About nismo
Another new Nissan GT-R ?
No. This one’s a Nismo, not a Nissan.A product of Nissan’s performance and racing department,not the mass market road car division. You’re the internet, therefore you understand this difference already, although I have to say I’m constantly surprised that any GT-R falls under the remit of the same bunch that’s also responsible for the Pulsar, X-Trail and Qashqai.
Nismo stands for Nissan Motorsport, right ?
Correct. Founded in 1984, it’s the in-house outfit responsible for taking the GT-R GT racing, both domestically and internationally, and a couple of years back it had a stab at a full-house LMP1 car (the ill-fated, soon swept under the carpet GT-R LM). It does parts for the Juke. It does aftermarket bits, too. And it created this car. It’s not the first R35 Nismo GT-R, of course, merely a replacement for the existing model, but Nismo likes to keep itself busy.
OK, so what’s new ?
Well, let’s start by giving you some idea of how Nissan goes about altering the GT-R. Most firms – including Nissan actually – have a seven or eight year model cycle for their cars with a good freshen up halfway through, but for the GT-R that goes out the window. Instead of one good refresh, we get lots of little ones – something new every year. A fractional tweak here, a gentle massage there, all of them conspiring to nudge the GT-R along and keep it fresh and modern. The GT-R’s project leaders are given autonomy, so as it’s aged and progressed through these facelifts, the R35 has sometimes been more sporting, sometimes more GT-ish. The latest version got an extra 20bhp, but also a smoother ride, more refined gearbox and much cleaner cabin design. It’s now a very acceptable daily road car, that also has a handy sideline in monstering tarmac and defying everything Professor Brian Cox holds dear.