Nissan GT-R Preview

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Nissan GT-R

What we know about the GT-R is that it will share its underpinnings with the Infiniti G35 coupe and sedan and the Nissan Z. Power will come from a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, with power rumored to be somewhere between 400 to 450 horsepower, believable considering the size of the twin exhausts we saw on the prototype we photographed earlier this year in LA. The GT-R has also sported all-wheel drive since the 80s, and we're confident that the newest one will, too.

Nissan 350Z

In the United States, Nissan sports car has always been the Z. However, much of the rest of the world has enjoyed the driving pleasure of the GT-R, which holds Nissan's flagship position in Japan. Despite both being high-performance sport coupes, this is the first time that the Z and the GT-R will share a platform. For several generations, the two cars were developed separately from each other, and they evolved in two entirely different directions. By the mid 90s, the Z was a rear-drive two-seat sports car powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. The GT-R was an all-wheel sedan-based coupe with a twin-turbo 2.6-liter inline six. When Carlos Ghosn took over at Nissan, logic reigned and the platforms merged.

Chevrolet Corvette

Although a relative unknown in the U.S. - save for a dedicated group of enthusiasts - the GT-R's performance reputation is well known around the world. Production versions have held track records at the Nürburgring, and competition versions have established themselves as hard to beat. For the U.S., the most obvious competitor is the Chevrolet Corvette. The GT-R's predicted horsepower falls within the Corvette's territory, and the two have historically had similar performance envelopes. Note that we're talking about regular Corvette's here; the superfast Z06 will likely trounce the GT-R...until a GT-R Spec-V is introduced, that is.

Porsche 911 Turbo

The GT-R will also go head to head with the Porsche 911 Turbo. On paper the two cars are already similar. Both have mid-sized six-cylinder twin turbocharged engines, both use all-wheel drive, and both make between 400 and 450 horsepower (at least, that's what current predictions are for the GT-R). After that, things get a little hazier. The Porsche is a known performance icon, one that is tough to beat under any circumstance except by the highest performing cars on the planet. The new GT-R, while sure to be formidable, is a relative unknown against it. What we know for certain is that the GT-R enters a highly competitive and growing market, and already has a lot of reputation to live up to.

by Keith Buglewicz
Photo credit: Keith Buglewicz and Automakers

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