Thursday 30th September 2010

Paris: Revised Nissan GT-R

Nissan shows off its GT-R facelift, but details are TBC...

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The 2011-spec Nissan GT-R is on display at Paris today but company officials are being annoyingly tight-lipped about the details of their new machine, saying more will be revealed on October 18th.

The car is tucked away in a glass box around the back of the stand, and while there's no official information at all, a French lady with a charming accent assured us the brief appearance was designed purely to tease. (You had to be there. Sigh...)

What's evident from a quick nose around is a front end with triple styling 'strakes' on the corners, while the rear end features a new diffuser and exhaust treatment. Inside what we took to be an M-Spec car, an increasingly luxurious interior trim now features more leather in places like the door sills. (How annoyed will you be when the gf or bf scuffs those with her or his, er... stilettos.)

Fortunately that's not all we can tell you in spite of Nissan's official silence, because reports have been circulating for a while that detail the expected technical upgrades.

It's believed the new car will shed approximately 30kgs in weight - in spite of the extra cow being applied internally - while the twin turbo motor will crank out up to 506bhp.

Thanks to an unrelenting Nurburgring test programme, there are also said to be revised spring and damper rates, which we hope may make the ride a little more supple - as long as it's not at the expense of going stupendously fast around corners, naturally.

We're not entirely sure why Nissan is saving details of this car until Oct 18th, as it wouldn't have been hard to get its act together a couple of weeks earlier. Perhaps it was considered a distraction from all the dreary 'eco' stuff going on elsewhere on its stand, and which you can probably read about on What Car?

[Bladedancer]

All good and well but Nissan, please, MANUAL BOX option!

[bakerjuk]

Whats teasing about a car that looks identical to the one you can already buy?

[juansolo]

Still does nothing at all for me. I'll like my games consoles under my telly, not built into my car.

[Bladedancer]

juansolo said:

Still does nothing at all for me. I'll like my games consoles under my telly, not built into my car.

Then I'm afraid you shouldn't buy anything build in the past 5 to 10 years. If ya really think other cars have less gadgets and electronics build in, think again.

[juansolo]

Bladedancer said:

juansolo said:

Still does nothing at all for me. I'll like my games consoles under my telly, not built into my car.

Then I'm afraid you shouldn't buy anything build in the past 5 to 10 years. If ya really think other cars have less gadgets and electronics build in, think again.

I try not to, to be fair and when I do have a moment of weakness, I try to buy something that lets me turn most of it off. But you're not wrong and it's not something that I particularly like. Sadly there's not much avoiding the bloat and the electronic invasion thies days.

Edited by juansolo on Thursday 30th September 12:20

[LuS1fer]

As Althea and Donna observed "No pomp, no style, I strictly roots"

[CrisW]

juansolo said:

Bladedancer said:

juansolo said:

Still does nothing at all for me. I'll like my games consoles under my telly, not built into my car.

Then I'm afraid you shouldn't buy anything build in the past 5 to 10 years. If ya really think other cars have less gadgets and electronics build in, think again.

I try not to, to be fair and when I do have a moment of weakness, I try to buy something that lets me turn most of it off. But you're not wrong and it's not something that I particularly like. Sadly there's not much avoiding the bloat and the electronic invasion thies days.

Edited by juansolo on Thursday 30th September 12:20

Surely the only bits you can't turn off are the bits needed to make the car work. Turning off the gearbox would be tricky and switching off the 4WD system would negate the point of buying the car.

Fair enough you can't switch the ABS off but I can't think of a car which can.

A computer is no different from a mechanical linkage - both are machines designed to perform a task. The 'remoteness' of computer based stuff is usually designed in. Apparently most people don't like any feedback in their cars (see the amount of rubber lumps in steering systems nowadays).

What would be nice would be two versions of computer systems. One pleb version for (most) people who don't want to frighten the horses and a driving god (TM) version for those not scared of a dab of oppo.

[soad]

It might not be that pretty but sure shifts...as such - i want it.
Weight saving is good too.

[Mr Gear]

Is it too much to ask for an in-focus photograph?

[soad]

Mr Gear said:

Is it too much to ask for an in-focus photograph?

I reckon they're overly excited to be there...but yeah - the standards are slipping away.

[SleeperCell]

Bladedancer said:

All good and well but Nissan, please, MANUAL BOX option!

No chance of that. A manual box on a car where everything else is automatic and computer controlled is an anachronism anyway.

[sixspeed]

What fantastic photo-journalism.

[SCR Racing]

juansolo said:

Still does nothing at all for me. I'll like my games consoles under my telly, not built into my car.

Have you ever driven one?

[havanatopia]

Horrible

Edited by havanatopia on Wednesday 6th October 13:56

[havanatopia]

Horrible

Edited by havanatopia on Wednesday 6th October 13:57

[Diamond blue]

A manual box option would , I agree, be completely against the ethos of the car. I know what you may mean about the interaction of a clutch and a lever being the essence of petrolhead-dom, but really if you haven't driven one you just don't know what a blast any GTR is. Its clearly the product of engineers who understand all about driving pleasure.
I think somehow it all happens so fast that the brilliant and pretty tactile D/Clutch box is part of the fun.It weighs a lot but is very agile
Its a towering acheivement by Nissan, no question and improving it is going to be evolutionary, not revolutionary

[bobberz]

506 HP? So they're finally giving it the power they said it would have in 2006?

The weight savings are nice, though.

[Zed Ed]

bobberz said:

506 HP? So they're finally giving it the power they said it would have in 2006?

The weight savings are nice, though.

they all rate 500+ on the dyno anyway

new 2011 car , at least, costing £65k, makes early used examples fab value

[anonymous-user]

Still an ugly beast

[SCR Racing]

havanatopia said:

Butt Ugly. Nuff said.

Wow. You should be a motoring journalist with such insightful commentary.






tt.