It's already been confirmed that the R36 GT-R will land in Nissan dealer inventory in 2017 as a high-performance hybrid supercar. But until the time comes and we'll get an all-new model, the current Nissan halo model still has a lot to boast about with.
Take as a prime example of the R35 generation's evolution the track-focused 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo. The vehicle in the video and photo gallery below is the first US-spec example delivered and it's nothing less than stunning. Let's start with the thing that matters most - the out and out performance.
This GT-R pumps out a hefty 600 horsepower and 651 Nm (481 lb-ft) of twist, grunt sent to all four wheels via one of the best road-going AWD systems in the industry. To boot, the 3.8 twin-turbo V6 is hand built and assembled in a facility that has more to do with a lab than a run-of-the-mill assembly line.
Remember the time when the base R35 could be had for $69,850? Well, this one costs $149,000.
Coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, the aforementioned go-faster bits and bobs grant the 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo with top-shelf get up and go. We'll only mention that in the right hands, this Godzilla can run a 7:08.67 round the Nurburgring. That's the fourth fastest Ring lap for a production vehicle, after two lightweight Radical models and the full-on Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid hypercar.
Not bad for a car that costs $149,990 in the States. Despite the unnaturally high starting price for a car that wears Nissan badges, the owner of the first 2015 GT-R Nismo delivered Stateside declared: "it is an honor to have been along with the ride the entire way from having an '09, a '12. Having that history with the GT-R is going to allow me to have a deeper appreciation of this car. I can see where it started to where it is now."
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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