Ever heard of Godzilla? The Japanese monster? Funny that you thought we were talking about a fictional character popularised by early Japanese films. We were talking about a monster of a car that has earned this name – none other than Nissan GT-R, an absolute legend in itself.
It was in production since 2007 and has had an immense cult following among enthusiasts and modders alike. Want to build a 1000 bhp car or a 1500 bhp car or even a 2000 bhp car? Nissan GT-R is one of the most obvious choices. With stronger internals and Ethanol race fuel, GT-R is said to even take on a Bugatti Veyron in a quarter-mile drag race.
Nissan GT-R Is Discontinued ?
Nissan had launched GT-R in India as well and has found home with a few celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, John Abraham and more. 15 years after launch, Nissan GT-R is discontinued across various global markets. Now, GT-R has been taken off Nissan India’s official website as well. Only two cars remain on offer from Nissan India – Magnite and Kicks.
Due to stricter emission and noise regulations, high-performance cars are getting axed in developed markets. That is not the end for the legendary GT-R, though. Nissan has already revealed the MY2023 GT-R which will go on sale in upcoming months overseas. Is India on the list for 2023 Nissan GT-R? It is hard to say. In 2022, this high-performance car has barely registered any sales in India. When there was no MY2022 model, automotive enthusiasts across the globe assumed a worst-case scenario that it went the way of dodo. A couple of months ago, Nissan officially revealed the 2023 model.
Unlike Nissan Z, which was a radically different car over its predecessor 370Z, 2023 Nissan GT-R still vastly resembles the 2021 model refresh. We think that this is a conscious choice by Nissan as they wanted to establish familiarity. Something which Nissan GT-R’s arch-rival Toyota Supra MKV failed to achieve as it is a BMW Z4 underneath.
Specs & Variants
Being Nissan’s halo car, it was conceived as a daily-drivable high-performance car. To achieve this, Nissan didn’t invest in a separate facility to manufacture it. Instead, it was manufactured in the same production facility and even the same assembly line as some of its cheapest cars. This was possible with extensive manufacturing practices in which Nissan manufactured its most affordable and also its halo car on the same assembly line. For MY2023, it still packs the same 3.8L V6 twin-turbocharged engine that now makes 565 bhp of power in GT-R Premium trim and 600 bhp of power in GT-R Nismo trim.
Former is priced at USD 113,540 (approx Rs. 92.75 lakh) and latter is priced at USD 210,740 (approx Rs. 1.72 crore). Justifying that cost, Nismo gets a few carbon fibre body panels, carbon-ceramic brakes, advanced Bilstein suspension, and a lot more. Earlier, Nissan GT-R used to primarily rival Toyota Supra. Now, Nissan Z takes care of the Supra.
GT-R now chases track machines like Porsche 911. While Nismo takes on GT3-RS or GT2-RS spec Porsche 911, AMG GT R and the likes. India launch is not yet confirmed. That said, if it does get launched, it will be priced a lot more than what it costs in the US.