Just a day after Nissan's formal announcement that it plans to campaign a race-prepped R35 GT-R in the Tokachi 24-hour race, GTR-World has procured a few pics of the coupe undergoing its transformation. The GT-R appears to be getting aligned at the NISMO Omori factory (about 60 miles from Tokyo), equipped with a full roll cage and a set of the same Volk TE37s originally spied on a mystery mule back in December. As with any competition car, weight reduction is high on the priority list, so NISMO has gutted the interior and fitted a carbon fiber trunk lid to help cut an estimated 273 pounds from the racer's curb weight. With NISMO producing parts for the GT-R race car, it's only a matter of months before owners can start individualizing their own super coupes abroad... and hopefully here in the States.
[Source: GTR-World]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4agze @ Jul 1st 2008 7:39PM
hope they get atleast top 10
aman @ Jul 1st 2008 7:48PM
With a decent driver, this car should dominate. Damn I want one.
With a new trunklid you'd think they'd add an aftermarket spoiler with more downforce.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jul 1st 2008 11:08PM
bigger wing= bigger drag
aman @ Jul 1st 2008 11:18PM
yeah I know that, but no matter how good the GT-R is stock, I think thatit could probably use some more downforce during high-speed turns.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:32AM
they probably figured that the stock wing provides the balance they want for that track
Sean Morris @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:40AM
A stock wing is always a compromise. You want to place the wing where it gets the most undisturbed air. The point of the wing is to give you downforce. That rear wing downforce , balanced with front splitters/front downforce, make car go fast around corners.
Mechanical grip only gets you so far. I was always a skeptic of big wings, until I saw actual results, and actually did some research. On your Honda street car , they look a bit ridiculous , however on a racecar they are a necessity .
Soul Shinobi @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:07PM
You know, after thinking about it I'd put my money on 'Nissan said to keep it stock looking so they look serious about their "Don't mod your GT-R" campaign.'
Sam @ Jul 1st 2008 7:56PM
Nice. This is just what the GT-R needs--a diet. Assuming a curb weight of 3600 pounds and the recently discussed actual crank output of 550hp, you'd have a weight to power ratio of ~6.5. Factor in the added rigidity due to the roll cage to the car's already spectacular handling, and I bet this would be a great racer. Not the fastest (race) car ever, but really solid.
It will be interesting to see how the longevity issue works out over 24 hours...
CarbonBlack @ Jul 1st 2008 7:56PM
I wonder how they got the volks to be compatible?
Is it just me, or did Nissan make the car difficult to tune so they could own the customization market? I respect the car, but the poor tune-ability bugs me
Sam @ Jul 1st 2008 8:09PM
It's my understanding Nissan made the car "un-tuneable" because of warranty issues. Supposedly the dual clutch transmission can't handle significantly more horsepower than the stock car produces. Regardless, many tuners (Cobb, e.g.) already have prototype engine management software for the car that in conjunctionwith better breathing increases horsepower by approximately 10%.
Mitsubishi has the same issue with their new dual clutch transmission for the Evo X MR.
chris @ Jul 1st 2008 9:22PM
Volk Racing make the wheels for NISMO's Super GT cars, so I'm sure they worked something out.
Sean Morris @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:34AM
Volk/Rays made the OEM wheels. I think they "might" know how to make them work.
How come people believe this car is untuneable ? Is it all the press releases ?
The Japanese speed limiter has been hacked months ago. More than 10 companies offer ECU's and tuning for the car already.
Many companies offer wheels and tires for the car... BBS anyone ?
http://2009gtr.blogspot.com/2008/03/bbs-limited-edition-r35-gt-r-wheels.html
Tire Rack has Gram Lights for the R35.
http://2009gtr.blogspot.com/2008/05/r35-gt-r-wheels-and-tires-attire-rack.html
Mbuku Kanyau Mbithuka @ Jul 1st 2008 8:13PM
I really do not care for this car. At all. It will do well though. The last generation did pretty well on the local Japanese scene
Sean Morris @ Jul 1st 2008 8:24PM
No swiss cheese rear bumper...
http://2009gtr.blogspot.com/2008/02/swiss-cheese-rear-bumper-r35.html
Hike15 @ Jul 1st 2008 8:34PM
A little off topic, but this got me thinking,
How much slower would this car be without launch control and awd?
kind of like how the Lambo Gallardo Superlaggera changed....
why not the LS2LS7? @ Jul 1st 2008 10:00PM
0-60? Very.
On the track, not all that much. You only launch once per race and AWD is only of mild help on a dry track. Back when Audi dominated touring car, they said the main advantage of AWD was actually more tire management than flat-out dry grip. Of course, in the wet, things change.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Jul 1st 2008 10:02PM
I'm shocked it only lost 273 lbs. How is the V-Spec going to lose the amount of weight people say if removing the entire interior and 3/4 of the seats only cuts 273 lbs?
Maybe they're sandbagging?
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jul 1st 2008 10:31PM
No it's harder to put a car on a diet then a lot of people think. But also add the roll cage and fire system. I suspect the V-Spec GT-R to struggle to lose 200/300lbs without extensive use of exotic materials (meaning more than a carbon fiber trunk and hood) If the GT-R uses exotic materials in the fenders as well your looking at a 300/400lbs weight reduction with keeping the interior livable. The car without the interior and with just about everything in exotic materials I'd imagine ( just a guestimate) the car would weigh 3400lbs give or take 100lbs.
Franz @ Jul 1st 2008 11:18PM
The safety equipment throws a lot of the weight back in there. A full cage weighs a bunch.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Jul 1st 2008 11:55PM
If this is only 273lbs, I don't see how even with exotic materials the V-Spec is going to lose 300+lbs without removing the rear seat. Taking the rear seat out of this car kind of makes the extra length required for the rear seats a waste and all the weight added to make that space a waste too.