Price est.: $70,000
HP: 480 @ 6,400 rpm
Torque: 430 lb-ft @ 3,200 – 5,200
0 – 60 mph: 3.5 seconds
¼ mile: 11.7 seconds

Here is one of my all time favorite sports cars, the Nissan Skyline GT-R. For the first time ever, Japanese auto manufacturer—Nissan, will be gracing North America with their prized sports car. The Skyline will be sold simply as the GT-R. Why Nissan chose to drop the word Skyline is unknown, all that matters is that the GT-R is coming and should be available in the summer of 2008.

If you’ve ever indulged in the video game Gran Turismo, you can easily speculate to this beast’s performance capabilities. Nissan Motor Co. has reported that over 2,000 pre-orders were made in Japan, prior to the official release early October 2007, which accounts for an entire month’s planned sales volume.

What makes the GT-R so unique, is the fact that it compares to sports cars twice its price—the Mercedes SLR McLaren, Porsche Carrera GT, and the Bugatti Veyron. Car and Driver’s Tony Swan compares the GT-R’s down-force, of 176 pounds at 186 mph, to the Porsche 911 Turbo’s ($50,000 more than the GT-R); which only produces 60 pounds of down-force, at the same speed.

The GT-R’s engine is a cast aluminum cylinder block, 3.8 liter, twin-turbo V-6. Which bangs out a much needed 480 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, to hurl the 3,850 pound vehicle from zero to sixty in 3.5 seconds. According to Swan, “Nissan left with a hot-lap claim on the Nordschleife—7:38—that puts its competition on the trailer. A current Corvette Z06 covered those 12.9 wicked miles in 7:49. A 911 Turbo is on record at 7:54.”

Make no mistake this super production car is worth every penny spent on it. Expect to find car enthusiasts from multiple demographics to yearn for an opportunity to own this incredible vehicle. For presale information, contact your local Nissan dealer or click here.

To read more about the 2009 Nissan GT-R, click on the resources listed below:

GT-R Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (2007, November). Advance orders for Nissan GT-R exceed 2,200 – Strong demand for Skyline coupe fueling sports car revival in Japan. Communications CSR Department. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.gtrnissan.com/item.en.us.html?id=Advance_Orders_en&type=press

Car and Driver

Swan, T. (2008, February). Car and Driver: 2009 Nissan GT-R, a gripping blend of speed and technology. Automotive, vol. 53, no. 8, p. 102-103.