Godzilla, as its known to its many fans worldwide, is back, and it’s leaner, meaner, and hungrier for havoc than ever. Based on what is the most technologically advanced, rewarding and, dare we say, affordable supercar there is, the “new” 2012 GT-R->ke1592 is sure to get your hair standing on end. The monster has been meddled with to get even higher levels of performance out of what is already a very exciting and more than competent package. The mods Nissan->ke62 engineers have carried out are purely functional, with driving pleasure and dynamic proficiency at the top of the agenda. This is not a “facelift”; there is no Botox or collagen involved.

All of the changes made to the GT-R had one goal attached to the memo; making the GT-R even better. With that comes improved engine output and torque, greater fuel efficiency, revised handling, a refreshed exterior with improved aerodynamics, revised interior treatment, and new wheels and tires. Whew! Now that's a makeover!

The 2012 Nissan GT-R now comes in six different versions: "Pure Edition," "Black Edition," "Premium Edition," "SpecV," ClubTrack," and "EGOIST." The big news of this year is the Egoist edition. It was exclusively created by Takumi, or "master with greatest skills." Each unit will be unique, as customers will be able to choose from a combination of 20 interior colors, four upper area interior colors, and 10 lower area interior colors. The seats are an exclusive quilted design with single and double stitching combined in a reticular pattern.

On the US market, the new GT-R will go on sale in February 2011 with prices starting at $89,950 for the Premium model and $95,100 for the Black Edition.

Updated 01/06/2011: Nissan has revealed the ordering guide for the 2012 GT-R, just one month before the sports car goes on sale (February). The good news is that the option list is quite short, meaning that the GT-R will come fully loaded from the factory. Check out the details after the jump!

UPDATE 03/24/11: We knew that when Nissan decided to give the 2012 Nissan GT-R more ferocious power under its hood, it was only a matter of time before Godzilla drops by the Nurburgring to leave its imprint on the iconic race track. Turns out, that time has finally come. Nissan's new GT-R came to the Nurburgring with 523 horsepower in tow and it showed just how much faster the 2012 version is compared to its 2011 predecessor. With a blazing lap around the 'Ring, the 2012 GT-R clocked in a time of seven minutes and 24.22 seconds, easily destroying the the GT-R record of seven minutes and 26 seconds. While it's still not the fastest car to ever lap he Nurburgring, the 2012 GT-R's impressive run is still living proof that there are only a few cars in this world that can stand up against Godzilla's fire-stewing, rubber-burning wrath. Check out the video after the jump!

Hit the jump for full details on the 2012 Nissan GT-R.

2012 Nissan GT-R

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 Nissan GT-R
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

The Nissan GT-R has been on sale in the U.S. market since 2008, and after only four years, the 2012 model will come with a new look, new colors, and a new wheel design.

There is an enlarged fascia and grille openings, a newly refreshed front fascia with aggressive double rectifier fins, and Hyper Daylight and high intensity white-color LED lights. The back of the GT-R gets a redesigned rear bumper that extends the rear by 20mm, a new rear bumper air outlet,a dry carbon rear spoiler, and a newly designed tailpipe finisher with enlarged diameter, all created to provide this monster with a lower center of gravity.

A by product of the re-design sees improved cooling for the radiators (oil, water & intercooler), brakes (front & rear), and even the exhaust. To give you an idea as to how fastidious they were during this exercise, take the new vents in the rear bumper. On toy cars, like a kitted-Corolla, they’re there purely for looks, but in the GT-R they serve the purpose of removing turbulence from the rear wheel well, cooling the brakes, and adding in downforce with no drag. Now that’s what we call form and function! Bear in mind that, by doing this, they probably achieved less than 1% more downforce and around a 1.5% reduction in brake temperatures. That may not sound like much, but it all adds up and that’s what this car is all about – gentle, precise refinement in all the right areas.

For 2012, the GT-R sits on newly designed, lighter, and more rigid forged aluminum 20-inch Rays wheels. The wheel surface comes in a new Hyper Blue Black chrome color with a deep gloss. The wheels are wrapped around Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 600 DSST CTT tires. Exterior color options will consist of Solid Red, Jet Black, Super Silver, Gun Metallic, Pearl White, Aurora Blue Pearl, and Meteo Flake Black Pearl.

The option list is rather small and includes a Cold Weather Package, carpeted GT-R floor mats, and rear view camera.

Interior

The inner beauty of the 2012 Nissan GT-R will shine with a new carbon fiber trim, a newly shaped instrument panel pad and navigation system display finisher, real carbon center cluster finisher, matte black finished switches, expensive, lightweight magnesium gear paddles.

Nissan are now offering a choice of Recaro race-inspired seats for the Black Edition or fuller, more luxurious options for the Pure and Premium editions. Both are leather of course.

The Engine

Probably the biggest modification is under the bonnet, depicted by a striking red valve cover. The standard VR38DETT 3.8-liter V6 twin turbo engine and 6 speed dual clutch transmission have been retained, which speaks volumes of the standard to which they have been engineered. By revising the valve-timing, air/fuel mix ratio, and cranking up the boost, power is up from 475hp to 530hp at 6,400rpm, whilst torque jumps 24Nm to 612Nm at 3,200 - 6,000rpm. That’s a pretty significant jump in the power stakes and, although the torque gain doesn’t seem that impressive, it is available for more of the time which is great. To cope with the extra grunt are bigger brakes and stickier Dunlop tires. Acceleration times have been released for the 2012 GT-R with the Nissan GT-R Pure Edition model making the 0-62mph sprint in just three seconds!

Thanks to the help of an ultra-low precious metal catalytic converter and a new ECU with super-fast microprocessors, both emissions and fuel consumption are down despite the power increase. Specifically, fuel consumption has been improved to 8.5km/L or 19.9mpg (10-15mode) and 8.6km/L or 20.23mpg (JC08 mode) with emissions seeing a 75% decrease over Japan's 2005 exhaust emission standards.

Drivetrain

Quite a few changes have taken place under the bodywork of the Japanese Samurai, mainly in the structural and suspension departments. They have worked on rigidity and body roll with the addition of support members and strut braces that keep the GT-R flat through the corners and more responsive when you turn the wheel. Thicker anti-roll bars and modified springs and dampers help with vertical loads, making the car, again, more responsive to driver input and more stable on the straights – all whilst enhancing ride comfort. If you think that’s too good to be true, we don’t blame you, but these are Nissan’s top engineers after all.

Pricing

In North America, Europe, and other regions, the new GT-R will go on sale in February 2011 with prices starting at $89,950 for the Premium model and $95,100 for the Black Edition. Japan will be receiving the GT-R in November 2011.

Competition

Ever since its official launch, the Nissan GT-R has done battle with the Porsche 911 Turbo. The 911 Turbo is powered by a 3.8 Liter engine that develops 500 HP and 516 lb-ft of torque with the Sport Chrono Package. This allows the Porsche to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in only 3.4 seconds and reach a 194 MPH top speed. For 2011, Porsche has come out with the 911 Turbo S that boosts the power output to 530Hp, matching that of the 2012 GT-R. These figures allow the 911 to put up some good competition, but then price comes into play. The Porsche 911 Turbo is priced at $132,800 and the Turbo S starts in at $160,700, a significant increase over the Nissan's pricetag.