Chris Harris video: GT-R Track Pack vs 911 Turbo
Track Pack equipped Nissan GT-R gives Harris the perfect excuse to pitch it against its 911 Turbo nemesis
Strangely, Nissan has just released its GT-R TrackPack, and I don't think its specification includes any of the stuff we'd have listed. No sticky tyres, no roll cage, no larger brakes, no aerofoil.
In fact the £85,540 Track Pack is actually pretty similar to the £10,000 cheaper vanilla GT-R. There are different seats, snazzy, lighter wheels and some new suspension settings. But that's pretty much it.
What grabs my attention is the list price. The first UK R35 GT-R I drove was £52,995 - this one is over £30K more and it is mechanically little different. Yes, the 490hp is now 550hp, and there are a load of upgrades, but most of those come with successive modelyear improvements. Where once the GT-R was an absolute bargain, that is no longer the case.
Should we have tested it next to a GT3? Possibly. But you've had enough GT3 content from me. Besides, with 4WD, paddles, two turbos, four seats and no cage, the GT-R shares more with the Turbo, on paper, than it does the GT car.
I didn't really warm to the direct injection 997Turbos when they were launched in 2009/2010. I just thought they were rather soulless devices capable of terrifying you through sheer speed but, once you'd experienced that trick, there wasn't much else to savour. But with time I'm warming to their charms - this car was so fast on the road it needed a careful touch and the 997 package feels so small after the GT-R.
It would have been nice to have a dry track, but sadly the excellent fellows at CircuitDays couldn't quite control the weather.
Before the evening event hosted by Circuit Days on the Indy circuit, I had a couple of very wet, slippery hours on the full Grand Prix track at anMSV event. For some reason I had never driven it before - what a brilliant, brilliant place it is.
Dear lord, I've just realised what I really want is a GT3 RS!
Its really hard to see where all that 10K in extra Track bits went on this gtr....although the wheels will no doubt come in at 3K!
Also as chris said, if you spent 10K on a standard GTR....lord knows how fast it would be you only need look at the litchfield cars and the mods they offer for less than 10K....gives an idea.
Still love the GTR, and that 911 turbo....was soooo quiet, and didnt really seem much of a track challenge, in some ways very mute and un-inspiring. and at 129K thats some 45K more than the GTR....still say its a no brainer GTR all day long.
The GT-R's price is just stupid - £10K to change the wheels, fiddle with the suspension and remove the interior makes some of Porsches 'specials' look like great value for money!!
The 911 looks dull to drive - I'm sure it's not, I'm sure it's super capable but it seems to fall between the cracks of 'track car' and 'road car' and 'excuse to charge more for an already pricey car!!'
The NurBurgring 24h article says something about Track-pack GT-Rs taking part in that 'out of the box' but mentions a rollcage which seems a staggering omission if that's not included for 10 large!?!?!?
Im betting those chaps in the Caterhams were having just as much,if not more fun out there in those conditions,and how much is one of those?
For the price that 911 costs i will have a Francis Tuthill special please.
Interesting article though. Keep them coming.Thanks.
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