Spy Shots: 2011 Nissan GT-R spotted testing at Nürburgring?
by Dan Roth on Apr 29th 2009 at 10:30AM 
One way to win races is to bury the pedal and never lift. It would appear Nissan may be following the same plan with the development of its GT-R. Rather than sit around and let the car's development go cold, Nissan is continuing to refine its bargain supercar slayer. Nürburgring watchers have noticed a seemingly base model GT-R lapping the track lately. There's camo on the front and rear fascias – somewhat strange for a car that's been released for public consumption – so the folks at gtrblog took a closer look.
While it may look innocuous enough, the latest GT-R o be snapped on its German vacation has aerodynamic pieces that are subtly different, leading gtrblog to come to the conclusion that this is probably thee 2011 version of Nissan's Godzilla. Thanks for the tip, Jim!
[Source: gtrblog.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
audi_arena 10:36AM (4/29/2009)
Or perhapse they are simply just trying desperately to build a car that is as fast as they originally claimed it was.
liars.
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Quattroporte 10:42AM (4/29/2009)
You're just mad that the R8's 'Ring time is 8:01.9.
BigMcLargeHuge 11:10AM (4/29/2009)
I suppose you're going to say something else stupid next, like power/weight can predict lap times to within 60 seconds?
Because it can't. 2 cars with the exact same power/weight ratio can be driven hard by HVS and be a solid MINUTE apart.
Doesn't matter how many times you say it, anyone claiming power/weight is the sole deterimining factor in how fast a car can go around a track is ignorant.
Serge 10:59AM (4/29/2009)
+1
You're probably right!
OMEGA 11:04AM (4/29/2009)
at least there are no buttons you can't use in the R8 :)
zamafir 11:21AM (4/29/2009)
woah, down boy, the GT-R is spectacularly fast. Go drive one. I did. I love the R8 and all, and would own one were In the market for a car like it, but there's no denying the GT-R is fast, and faster than the best Audi currently offers.
Per AB's assertion it's a 2011 model, I doubt it. Nissan was clear there are going to be a few more editions of the current GT-R, I'd wager it's one of those.
steve-o 10:37AM (4/29/2009)
ITS THE 2011 ZR1
(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)(POKE)
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Steve 10:38AM (4/29/2009)
Both of the previous Posters need to get their brains checked for mental insufficiency's.
As for the car, I'd reckon it to be the V-Spec II or a "Nur" model.
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the_MVP_X 10:40AM (4/29/2009)
Huh, redesigned front? Already? Hmm that should be nice, Things start to get hot with the LF-A coming at Tokyo this year and with some surprises from Mazda, and oh yeah, the Ferrari F450 will come too.
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Tourian 10:41AM (4/29/2009)
Yeah, I'm going to have to think its a special edition model rather then 2011. I think they'll keep the "base" model the same for 2011.
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Blacksabre 10:54AM (4/29/2009)
Geez, does anyone CARE about the GT-R any more?
It's fast. It's overpriced. It's ugly. The transmission has a lifespan slightly shorter than Oprah's latest diet, and the factory won't warranty the use of the car's standard launch control..
If the media gave as much coverage to the standard C6 Corvette, or even to ALL of the Corvettes combined, as they do this thing, the ricers would be whining so loud they could drown out err...Godzilla.
Let this car go away, okay? Nissan built it, the fan boys love it, and everyone else can relax and let life go on.
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BigMcLargeHuge 10:57AM (4/29/2009)
Crybaby.
konatown 11:36AM (4/29/2009)
Its overpriced? Apparently what you're smoking is underpriced.
Yeah, when the transmission is abused it does have a problem. But, hey, good luck dropping any car into gear from a 4500RPM nuetral and getting 4 wheel traction about two dozen times in a day. Let me know how that goes.
Its funny how all the publications that have tested and flogged the GTR have never had a problem with durability. We're not getting the full honest story from the idiot owners of the cars that have suffered problems.
Blacksabre 11:47AM (4/29/2009)
Funny that those 4500 rpm launches not only work fine in Corvettes, but are also fully warrantied, by Chevy...unlike the GT-R.
And yeah, a GT-R for the price of a ZR-1...and forget the factory suggested retail...drop by a Nissan dealer and try to BUY a GT-R for less than six figures...is overpriced.
You guys can wave the meatball all you want, but the GT-R is a non-starter, unless you love sushi.
Imag 11:47AM (4/29/2009)
I should know better than to feed the troll, but here goes:
If given the choice, I would buy the Grand Sport, because I like simplicity, true manual transmissions, and RWD. Given more money, I'd get the ZR1. However, how you can call yourself a car enthusiast (maybe you don't) and whine about the GT-R is beyond me.
The car is *stonking* fast. It beats everthing in its price range, and most cars two or three price ranges above it (except the aforementioned ZR1). It is an engineering marvel and is one of the few mid-engine AWD cars ever offered for sale. It has a back seat. It looks odd - fine. Regardless of whether or not you want to own one, you have to admit that Nissan did something new with the car. At a price lower than Honda's lovely, but long in the tooth, NSX, it's a steal. Hell, you can hardly get a realistically optioned Cayman S for that price. There is no way you can fairly call it overpriced.
As far as launch control, and yes, I just posted this on another site, I don't understand why people don't get the fact that launching an AWD car is an entirely different proposition from launching a 2WD car. Almost every AWD car ever built will grenade the driveline after repeated clutch-drop launches on tarmac - try 30 launches with a Murcielago and see how much the bill will be. Hard launches in an AWD car are like taking a sledgehammer to your driveline. I think it's unfair to judge a car based on what amounts to abuse. You could spend all day, every day, on the track, and the transmission will be fine. It just won't handle the sledgehammer. I'm sorry, but that just doesn't seem like it's worth whining about on every single GT-R post.
Oh, and some of us are interested in Nissan's updates to their engineering marvel, despite the fact that we never intend to own one. There have been plenty of articles on the C6 - despite the fact that it came out years ago. In fact, there was a Grand Sport update yesterday. As a car enthusiast, I like to read about more than one car, and the more sports cars, the better....
zh589 11:49AM (4/29/2009)
actually the factory does warranty the transmission when using launch control now. the VDC doesn't have to be turned off and the times for the new launch control are just as fast.
albeit nissan should have done this in the first place. also nissan should have fitted it with a dry sump system like 2 of it's closest competitors the Z06 and 997TT.
also if you do happen to have 1st Model year gtr and your Gears shear from the 4500 rpm launch control there is a STRONGER replacement available for 1500 bux.
just sayin...
zamafir 11:22AM (4/29/2009)
agreed!
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zamafir 11:28AM (4/29/2009)
@Steve
Blacksabre 12:00PM (4/29/2009)
You guys have basically admitted:
A) The transmission/launch control is a cheap hand grenade,
B) The car looks like the limo for a Skoda Revival Salvation Show,
C) Imag, the last time I looked, the GT-R had an engine in the front, but was missing the one you said it had in the "mid" location. I suspect one of us is wrong, and it's not...me.
Also, I'll bet a double Whopper that I can find a brand new ZR-1 for what I'd pay for a GT-R, right now...which makes them the same price class...and the Corvette is faster.
:shrug: Keep whining, rice boys.
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konatown 12:23PM (4/29/2009)
1) No, even at $1mm the Veyron does not have such a LC feature for a reason. Its very simple, but so elusive for you apparently, with AWD you have oh so little relief from wheel spin, where as a rear wheel drive vehicle such as the ZR1 will gleefully smoke the rear tires at 4500 RPM and go absolutely no where.
2) Form over function, and I like the styling, but I also like the Gumpert Apollo.
3) You finally get a point.