Filed under: Motorsports, Japan, Supercars, Nissan, Tokyo Auto Salon
2008 Tokyo Auto Salon: Nissan GT500 GT-R live!
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click above for more live and studio shots of the GT500 GT-R
The return of Godzilla to SuperGT kicked off last week with the official unveiling of Nissan's GT500 GT-R and our colleagues at Autoblog Chinese snapped off a dozen shots of the race-ready coupe in its new black and red livery. Nissan hasn't released details on what will be powering the new GT-R racer, but speculation and rumor says that Nissan might utilize the 4.5-liter V8 that's currently under the hood of its 350Z GT500 vehicle. We balk at the idea of not utilizing the 3.8-liter twin-turbo'd V6 found in the showroom version of the GT-R, but we can understand if the new motor might not be up to snuff yet for the punishment it would have to endure in SuperGT.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TBlueMax 8:40AM (1/18/2008)
Nice livery and handsome car overall. In picture 32, there is a protrusion from the front fascia, what looks like a thin tube or pipe poking through to the right of NISSAN. Any idea what it might be?
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John R 8:48AM (1/18/2008)
That looks like the tow hook.
John R 9:21AM (1/18/2008)
Ah.."to the right". My bad.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:26AM (1/18/2008)
Looks like the nipple for the built-in air jacks to me.
Pierre-Laurent Ribault 9:15AM (1/18/2008)
This is the plug for the compressed air hose to lift the car on the auto jacks during pit stops.
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TBlueMax 11:34AM (1/18/2008)
Thanks for the info - that was the one element I couldn't seem to place. Makes sense now that you mention it.
pmiddle5 2:02PM (1/18/2008)
It is the airjack but Ive never understood the placement at all. I mean I know it is a minor aerodynamic penalty but still it is one. Rules requiring it placed at the front maybe?
Nissan GodzillaTurbo-Racer 9:30AM (1/18/2008)
Wow!!!
Thanks for the pics!!!
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MJK 9:38AM (1/18/2008)
Man..the GTR would kick this cars rear end....oh wait...sorry.
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Jeff G 9:49AM (1/18/2008)
"We balk at the idea of not utilizing the 3.8-liter twin-turbo'd V6 found in the showroom version of the GT-R, but we can understand if the new motor might not be up to snuff yet for the punishment it would have to endure in SuperGT."
Is there a better way to test and improve an engine? Thanks for the pics, looks sick.
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EJ25RUN 11:04AM (1/18/2008)
i must agree on this one..... The rb26 proved its worth in Gr. A and the first years of JGTC. That's the only way the VQ38 holds a candle of becoming a great performance motor. To add, we know have the Super GT500 car but Nissan needs to make a car to go up against the GT1 or GT2 Astons, Ferraris, Vettes, Saleens, you know, the cars the GT-R is trying to outsell im the showrooms!
Temple 12:24PM (1/18/2008)
Its in preparation for the 2009 SuperGT season that will see the GT500 class change to V8 engines by the new regulations. The engines will be from Formula Nippon, which all current manufactures build engines for.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:35AM (1/18/2008)
It looks pretty good, and I even like the livery.
But it looks nothing like a GT-R. It looks more like Nissan's previous SuperGT 350Z car than like a GT-R. The back is the right shape but the wrong angle, the greenhouse isn't the wrong shape and the front doesn't have the squared, center raised bulge of the GT-R (even though it has a tiny hump).
This really looks like they just put a new section of CF on the old car, reshaped the rear a bit and called it a GT-R.
As to the V8 engine:
http://news.windingroad.com/countriesmarkets/japan/japan-report-nissans-350z-super-gt-championship-car-goes-v-8/
'Nissan’s motor sport arm, NISMO, won the team championship three times between 2003-2005 going this V6 route. But in 2006, against the odds, it was a TOM’s entered Lexus SC430 that took the coveted team title.
The key to the Lexus’ unlikely victory was its big normally-aspirated V8 engine. The air restrictor rules are reputedly more lenient with atmo engines over turbos, hence Nissan’s switch to the Infiniti-derived 4.5-liter V8 for the coming 2007 season, ditching the seemingly smaller and lighter forced induction VQ30DETT V6 in the process.'
If true, it sounds like it is because of unequal restrictions. When you're in an equalized series, the winning teams are the ones who exploit the rules the best.
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spdracerut 11:36AM (1/18/2008)
Nissan raced with twin turbo VQs in Super GT/JGTC. I think they started with the last year they ran the R34 and then used them in the 350Z until they switched to the V8 a year or two ago.
For a given max power output, a bigger NA motor will have better gas mileage than a smaller turbo motor because it can run leaner A/F ratios. For everyday driving where you're not at WOT all the time and just cruising, the smaller displacement turbo motor will get better mileage because you're rarely in boost.
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:47AM (1/18/2008)
Why does the turbo need more fuel to make the same power? I thought since stochastic was optimal for all situations, the amount of fuel and air for a given power output would be identical for all engines when measuring gross HP, not net, as you have to burn fuel to overcome internal friction as well as output at the shaft.
pmiddle5 2:02PM (1/18/2008)
A turbo motor requires a slightly richer a/f to avoid detonation because of the higher cylinder pressures. It is definitely a rules game though; find the perfect package allowed by the rules and get success will follow.
24 Hours of LeMans for Audi and the Penske Porsches have the more technical circuit ALMS series where the Audi becomes handicapped since it cant stretch its legs
Grain 11:45AM (1/18/2008)
I can't wait for this bad boy to compete.
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Bungle 12:48PM (1/18/2008)
What's with the roof scoop?
For a second I thought they might have somehow converted the car to mid-engine - the rear of the car does look bulkier to me, even disregarding all of the extra bodywork, but then I noticed that the exhaust exits behind the front wheels, so it must still be front-engine.
As much as these cars emphasize aerodynamics, it's got to have some function.
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pmiddle5 2:04PM (1/18/2008)
I would assume either air for the driver or for the differential and transmission coolers. Possibly brakes as well. The transmissions are rear mounted in these cars and occasionally the radiators are as well. Would seem rather small for a radiator duct though...
Carter 1:34PM (1/18/2008)
I love the front fender bulges. I wish this were on the production car. It would give the front look more presence, which is the only thing that would keep me from purchasing it.
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