Nissan GT-R Nismo: Godzilla’s final battle?
If this really is the last stand for Nissan’s brute, it’s going down with all guns blazing
A mix of flaring nostrils and complex aero, the GT-R hasn’t really changed for over a decade – it’s a dinosaur, an outlier in Nissan’s increasingly electrified line-up. And this refreshed £180k (!) Nismo is its most extreme manifestation.
Fire up the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6, and the GT-R awakens with a guttural, mechanical bark. The hand-built V6 has turbos from Nissan’s GT3 project. Via an improved dual-clutch six-speed ’box, they help propel the 591bhp GT-R Nismo off the line with thrilling rapidity. The vast Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are, thankfully, a match.
The silhouette is the same as before, but hacked to improve airflow. At the rear you’ll find a Super GT-esque wing with lethal-looking endplates. The increased use of carbonfibre saves just under 30kg compared with the previous car.
To drive, it’s surreal. The steering is light and sensitive, and the front wheels really bite. After a few bends, you’re cornering at speeds and angles you wouldn’t have thought possible. But it is, thanks to the technology all around you.
But that tech isn’t intrusive, and most of the time it’ll give any driver the illusion of greatness. The four-wheel drive and various management systems balance grip and power, and it’s only when you do something incredibly ambitious or stupid that you really feel the GT-R’s acronyms step in to sort everything out.
Gearshifts are quick and pleasingly physical. Although you can only grab a couple with all the revs before things get very silly, they still have a sense of violence and urgency that fits in with the racing roots of this car.
Despite all the tech and a kerbweight of 1703kg, the GT-R still makes you feel incredibly close to the road beneath you. Feedback through the wheel and Nismo-tuned suspension is Ultra HD for your hands; it gives a profile of the road surface little short of opening the door and running your fingers over the tarmac yourself.
But unlike a non-Nismo GT-R, this version lacks any significant ride comfort – the price you pay for surgical cornering precision. Could this be the last new GT-R Nismo we ever get to drive? If so, it’s fitting Nissan has thrown all the R&D it can at its cult hero, ensuring the GT-R is retiring at the very top of its game.