Nissan GT-R range refreshed with beefier Nismo and new anniversary edition
‘Godzilla’ gets uprated range-topping version, plus 50th birthday celebration
It may have been in production since 2007, but Nissan’s GT-R isn’t going anywhere just yet — as the firm has just revealed a fresh raft of updates to the range.
Starting with the high-performance Nismo variant, Nissan has treated the hardcore machine to a number of upgrades. Visually, the car is almost identical — save for the addition of new wheel arches that now incorporate carbon fibre vents inspired by those on the road car’s GT3 racer sibling. Nissan says this aids ventilation and improves front downforce without increasing drag.
It’s under the skin where the most notable changes come, though. The GT-R’s 20-inch Rays forged alloy wheels have been re-engineered to save weight and are wrapped in newly-designed Dunlop tyres, offering an increased contact patch with the road as a result of a wider tread and fewer grooves. The Japanese firm claims this results in improved steering response and reduced rolling resistance compared with the original Nismo.
Though its 3.8-litre V6 still boasts the same 592bhp and 652Nm of torque as before, its six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox has been refined in its ‘R Mode’, improving shift times and gear selection under more spirited driving. The powertrain has also been treated to new vocal cords with a revised titanium exhaust introduced. Suspension improvements have also been made to the car in an effort to improve both ride quality and cornering stability.
Elsewhere in the line-up, Nissan is celebrating 50 years since the GT-R nameplate debuted — back then adorning the Skyline 2000GT-R — with an anniversary model.
Appropriately named the 50th Anniversary Edition, it brings with it perhaps the most famous colour in GT-R history — Bayside Blue. Made iconic by the R34 Skyline GT-R of the late ‘90s, it’s impressively the first time the shade has made an appearance on this generation of the sports car. It’s joined by white racing strips and a decal at the back of the car denoting this special-edition model, plus matching blue spokes on its alloy wheels. Two other colour schemes will be available — namely Pearl White with red stripes, and Super Silver with white stripes.
Inside the car, grey upholstery is deployed throughout while a unique steering wheel, shift knob trimming and Alcantara-wrapped sun visors feature too. The headliner is also coated in the material.
Pricing and full specifications for the refreshed Nissan GT-R range have yet to be confirmed, though expect a late-2019 arrival in the UK.
