Nissan Murano GT-C unveiled

Alex Nunez — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 21:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, SUV, Etc., Europe, Crossover, Nissan

Nissan announced back in June that that they would have two special concepts on hand at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, both products of the company's European Technical Centre. They pulled the wraps off of one of them last week: the Nissan 350Z GT-S. Today, they unveiled the Murano GT-C (Grand Tourer-Concept), and it's a stunner.

The body features subtle changes like a revised rear bumper and a new high-mount rear spoiler, but nothing overly dramatic. They simply complement the Murano's already athletic look. Mesh grille inserts now adorn the front intakes, and trim pieces like the grille and sideview mirrors get a coat of black-bronze lacquer that also sees action in the revised cabin.

Big AP Racing brakes are easily visible behind the Dunlop-shod 22" 5-spoke wheels, and the suspension has been lowered and retuned in keeping with this Murano's sporting pretensions. Around back, a pair of double-barreled exhaust tips peek through the openings in the new bumper.

That new exhaust is acoustically tuned, and the source of the noise emitting from them is the Murano's 3.5L V6, which gets a single Garrett turbocharger. The enhanced powerplant kicks out an impressive 340 horsepower with 265 lb-ft of torque. 60 mph arrives in an estimated 7 seconds, and top speed is 140 mph.

The passenger cabin is improved mightily, thanks to a two-tone interior highlighted by hand-stitched leather, the aforementioned black-bronze lacquer trim, blue LED ambient lighting, and a hand-blown glass shift knob. Even the mats, rear cargo floor, and rollaway cargo cover get the two-tone look.

While only a concept, its makers say that if approved for production, the GT-C could come through with only minor detail changes.

After Goodwood, the Murano GT-C will be shown at the British International Motor Show in mid-July.

(Detailed press release, more photos after the jump)

[Source: Nissan Great Britain]

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Nissan Murano GT-C unveiled originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jul 2006 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan to debut high-powered Murano and 350Z concepts

Stuart Waterman — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Crossover, Nissan, Misc. Auto Shows

Performance is the name of the game at the U.K.'s midsummer speedfest - the aptly named Goodwood Festival of Speed - and Nissan is showing up with power to spare. The company not only plans to demo the 2004 Japanese SuperGT championship-winning 350Z (shown above) on Lord March's driveway, but also will unveil two concept cars for the power-hungry, a turbocharged Murano and a supercharged 350Z.

The Murano GT-C has been developed by Nissan Great Britain, in partnership with the Nissan European Technical Center, and features a turbocharged version of the V6 powerplant good for around 350 hp, 100 hp more than the standard engine. The GT-C also gets an upgrade to 22-inch wheels, and a roof-mounted spoiler.

The supercharged 350Z GT-S concept goes from the standard 296 hp to an impressive 380 hp, and gets an uprated suspension and brakes to go with the extra power.

Nissan promises limited production runs of both "concepts" if the cars are well-received. The two cars will be on display at Goodwood and later in July at the British Motor Show.

[Source: What Car? Photo: Nissan]

Nissan to debut high-powered Murano and 350Z concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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