According to Car and Driver, a preliminary version of the Nissan GT-R V-Spec -- that stands for Victory Specification, mind you -- could be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show later this year and may even be ready for sale by the end of the year. The V-Spec, whose actual specs have not been revealed, is the even better, faster, stronger version of the plain old blindingly fast Nissan GT-R. The V will be lower and more powerful than the regular GT-R, but no one knows yet by exactly how much.
Apparently Nissan has also admitted that the $70,000 GT-R is currently a loss-leader. As the company rolls out more cars on the same platform, like an Infiniti version in a year or so, the GT-R's balance sheet will begin to show profit. Speaking of that Infiniti version, it will be intriguing to see how they combine Nissan gadgetry with Infiniti luxury. And although the V-Spec could be shown in just a few months and on sale by December, it isn't expected to go on sale in the U.S. until 2010.
[Source: Car and Driver via Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Torrent @ Jun 12th 2008 2:35PM
How much horsepower do you guys think it will have? I say like 530.
Frylock350 @ Jun 12th 2008 3:16PM
Meh who cares. I'm more interested in what else they've upgraded.
Oh and bad Nissan. NO Inifinity version. Don't dilute the GT-R. The appeal of it is that a Nissan, a common man's brand, can maul anything Ferrari/Lambo/MB/BMW/etc have put out.
James @ Jun 12th 2008 2:38PM
Your title calls it the Spec-V, while the text says V-Spec. What's the deal? I'm rather certain Nissan won't use the Spec-V moniker since that would attribute it to the lowly Sentra SE-R
Pacman @ Jun 12th 2008 2:39PM
Spec-V in the headline is wrong. My Sentra is a Spec-V this is a V-Spec. Come on you got it right in the article.
Pacman @ Jun 12th 2008 2:40PM
I know the Sentra SER Spec-V does not get lots of love from the Autobloggers but its not lowly - well I guess in comparioson to the GT-R it is! I love mine though. 200hp for $20K and I avg 26mpg.
James @ Jun 12th 2008 3:47PM
I meant no disrespect to the SE-R Spec V. I like them alot. But I'm just saying it would be a "diss" for the GT-R to use the same Spec-V badge.
ambientFLIER @ Jun 12th 2008 8:43PM
Technically, it's a nice car. Aesthetically, it's horrible. I had an '02 spec-v and that one was 10 times better looking than the new one.
NightmareMX6 @ Jun 12th 2008 2:57PM
Too bad it is still gonna have a stupid ass auto transmission. Before you say "no it's a dual clutch not automatic", this car can change the gears on its own. That sounds like an automatic to me. It needs a real 6 speed transmission to be a great car.
Keat @ Jun 12th 2008 3:01PM
I second that. The auto might shift faster, but its not a real car until it has 3 pedals on the floor.
Pacman @ Jun 12th 2008 3:02PM
so Ferrarris with a similar set up are not great cars? Sure it may not be your preference but that does not change the great or not great stature of this or any other car.
BigMcLargeHuge @ Jun 12th 2008 3:08PM
Meh, I'm almost looking forward to my next performance car being paddle-shifted.
I have a 5-speed in my car and a 6-speed in my truck. If I were going to keep one as a manual, it would be the truck. It does actually make it feel sportier.
Though there are times in the car where I feel it would just be easier with both hands on the wheel going into/out of a corner. Because it can actually corner, and those types of things matter.
2004m3driver @ Jun 12th 2008 3:09PM
Um it is a great car. You're telling me all that engineering they did to take out that annoying clutch pedal is to make this car suck? You still select the gears. You just don't have to step on a clutch pedal. Give it a try you might like it. The F1 drivers do. The point is its faster. This car is all about going fast. I am a serious car guy and tech guy and I couldn't care less about it having a slower manual. Kind sucks to have to work harder to go slower doesn't it? If the stick was faster that would be my choice, but it won't just like in the porsche turbo. Speed > Using my left foot all the damn time on the 5 freeway.
Pacman @ Jun 12th 2008 3:13PM
I am not going to argue that lack of a clutch is a good thing, because most car people do prefer it, but I dont think the lack of one deminishes the quality of the car. I would prefer to have one if I was purchsing one.
Hike15 @ Jun 12th 2008 3:20PM
if you want a car you can shift yourself get a viper or vette
or get an exige and save some money=]
Franz @ Jun 12th 2008 3:58PM
In all my years of blogging in forums like this, I've never heard anybody criticize Ferrari for giving the public less than a true performance car by offering a sequential manual... nor BMW or Lamborghini for that matter. Magazine editors have routinely found fault with the systems themselves
Franz @ Jun 12th 2008 4:03PM
... but not with the manufacturers for diluting the cars. Sorry, the first post was cut short.
Anyways, I do believe that Nissan would've appealed to a broader audience if they at least had a proper manual available, but the set out to build a performance car with very little compromises so I don't fault them for it. It's not less of a real performance car... quite the opposite. It would seem to me that it's too much "performance" for those complaining about the lack of a slower transmission choice. But to each his own.
NightmareMX6 @ Jun 12th 2008 4:29PM
You guys saying that it is about trying to build a car to go faster and be pure performance, remember that the gtr is a car built for the street and consumers not just for the race track.
For the price and similar performance I would get a ZR-1, it has a real gear box.
Matty @ Jun 12th 2008 4:37PM
If you want slower shifts, get a traditional (I won't say "proper" or "real") manual transmission. Nowadays, there are transmissions that can manage the shifts better than human beings. Some people prefer the older setup because they feel closer to the car. I sometimes like to do math by hand because it's fun. Still, if my goal is speed and efficiency, I use a computer. It's the same principle here. Get over it.
Seoultrain @ Jun 12th 2008 8:01PM
Girls, girls! You're all very pretty.
Can't we just chalk it up to personal preference? Manual transmissions are more emotional. Unless you really appreciate technical excellence, which makes dual clutch transmissions just as emotional.
Mobius_1 @ Jun 12th 2008 9:43PM
It is totally down to personal preference what you buy, and I agree it is probably more fun and exciting to change gear yourself, but there is no denying paddleshifters are really good now and alternative for those who need the fastest shifts and/or prefers simplicity