Suspension is by aluminum control arms at all four corners. A switch on the instrument panel allows the driver to choose among three different settings for the Bilstein DampTronic dampers: R, for racing or high performance; Sports, the normal setting; and Comfort. The GT-R's huge, 15-inch front and 15-inch rear Brembo brakes are ventilated and cross-drilled. The run-flat tires were specially developed by Bridgestone and Dunlop and measure 255/40ZR20 in the front and 285/35ZR20 in the rear. Nissan claims that the GT-R's rubber has much more pliant sidewalls than most run-flats, which should improve steering feel and agility. The company also inflates the tires with nitrogen to maintain proper tire pressures under hard use.
The same firm that is responsible for the GranTurismo series of video games for the Sony PlayStation designed the car's multi-function display. It provides the driver with a wealth of vehicle and driver stats, including engine and oil temperatures, oil pressure, transmission oil temperature and pressure, turbocharger boost, and the front-to-rear torque split. Driver information includes a g-force meter showing accelerator angle, brake pedal pressure, steering angle, and lap times.
As you might expect, the GT-R is strictly a 2+2, with rear seats that are intended mainly for a bag of groceries rather than a human body. The front seats are upholstered with a special type of alcantara fabric with an anti-slip coating, to keep your body in place during hard cornering, and the steering wheel center has a version of the famous GT-R badge, which also appears on the trunk lid.
When the new GT-R goes on sale in America next summer, it will mark the first time Nissan's famous sports car has ever been offered here (save a few gray market imports). Will it prove to have been worth the wait for all the American enthusiasts who've so far experienced the car only in video games? We suspect so, but you'll have to come back to automobilemag.com on December 1st for our test-drive report of the production car. In the meantime, consider that the car is expected to cost somewhere between $70,000 and $80,000 but promises to offer a level of performance similar to that of the $126,000 Porsche 911 Turbo.