Nissan to debut GT-R in Japan's Super GT series
by Merritt Johnson on Oct 25th 2007 at 4:57PM 
click above image to view more high-res pics of the 2008 Nissan GT-R
During the live unveiling of the Nissan GT-R, CEO Carlos Ghosn made hints at Nissan running the GT-R in Japan's Super GT series. While it was pretty inevitable the GT-R would eventually be unleashed on the racetrack, it was unknown how long it would take before cars were constructed and tested. Today Nissan announced the NISMO entry of a GT-R in the GT500 class for the upcoming 2008 season. It has been four years since Nissan last ran a GT-R in this series. They have since been running V8 powered 350Zs. The Super GT GT-R's technical details will be released during a NISMO press conference in February. Since the 350Z underwent an incredible transformation when built for Super G it will be very interesting to see how the new GT-R will appear with some added diffusers and canards. Follow the jump for the official press release.
[Source: Nissan]
Gallery: 2008 Nissan GT-R close ups
Gallery: Nissan GT-R
PRESS RELEASE:
NISSAN GT-R TO DEBUT IN JAPAN'S SUPER GT SERIES
TOKYO (Oct. 25, 2007) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. (NISMO) today announced that the NISSAN GT-R will run in the GT500 class of the SUPER GT series in Japan for the 2008 season. It has been four years since the GT-R last competed in Japan , when it won the Japan GT Championship in 2003 . Private testing is planned to start soon in Japan.
Details including vehicle specifications and team structure will be announced at the Nissan Motorsports Press Conference in February 2008.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AkaiWRX 5:35PM (10/25/2007)
I believe his name is spelled GHOSN...
In any case, the GT-R would make an awesome addition to the Super GT series. Now if only NASCAR had some cool cars and tracks that just don't go in circles...sighhhh
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pedantic 5:46PM (10/25/2007)
NASCAR is just a few stickers away from being a "cool" car.
Fred 5:46PM (10/25/2007)
This is Autoblog. Don't expect correct spelling, grammar, or even accurate facts!
Merritt 6:06PM (10/25/2007)
It is spelled Ghosn. However it seems that most media outlets tend to chose some other spelling from the likes of Ghosen to Goshen since that is how is gets translated back from Japanese.
Christian 7:38PM (10/25/2007)
Hey Akai, you must not have heard of Koni challenge or Grand-Am cup. Some S197 stangs PWNED the 997, M3 and 350Z in roadracing in 2005 and 2007, all in near street trim.
why not the LS2/LS7? 8:22PM (10/25/2007)
Super GT (JGTC) stinks. Sorry, but it's true. Cool cars and awful drivers who got their positions through money instead of skill. It's club racing-level skill in expensive cars.
why not the LS2/LS7? 8:23PM (10/25/2007)
ALMS 2008, GT1. Want to show you match up to the Corvette? No better place to do it than there.
GT1 really needs a shot in the arm, and Nissan would get a TON of exposure from this.
And the racing should be amazing.
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AlmsFan 9:27AM (10/26/2007)
The GTR would fall in the GT1 ALMS class due to awd and horsepower rating. Similar specs to the Lambo in the real LeMons . You would have to severely detune it to run in the GT2 class.
I think the American fans would eat that up. It hits all the major US markets. Hearing GT1 cars race prepped in person is pretty awesome. Someone needs to give C6R’s a run for their money. Aston Martin doesn’t have their heart in it in the US.
why not the LS2/LS7? 11:15AM (10/26/2007)
The car would have to drop AWD. It has to for the JGTC (Super GT) anyway, so they'll already have an RWD race version designed (looking at the pics of the drivetrain, it'll be pretty easy to do).
473HP isn't too much for GT1, not by far. The Corvettes make well north of 500HP, probably more like 700HP. And I think turbos are allowed on engines up to 4.0L in GT1, so the GTR should slot right in, engine-wise.
Obviously, the strongest case for racing in ALMS in 2008 is because if you do, there's a good chance you'll be invited to run the LeMans 24 in 2009, and that's a very prestigious race.
chris 8:31PM (10/25/2007)
why not, the only drivers who pay to race in Super GT are in the smaller GT300 teams. All the top GT300 teams, and every GT500 team have the best drivers possible. There are/were drivers who simply paid to race in F1 even in the past few years, so how you can say all Super GT drivers are terrible just because of that is ridiculous.
And why would they race in GT1, a class absolutely no one cares about and almost no one knows even exists anymore when they can race against their two biggest rivals in the #1 series in their home country?
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why not the LS2/LS7? 10:48PM (10/25/2007)
I didn't say they shouldn't race in Super GT. I said they should race in ALMS.
As to why should they race in ALMS? Because they want to sell cars in the US. And many people subscribe to the theory that doing well in racing in the US will sell cars in the US. Why should Audi race in ALMS when they can race against their three biggest rivals (Porsche, BMW & M-B) in their come country?
Watch some JGTC racing sometime. Girls, cars and foolish passing maneuvers. Good technology, lousy racing. If they don't all suck (hell, not even ALL NASCAR drivers suck, just a lot of them), it's still enough to make the racing dicey at best.
Aaron B Brown 9:26PM (10/25/2007)
Take a look at this drive train and suspension layout kids.
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/nissan-gt-r/455765/full/
This configuration with the rear transaxle, basically the transmission moved to the rear of the car, gives the Nissan perfect weight balance and mass centralization. Combine this with state-of-the-art yaw control and torque split , and you begin to understand why the GT-R can out-handle a Porsche.
What you're looking at is the future of all-wheel drive performance vehicles, here today. I suspect that very soon every all-wheel-drive manufacturer who wants to keep up, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Audi etc. will all adopt a similar configuration. Look for this car to be dominant on the racetrack as well as the street.
Like I said, I want one, bad, real bad
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why not the LS2/LS7? 10:52PM (10/25/2007)
There's drool on your chin.
Why not check the Corvette drivetrain. They moved the transmission to the rear 10 years ago. If it outhandles a Porsche, it's because of the tires, not the drivetrain layout. Putting the engine in the front increase the amount of tire needed to change directions. Moving the tranny back isn't enough to catch up with a 911 in this way.
Two full-length axles. Unbelievable. It'll never be particularly efficient, that's for sure.
Cypher09 11:14AM (10/26/2007)
There you go ruining a perfectly good rant with your "Facts" and something as speculative as physics. ;)
mil 3:48AM (10/27/2007)
Nissan has hit upon a jackpot. GTR 2009 will change its fortune for ever. For more data on GTR, look at http://theyreviewed.blogspot.com/2007/10/2009-nissan-gt-r-test-drive-first-drive.html
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