Autoblog

Click above for our high-res gallery of the 2009 Nissan GT-R

Nissan recently granted Autoblog four fleeting days with a red 2009 Nissan GT-R. While it seems every major automotive outlet has tested "Godzilla" on the track (including our First Drive), we chose instead to keep it on the streets to see if one of the world's most powerful and fastest accelerating cars could be domesticated by stop-and-go traffic, family errands, and carpool duty. Of course, we only stuck to that routine for a day or two... the rest of the time was spent on the famed canyon roads of Southern California. Follow the jump to read about our 100-hour experience in the Nissan GT-R and don't miss what very well may be the most beautiful gallery of high-res images we've ever published courtesy of our own Drew Phillips and all ready to become your next desktop wallpaper.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

UPDATE: We've rerun the GT-R drive due to pure awesomeness.

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]

Japenese car mags sometimes provide the juiciest of news for us Yanks to drool over. Take these scans from an unnamed Japanese car mag that show Nissan's upcoming GT-R. The pictures look a bit photoshopped, as they differ from spy shots we've seen of the car testing at the Nurburgring in Germany and elsewhere in the world. The car in these pics is much more aggressive with an extra intake for rear brake cooling behind the doors and accompanying vent behind the wheel wells. The rear wing is also larger and a more serious looking affair.

Then again, the GT-R will come in three flavors, standard, V-Spec and EVO, so most of these shots may be showing the GT-R EVO trim that ups the car's aggression by a factor of ten. The translation of the article accompanying these photos tell us that the standard GT-R will start at $57,000 and feature a 480-horsepower version of the VQHRTT. Whether or not the twin-turbo V6 is 3.7L or 3.8L large wasn't mentioned. The V-Spec GT-R, meanwhile, will start at $67,000, while the top perfroming EVO spec will begin at $94,000 and feature a 530-horsepower version of the VQHRTT engine while shedding 220 lbs. from the car's overall weight through the use of lighter seats, ceramic rotors and the like.

[Source: CarSpyShots.net via WorldCarFans blog]