Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car, built by Japanese marque Nissan from 2007 to 2025. It has a 2+2 seating layout and is also considered a grand tourer. The engine is front-mid mounted and drives all four wheels. It succeeded the Nissan Skyline GT-R, a high-performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Although this model was the sixth-generation to bear the GT-R name, it was no longer part of the Skyline line-up. The car was built on the PM platform, derived from the FM platform used in the Skyline and Nissan Z models. Production was conducted in a shared production line at Nissan's Tochigi plant in Japan.
As per Nissan's intention of creating a world beating sports car, the GT-R brand was revived as part of the Nissan Revival Plan. Overall development began in 2000, following seven years of development and testing, including the introduction of two concept models in 2001 and 2005. The production version of the GT-R was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The GT-R was a brand-new car built on the PM platform, and featured innovative concepts and technologies, such as advanced aerodynamics, the VR38DETT engine, an active suspension system and the ATTESA E-TS Pro all-wheel-drive system; it is the first ever rear mounted independent transaxle all-wheel-drive vehicle. It was one of the first production cars to feature launch control and a dual-clutch transmission. The overall body was made out of steel, aluminium and carbon-fibre.
Unlike its predecessors, the GT-R was offered worldwide. It received various facelifts and updates comparable with the competition, and several special editions were offered during its prolonged production span. The car is used in motorsports, notably winning championships in the FIA GT1 World Championship, Super GT and in various GT3 racing series, including the GT World Challenge. It is well received among enthusiasts and automotive publications, British motor magazine Top Gear claimed it as "one of the most incredible cars of any kind ever built", due its exceptional performance and practicality given at an affordable price. Being one of the fastest production cars—as it set the record for the fastest accelerating four-seater production car—it has won numerous notable accolades such as the World Performance Car of The Year among many others.
In 2021, sales in the Australian market were discontinued due to new side impact regulations. The European market, including the United Kingdom, were also suspended, with new noise regulations. Followed by the suspension of sales in North America in 2024, sales in Japan and other markets remained until August 2025, ending production of the GT-R after 18 years and around 48,000 units produced.
History and development
History
Between 1969 and 1973, and again between 1989 and 2002, Nissan produced a high performance version of its Nissan Skyline coupe, the Skyline GT-R. This car proved to be iconic for Nissan, achieving much fame and success on the road and in motorsports.The GT-R was an entirely new model, departing from its predecessor. Though they shared a little with each other, such as the signature four round tail lights, the ATTESA E-TS Pro all-wheel-drive system, and a twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder engine, the GT-R diverged significantly. Notably, it omitted the HICAS four-wheel-steering system, with engineers recognizing its incompatibility with the advanced all-wheel-drive setup, which would compromise the car's performance. The previous RB26DETT engine was succeeded by the VR38DETT engine. Another continuity from its predecessor was the chassis code; the all-new version was identified as CBA-R35 initially and later as DBA-R35 and 4BA-R35 for subsequent model years, or simply R35 for short. The car also preserved the nickname of its predecessor, Godzilla, a moniker originally given by the Australian motoring publication Wheels in 1989 for its R32 generation model.
Development
In 2000, as per the request of CEO Carlos Ghosn, Nissan commenced the revival of their iconic sports car model, as part of the Nissan Revival Plan. Ghosn believed that introducing a halo car would increase public interest and enthusiasm towards the then-struggling Nissan brand, ultimately bolstering sales. Therefore, he insisted the GT-R should be made as a high-performance car, capable of rivaling esteemed sports cars from manufacturers in the likes of Porsche, Lamborghini, and Ferrari, all while maintaining a comparatively affordable price point. He also sought to preserve a distinctive feature from its predecessors; four round taillights, which he considered the signature design element of all GT-R models. Development began in 2000, with Nissan designers from Japan, United States and Europe generating a multitude of sketches. Out of these, 50 designs reached Nissan's design director at the time, Shiro Nakamura. Nakamura emphasized that the design must not only embody a modern sports car aesthetic but also encapsulate Japanese cultural elements and pay homage to its predecessor's heritage. In 2001, Ghosn officially announced ongoing development of the GT-R, with a concept reveal at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The chief designer, Hiroshi Hasegawa, dedicated over four years to complete interior and exterior designs, as designs should exude sportiness, modernity, and aerodynamic efficiency to meet the ambitious performance targets set for the car.Chief engineer of the Skyline GT-R R34, Kazutoshi Mizuno, spearheaded the mechanical aspects of development. Mizuno initially rejected the project, due to the directive to build the car on the outdated FM platform. Mizuno expressed his reservations, stating, "I could not make a world-class performance car from this platform as Ghosn requested." In April 2003, he constructed a Infiniti G35 based—GT-R prototype on an advanced iteration of the FM platform known as the Premium Midship platform. Mizuno was then granted the full development authority and was designated as the chief engineer of the GT-R. At the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, Ghosn confirmed that the production version would debut in the fall of 2007. Subsequently, the prototype underwent refinement at Lotus Engineering, focusing on enhancing chassis rigidity and revising suspension geometry to align with the car's performance goals.
