Friday, May 2, 2008

NISSAN GT-R AT THE 'RING

As if attempting to prove the notion that the twin-turbo V6 in their GT-R supercoupe generates more than the stated horsepower, and to further the cause of all-wheel drive, and to add to the cred of their ride & handling engineers.... (breathe), Nissan gat themselves a 7:29 time at the famed Nurburgring. Read about the iconic location here.

Can I get a witness? Nissan's GT-R time puts it ahead of its most obvious competitor, the Porsche 911. Aye, 7:29 is faster than a 911 GT3, 911 Turbo, or 911 GT2. In fact, the GT-R's time of seven minutes and twenty nine seconds is three seconds up on Porsche's Carrera GT. 


While the bulk of those cars are priced over $100,000 (and some over $200K or $300K), the GT-R battles on the cost-meter with the Ford Shelby GT500KR. Yeah, a Mustang. Chevrolet's chief engineer on the Corvette ZR1 had suggested quite some time ago that his car would outlap any production car on any track, but the ZR1's approximate time in the high 7:30s necessitates some retracting.  


Bring up 'Ring times with manufacturers and you'll hear lots of talk about what constitutes a good day in Nuburg. Weather, track temperature, production ready or off-the-factory-line... all sorts of stuff. Discuss the same matter with tuners and you'll be presented with multiple vehicles that can make a 911 GT2 look silly; as the discussion turns to the constitution of a production car. 

For now, recognize this: the Nissan GT-R is stupid fast.

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