When you see the Nissan coupe in the flesh, you are quickly aware that it isn't just a hopped up version of a pedestrian model like an EVO or WRX. The twenty-inch, seven-spoke wheels look spectacular and fit over fifteen-inch floating brake rotors clamped by large six-piston Brembo calipers. The
Aston Martin-style recessed door handles are also a nice touch. While you wouldn't call the overall design beautiful, it carries a perfectly befitting, aggressive Japanese design.
Nissan has gone to great lengths in regards to the build process of each GT-R. Every 480-hp, VR38 twin-turbo V-6 engine is hand assembled in a clean, dust-free room by one of twenty highly skilled technicians at Nissan's engine plant in Yokohama. The facility turns out twenty-seven GT-R engines per day, each taking three hours and twenty minutes to build. This production number will double once a second shift starts before the end of the year. Once completed, the engines are run through both a zero and full load dyno test before shipment to the Tochigi assembly plant
for installation. At that plant, the GT-R rolls down the same line as the Infiniti G35 and G37 but, once finished, it is put through a unique, eight-lap shakedown by one of ten trained drivers on a test track situated next to the factory.
According to Nissan, the goal of this procedure is to "ensure circuit driving high performance upon delivery to the customer." Brake pads and rotors are bedded in and the dual-clutch transmission is put through a process to refine the clutch plate surfaces to ensure shift times of 0.2 seconds. Finally, once completed, the chassis alignment of each GT-R is rechecked to assure a perfect setup.
The attention to detail won't stop once the
Nissan is delivered to customers. While the particulars need to be ironed out with dealers in America, each GT-R comes with free maintenance and inspections for three years. The first visit will be around 600 miles and then at 12, 24, and 36 months after delivery. At each appointment, engine and transmission adjustments are made along with an ultra-accurate chassis alignment. Nissan wants to make sure owners are able to exploit maximum performance out of their GT-R at all times and in all conditions. But enough about the details on this Japanese sports car, let's talk about how the GT-R is from behind the wheel.