Godzilla’s powerhouse

Many may remember the impact the Nissan GT-R made when it appeared on the world competition scene. The GT-R abbreviation was derived from the name Gran Turismo Racer with its earliest international success on the track being in 1964 when it finished second in its first race to a purpose-built Porsche 904 GTS, then followed by some 1000 victories by the time it was discontinued in 1972.

Regarded as one of the most successful production performance cars ever produced, after a long absence, it reappears back at the top of the pile by virtue of its stunning production-car lap record at the famous Nürburgring in Germany. It’s also touted to be one of the easiest and most secure high-speed cars to drive. It’s lightning-quick zero to100km/h-sprint in 3.6 seconds testifying to its brutish capabilities.

Fitted with a powerful all-new 353kW V6 inter-cooled twin-turbo, it was preferred to the planned V8 due to the latter proving too heavy for the all-new transaxle ‘midship' layout.

Among its main features are an ultra-low-emission exhaust system and best-in-segment fuel economy – and claimed by Nissan to be the world's most efficient supercar.

Aimed at satisfying Japan's ultra low emission standards, the engine is assisted in achieving these parameters via an innovative plasma-coating procedure on the cylinder bores - a process that not only improves fuel efficiency and power, but cooling too. The cylinder liner bores are just 0.15mm thick compared to cast iron liners of 2.6mm. Not only do the liners better dissipate heat and improve efficiency, but they also save 3kg in the V6 engine.

This may not seem much, but in a competition-type car, every kilogram saved is a bonus when added to other gains. And to ensure sufficient lubrication on the sprayed-on cylinder liners in the aluminium block, a purposely-prepared synthetic Mobil-1 RP OW-40 engine oil is used to gain maximum efficiency.

In addition, the fully independent intake and exhaust systems produce higher outputs and quicker response, while the fully symmetrical intake and exhaust systems increase air intake and reduce exhaust resistance for smoother and faster charges. Naturally, the highly responsive twin IHI turbochargers add substantially to the mix. Emissions are improved by a secondary air system featuring an air pump for quicker catalytic reaction and a cleaner exhaust system.

Added to this are re-configured exhaust and inlet ports in the quad-cam head, higher compression ratio, wilder cams and lighter internal moving components that also have reduced friction levels.

The Nissan GT-R's advanced electronic controls are set to respond rapidly to climate and altitude changes, ensuring maximum performance at all times – an vital feature, especially in competition. In fact the precise monitoring of the air-fuel ratios improved the high-performance fuel consumption by five percent. However, even at low-rev ranges, where the engine generates around 392Nm, excellent response, good fuel consumption and rpm-pick-up are also guaranteed.

To take care of extreme cornering conditions, technical innovations include a thermostatically controlled air-cooled oil-cooler system, a scavenger pump to maintain turbocharger oil flow for more reliability and a collector tank inside the fuel tank to optimise fuel flow.