Nissan launches 1st Japanese supercar at Tokyo Motor Show

Tokyo, Japan — I have never seen so much public and media hoopla surrounding a new car since I witnessed the unveiling of the first running prototype of the 320-kph, 550-hp Ford GT at the Detroit Motor Show back in 2003.

But I guess it’s perfectly understandable for mass market carmakers to beat their chests to high heavens when they come up with a production car that can rival – and beat – the best from Ferrari and Porsche.

Which is pretty much what Nissan has done with its soon-to-be-giant-slaying new GT-R sports car.

Skeptical? Just check out its specs: an all-new 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine (code-named VR38DETT) that pumps out 480ps at 6400 rpm and a torque output of 588 Nm at 3200 rpm – delivered through a state-of-the-art full-time all-wheel-drive system.

To put those numbers in perspective, the similarly all-wheel-driven $126,000 Porsche 911 Turbo generates a similar 480hp for a 3.7-second 0-100-kph sprint and a 308-kph top speed.

The $180,000 rear-wheel-drive Ferrari F430, meanwhile, develops 490 hp from its 4.3-liter quad-cam V8 for a 4-second sprint and a 315-kph top speed.

And what can the new Nissan GT-R do? Independent track testing is yet to be done, but Nissan officials claim a credible 3.5-kph 0-100-kph run and a terminal velocity of 307 kph for the car affectionately known as “Godzilla” by its fans worldwide.

Not bad for a car with a starting price of Y7.7 million or roughly $68,000 at current exchange rates.

“The GT-R is our act of passion!” exclaimed Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn during the launch.

“We call it a multi-performance supercar. This is going to be a technology flagship for Nissan,” stated GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno.

“What we nurtured in this project will be used in future Nissans,” Mizuno added.

And as expected from Japan, a heady list of technologically advanced features and manufacturing processes aids the Nurburgring-bred GT-R in achieving its otherworldly performance.

For starters, it boasts the world’s first independent 4WD transaxle specially developed by Nissan to achieve a perfect 50:50 front/rear weight distribution.

Its body is composed of carbon fiber, aluminum and steel and is assembled using a special high-precision process which includes a series of vibration tests.

Engines and transmissions are assembled by a single craftsman in a “clean room” environment – just like in Formula One.

And upon completion, every single GT-R undergoes a battery of comprehensive tests to ensure proper operation of all systems at all times – just like your everyday Ferrari.

Transferring the GT-R’s prodigious power through to the four wheels is the work of the rear-mounted 6-speed manual transmission – actuated by the driver using paddle shifters.

Suspension duties are handled by a specially developed Bilstein DampTronic active suspension system which monitors the car’s dynamics and adjusts accordingly.

The car’s Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) can be set to Normal, Comfort or R, which is the highest performance setting.

Stopping Godzilla, on the other hand, is the responsibility of huge Brembo brakes: 6-piston front/4-piston rear calipers clamping huge drilled brake discs. 

To minimize weight, improve weight distribution, and enhance interior space, the Nissan GT-R does away with a spare tire. Instead it employs ultra-sticky and ultra-wide run-flat tires that are capable of being driven up to 80 kilometers at speeds of up to 80 kph.

Standard safety features include a pop-up engine hood for enhanced pedestrian safety as well as dual front airbags, dual side airbags plus curtain airbags for roll-over protection.

Style-wise, the latest GT-R loses the sleek, sexy lines of its predecessors. Instead the new model sports a very aggressive, almost-fighter plane look that should strike fear into the hearts of drivers who see the GT-R’s gaping air intake opening and glaring headlamps in their rear-view mirrors.

The boldly flared front fenders are muscular and sweep gracefully into the doors. The roofline sweeps back downwards while the windshield sweeps continuously into the side windows to present an aerodynamic face (the GT-R has an impressively low Cd of .27) to the wind.

The rear is supercar-wide and displays the trademark Skyline twin, round tail lamps (illuminated by ultra-bright LEDs) with matching huge quad tailpipes and spoiler that leave no doubt as to the car’s capabilities.

Inside the 2+2 cockpit, it’s all business for this 300-kph Japanese supercar. Deeply sculpted bucket seats hug the driver and passengers even in racing maneuvers.

The instrument panel, highlighted by a large center-mounted tachometer which also displays what gear the car is in, surrounds the driver.

The shift lever sprouts from the large, metal-framed center console, which also hosts the red “Engine Start” button.

Last but not least, a specially designed Bose audio system features two forward-facing woofers in the rear center armrest area delivering sound with the other door-mounted speakers. Needless to say and as we experienced in a demo, audio quality lives up to the car’s supercar cred.

But unlike the Ford GT, which was created to celebrate the American carmaker’s hat trick of wins in Le Mans in the ‘60s, the GT-R is the pinnacle of a long line of street-going – and now-iconic – Skyline-based GT-Rs that date back to 1969.

But while previous GT-Rs were available only in right-hand-drive, the latest model was designed to be a global Japanese supercar and hence was designed from the outset with left-hand-drive.

Nissan plans to sell at least 200 GT-Rs a month, with the first three months’ production already spoken for. Japan sales will start in December with the rest of the world to follow soon after.

As for me, I’d be happy just to drive this fast-and-furious car in Gran Turismo on PS3 – with force-feedback steering wheel and pedals, of course.