In an interview with Top Gear UK, it was revealed by Nissan’s head of product planning, Phillipe Klein, that the current-generation R35 Nissan GT-R still possessed a fair amount of “development potential” despite its already prodigious performance in both regular and Nismo trims.
“You know, it’s a never ending quest,” said Klein on just how far the company thinks it can push the boundaries of the current R35 model. “When you see what we have done with the GT-R Nismo, it’s an interesting development, I do believe,” he added. The keyword from that statement is ‘development’ – the shocker comes when one scans through the spec sheet of the Nissan GT-R Nismo.
Currently, said flagship GT-R variant is powered by an upgraded biturbo 3.8 litre V6 engine with 600 hp and 652 Nm of torque. Said mill is coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission which, in turn, is responsible for sending all that grunt to all four corners of the car. The raft of upgrades over the regular GT-R has allowed the Nismo model to record a Nurburgring lap time of just 7:08.679.
As for the next-gen GT-R, it is understood that the car is still several years away from hitting the showroom floor. With that said, Nissan is taking the development of the car very seriously. “The GT-R is a halo model for us which not only contributes to the business but also to the image of the company,” said Klein.
When it does debut, expect the new GT-R to feature a radical departure from the R35 in terms of its aesthetics. Reports are already indicating that the new car will be heavily inspired by the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo (pictured above). Under the bonnet, speculations are running rife that the all-new car will be powered by a hybrid powertrain similar to the one employed in the GT-R LM Nismo race car.
While the race machine is equipped with as much as 1,500 hp, the road-going model should record a power figure that could hover about the 700 hp-mark. Other information divulged also states that the new car will still be front-engined while a four-door GT-R is a definite no-go. “The GT-R is a very closed concept,” said Klein. “When you have these kinds of assets, you are not trying to dilute the asset.”
