2017 Nismo GT-R has extra attitude

Published May 30, 2016

Share

By: IOL Motoring Staff

Nurburg, Germany - The infamous Nurburgring has been described as boot camp for cars; it's where they go to get attitude.

It's also where Nissan performance division Nismo does most of its test and development work - especially on hooligan tools such as the GT-R. Which is why Nismo's kick-ass version of the 2017 GT-R was introduced to the world at the 'Ring. Where else?

Like the standard model, the revised GT-R has a new front treatment, with a new bumper and an enlarged grille to help cool the uprated engine - but the Nismo's bumper is made of carbon-fibre, for additional lightness and rigidity, with carefully crafted canards to improve airflow around the car and over the wheel-arches (a major source of drag) as well as helping to give it more downforce than any other Nissan production car to date.

It also has a reinforced bonnet - the Nismo guys found the standard panel was deforming at extreme speeds, to the detriment of aerodynamic efficiency.

Also read: Watch Nismo GT-R sideways at 305km/h!

 

Under that bonnet is a tweaked version of the hand-built 3.8-litre twin-turbo VR38DETT V6, wearing a pair of the high-flow, large diameter turbochargers normally used in the GT3 racing version. Rated power is up from 419kW to 441kW at a surprisingly conservative 6800rpm, driving all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch gear-box.

The stiffened body structure of the 2017 GT-R has also allowed the Nismo samurai to tighten up the springs, dampers and anti-roll bars; in particular, the GT-R's driver-adjustable Bilstein DampTronic active suspension has been upgraded with Nismo-tuned shock absorbers.

Combined with the added downforce provided by the Nismo body kit they measurably improve handling, road-holding and the overall balance of the car; slalom times and mid-corner speeds, say the slide-rule sensei, have improved by nearly two percent from the previous GT-R Nismo.

Upgraded accommodation

The latest Nismo also gets the redesigned dashboard of the 2017 GT-R, with its new eight inch touchscreen display and vastly simplified layout that reduces the number of switches on the centre stack from 27 to 11, while a new display control on the carbon-fibre centre control allows you to operate the infotainment functions without having to reach out to touch the monitor.

The updated fascia, steering wheel and centre armrest are covered in alcantara synthetic suede, and the car features Nismo-specific Recaro carbon-fibre bucket seats trimmed in leather with red alcantara inserts.

Sadly, there are no plans at present to bring the 2017 GT-R Nismo to South Africa, although the standard model will be released later this year, once final specification and pricing have been decided.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Related Topics: