Harder, GT-R

It may sound like something from an automotive skin-flick – or should that be metal-flick? – but Nissan’s GT-R is indeed now able to go at it harder, faster and longer than ever before. If that’s your bag, of course. And you want to spend an extra ten-large on your 2012 GT-R.

The new Nissan GT-R Track Pack brings some extra tasty morsels to the famous supercar-shammer, as well as doing away with a few convenient, but ultimately weighty, bits ‘n’ bobs, in order to focus the GT-R for even more rabid track attack. While keeping things road legal of course, officer.

There isn’t much you could do to the GT-R on the outside to make it more “XBOX-wild” – suitably covered in spoilers, splitters and intakes as she already is - but keen-eyed punters will notice the even lighter 6-spoke RAYS alloy wheels, resplendent in gloss black paint. Lighter yes, but they’re still a tidy 20-inches tall.

Controlling the new RAYS rims in a more track-ready manner are a set of firmer suspension springs at each delectable corner, making apexes all the easier to hunt down, while on the road you’ll probably want to avoid the potholes with a little more attention. GT-R’s dampers, however, remain thankfully adjustable to deliver a more pliant ride when the car’s on shopping duties.

Another small to see, but big on the track, Track Pack detail, is the braking system which now gets treated to extra cooling – to the tune of a 100-degree reduction in operating temperature; front and rear – via additional (carbon fibre!) cooling ducts in the front bumper, and another pair tucked away in the rear bumper. 

Inside Track Pack GT-R, it’s a game of win and loose. The back seats are gone; surplus to requirements; deadweight indeed, while Recaro step up, up front, with some of their finest and tightest and grippiest blue-bolstered bucket seats, to keep the tush in check during big-G cornering. A “Track Pack” emblem on the centre console identifies your new GT-R as being more expensive than your mate’s stock R-car. 

The 3.8-litre, V6 twin-turbo motor remains the same as in the £10k-less 2012 model GT-R, but still, 530bhp is never to be sniffed at. The to-60mph sprint time is also identical, at a warping 2.7secs, with just the firmer suspension, braking improvements and some weight-saving on hand to shave a tenth or two off hot lap times. 

So, is a tenth or two worth the £10,000 premium over the standard car’s £74,450 list price? It’s your cash, you decide. Both track and standard GT-Rs are waiting for your admiration at the 21 Nissan High Performance Centres around the UK.

www.nissan.co.uk














By Daniel Anslow

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