmed Nissan’s commitment to the GT-R project.
“These are very hard times and, as you know, we have had to make cuts to many programmes,’ he told the team. ‘However, it is very important to Nissan that we remain able to offer a diverse range of vehicles from electric cars, to LCVs and the GT-R and we continue to fully support the work you are doing here.”
Speaking to PH later on – while waiting for a rapid ride around the Nurburgring circuit in a Spec-V development car – Andy confirmed that a model replacement programme was still in place in spite of the economic downturn, based on a roughly similar timescale to the Porsche replacement cycle.With the 911 GT2 being the car Nissan likes to benchmark, that puts a lifespan of 5-6 years on the current R35 - according to our rudimentary maths.
Unsurprisingly, Andy also confirmed to us that the next-generation GT-R will be an evolution of the current platform, and will therefore retain the twin-turbocharged V6 and rear transaxle configuration.
“In that respect, it’s not going to be a massive one-off investment,” Palmer told PH. “It’s more a case of putting a bit of money into the programme every year, to make sure we keep the GT-R where it needs to be.”
Upgrades for the GT-R being worked in 2010 for 2011!
2010 NISSAN GT-R UPGRADES REVEALED
Stiffer suspension, NACA ducts and data-logging will be next year's highlights
2010 model year upgrades for Nissan's GT-R will include the adoption of the Spec-V's rear diffuser plus new side NACA ducts, suspension tweaks, and an optional NISMO data-logging facility that will let drivers share and compare data via their PCs.
The changes were revealed to PistonHeads yesterday by GT-R project chief Kazutoshi Mizuno, who was our host yesterday at the company's Nurburgring technical centre where elements of the 2010 upgrade package - and European Spec-V models - are undergoing their final evaluation.
According to Mizuno-san, the suspension tweaks are minor but include marginally stiffer front spring and damper rates, and stiffer bushing for the rear torsion control arms. The aim is to further increase the driver appeal - or to paraphrase the enigmatic chief engineer 'to make the driver's buttocks feel even closer to the rear wheels during sporty driving'.
The NISMO data-logging system will be part of an upgraded sat-nav option. As we understand it, owners will be able to download data using a USB memory stick, load it onto their PC for analysis, and even share their numbers with other GT-R drivers online.
The adoption of the Spec-V rear diffuser and new NACA ducts next to the rear wheels are there to improve airflow and brake cooling, says Mizuno. The 2010 cars have also been tweaked to meet Euro 5 emissions regs, and an ECU modification improves low-speed tractability in low temperatures when the transmission fluid is still cold.
Mizuno and Nissan senior vice president Andy Palmer (who was co-incidentally visiting the Nurburgring GT-R test team on the same day) also gave us some insights into the new Spec-M model that has been rumoured for some time. Contrary to the suggestion in our story yesterday, it won't be at the Tokyo motor show next month, but will emerge sometime next year instead.
We shouldn't get too distracted by the 'comfort' tag, they say, as the core package will be largely undiluted. Instead, think of a GT-R 'plus' with extra luxury fittings like a high-end sound system, expensive interior fittings and a more 'bespoke' feel.
Like the Spec-V, the idea of the Spec-M is to increase exclusivity, not improve accessibility, so although the suspension may be set up for a little more comfort we're not expecting the driving experience to feel very different from the standard car.
Meanwhile the 2010 model year GT-R should be available in the UK early next year, around the same time as the Spec-V edition.
Source: Pistonheads.com
GTR and Corvette Identical at Nurburgring. GTR outperforms largely on wet handling course.
Story from MotorAuthority.com
The last time we looked, Nissan was claiming a 7m 26.7s Nurburgring lap time for its 2010 ‘Series II’ GT-R, while General Motors was boasting an even better time of 7m 22.4 seconds for its Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 supercar. While manufacturer claims should be taken with a grain of salt--there are just too many variables that can affect the lap times--when an independent magazine runs the tests, with both cars on the same day, the results are usually worth a mention.
In this case the tests were run by German magazine Auto Sport, with current editor and former race driver Horst von Saurma behind the wheel. Saurma, incidentally, held the ‘Ring record for a production car with a time of 7m 32s in a Porsche Carrera GT for several years.
2009 Nissan GT-R R35
So what was the magic number? According to the tests, both the GT-R and Corvette ZR1 achieved a lap time of 7m 38s around the treacherous 13-mile Nordschliefe course.
Hard to believe considering the differences between the cars: one, an all-wheel drive turbocharged V-6 with 480 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque and a hefty curb weight of 3,800 pounds, and the other, a supercharged V-8 with 638 horsepower and a monstrous 604 pound-feet of torque in a chassis weighing just 3,352 pounds. Note that the first series 2009 Nissan GT-R with slightly less power and softer suspension than the 2010 model was used.
The story doesn’t end there as other tracks were also compared in the German test, the ZR1 beating out the GT-R’s Hockenheimring laptime (1m 09.7s to the GT-R’s 1m 10.7s) and then the ZR1 losing out to the GT-R in the wet handling course (1m 36.8s to the GT-R’s 1m 32.4s).
2010 Corvette ZR1