From the GT-R Spec-V to its GT-R Egoist, the expansive and continuous updates on Nissan's halo car is one of the things that make 'Godzilla' so special and interesting.
While an earlier post regarding the Audi TT RS revealed years of motorsport history trickling down to benefit one particular vehicle, the Nissan GT-R has always been known to write its own motorsport history. In pursuit of even more performance and even more innovation, Nissan entered the GT-R into what is possibly the most brutal race in the entire racing calendar -- the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Today, Nissan has released a video that takes us through the GT-R's journey up to the 24-hour endurance race. First chronicling the series of R35 iterations, Nissan then provided a look at all the work the racing team has accomplished in order to ready the GT-R for the race.
Reflecting on what Nissan had managed to learn from the event, chief GT-R engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno took some time to express his thoughts and even drops a number of hints that reveal the GT-R's future.
"There are two major reasons for entering in this 24-hour race. First of all, after the debut in 2007, this vehicle has been evolving year after year. By changing it to a racing specification to be implemented in the future, no matter what kind of super high performance feature or a new version is developed in the next five years, the durability and reliability in varying conditions can be verified in this race. I would like to make a promise that all this will be reflected in future GT-Rs."
"Secondly, since we debuted this vehicle in 2007, customers have asked me time and time again, how their vehicle would perform if they were to race their own vehicles. Therefore, we are using a vehicle similar to those of our customers, we are not using a car with racing modifications."
"By racing in a vehicle with similar and more evolved specifications as our customers' GT-R, we respond to the expectations of our customers. For this race, we developed forged calipers, aerodynamic parts and other various components. I would like to make a promise that all this will be reflected in future GT-Rs, and will be delivered to our customers."
Given the GT-R's reputation of mid-life-cycles, it's possible that Nissan will stick with R35 GT-R development for a couple more years still before it unveils the next-generation halo.
As for a next-generation model, information on the matter has not been reliable. In fact, a previous report had suggested that Nissan may even drop the GT-R in an effort to spearhead the company into a future of eco-friendly renewable energy. Also, GT-R engineer Mizuno's retirement from the company will only stand to raise more questions over the Nissan GT-R's future.
Whatever the plans for the next GT-R may be, it's nice to see the level of commitment Nissan still has to the current model.
Check out the monumental efforts of the Nissan team in their Nurburgring 24 Hours video below:
