The 2007 Nissan GT-R

 

Godzilla on Wheels

 

     Don't think for a second that all supercars have to be two-seaters. The supercar I'm about to tell you about has four seats. It's called the Nissan GT-R. It was made in 2007 at Kaminokawa, Tochigi, Japan by designer Shiro Nakamura. Despite being the successor to the old Nissan Skyline, the GT-R doesn't carry the "Skyline" badge. Like it's father the GT-R is all-wheel drive with a twin-turbo 6 cylinder engine and carries the same four round red lights in the back. The four-wheel-steering HICAS system was removed from the old Skyline, and the old straight-6 RB26DETT engine was replaced with a V-6 VR38DETT DOHC engine that delivers 485 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 434 ft. lb. at 3,200-5,200 rpm. Top speed is at 193 mph despite Jeremy Clarkson saying the GT-R had 1 million horsepower when he tested it on British Top Gear. Engine output also meets (ULEV) standards. Zero to sixty comes in at 3.2 seconds when using "launch control." Like the Skyline, the GT-R has been nicknamed "Godzilla" by Australian motor publication Wheels in it's July 1989 book.
     Let's talk design now. Nissan's American staff was responsible for sculpting the rear three quarters while the European staff sculpted the roofline. Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo racing simulators were contracted to develop the GT-R's multifunction display. Aluminum is used for the hood, trunk lid, and outer door skins. Die-cast aluminum is used for the front shock towers and inner door structures. All of the other body panels are stamped using a multiple-strike coining process to increase rigidity and precision. The chassis is made stiff with a carbon-composite front cross member/radiator support.
     Now for parts. The V-6 is given extra power through the installation of two parallel Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries twin turbochargers that provide forced induction. A rear-mounted BorgWarner dual clutch semi-automatic transmission built by Aichi Machine Industry is used together with the ATTESA ET-S system to give power to all of the wheels along with Nissan's Vehicle Dynamics Control to help with stability. However the transmission isn't the most reliable. Three shift modes are available for various driving conditions.
     Now the price. A standard Nissan GT-R for 2015 will cost you $101,770. That's almost what you would pay for a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.