In January 2004, Mizuno officially commenced development with a specialized team and a full-scale GT-R model. Differing from the typical development team, this specialized group was made by recruiting the best engineers and technicians from each department. The Mizuno-led team developed and tested the drivetrain and chassis, including the suspension setup and brakes, using the Infiniti G35 test mule at the Nürburgring and Sendai Hi-Land Raceway. Mizuno claimed his ambitious goals were to build the GT-R so as to be able to have comfortable conversations with a passenger at speeds of. Furthermore, he aimed for a power-to-weight ratio of under per horsepower and a lap time at the Nürburgring in under 8 minutes. Notable mechanical designs and concepts, including the Brembo brakes system and the Bilstein suspension setup, were conceived and developed by Mizuno himself. Initial plans for the GT-R involved a straight-6 engine, consistent with its predecessors. However, the decision was made to opt for a shorter V6 engine for ideal weight distribution. Nissan's chief powertrain engineer, Naoki Nakada, spearheaded the development of the brand-new VR38DETT 3.8L twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which was an evolution of the VQ engine.
To achieve the initial goal of creating a high-performance user-friendly car, a unique combination of production car and race car-like aerodynamics had to be developed. This challenge arose from the dual requirements of generating a respectable amount of downforce for enhanced high-speed stability while maintaining minimal drag for improved fuel efficiency. Initially, engineers expressed the complexity of achieving such an aerodynamic level, given a road car's high ground clearance, safety regulations, visibility standards, material costs and various other factors. Aerodynamics development began in early 2004, spearheaded by a team of the company's best engineers, including Yoshitaka Suzuka, the developer of Nissan's successful Le Mans prototypes. The process began with an internal design competition among Nissan's design studios located in Atsugi, Tokyo, London, and La Jolla. Over 80 sketches were submitted, aligning with the original styling concepts. Subsequently, 12 distinct sketches were created by design elements from the initial submissions. Further refinement whittled them down to 3 scale wind tunnel models created by the development team.
The team set a numerical target for the car to achieve a or lower, combined with front and rear downforce, which was not done by any other manufacturer. Suzuka initially proposed utilizing active aerodynamics, but the idea faced rejection due to the concerns of inflating the car's price beyond Nissan's planned offering. In August, Suzuka initiated wind tunnel testing at the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi, spanning three months and involving over 300 test runs using the scale models. The program then transitioned to two 40 percent scale models—one representing the GT-R and the other replicating the Infiniti G35 test mule. Drawing data from its full sized version's testing at the Nürburgring, this scale model served as a comparable datum against the GT-R model. Initial wind tunnel tests with the GT-R model yielded a drag coefficient of. As the project progressed, exterior designers Hirohisa Ono and Masato Taguchi joined to refine certain aspects of the car, such as adjusting the front nose height. However, the efforts fell short of achieving the anticipated overall improvement in aerodynamics. Subsequently, Suzuka shifted the focus towards enhancing the car's internal airflow, which required significant changes to the chassis frame design. He insisted the chassis department to lower the frame rails to align with the passenger compartment, aiming to eliminate transitions and streamline airflow beneath the car. The team later employed a CFD program for wind tunnel testing, swiftly upgrading hundreds of components in a short period of time to optimize airflow and minimize drag. Lotus Engineering's road-rolling wind tunnel in the United Kingdom, was also used during the process. Over one and a half years of development, involving more than 2000 wind tunnel test runs, the engineers ultimately achieved a visually appealing exterior design with a drag coefficient of combined with front and rear downforce.
Engineers and designers dedicated more than six years to complete overall development of the car. After finalizing development in 2006, an additional year was dedicated for testing before reaching the conclusive stage. Nissan officially announced that the production version would make its debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Ghosn was confident in the GT-R's potential profitability for Nissan, and dispelled the rumours of it being sold as an Infiniti model in North America, confirming its global release as a Nissan model.