The Hankook Tires drift team has come out with a few crazy creations over the past few years in order to hype up their products appeal to the sport’s sideways crazed fans. Up until this year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas the wildest ride in the Hankook stable was a twin turbocharged Porsche 911 GT2 that defied physics and the odds when it’s driver Tyler McQuarrie was able to keep the back end of the rear engine sports car from coming around when he hung it out on the edge.
Following up the wild winged Hankook GT2 would be tough, but a RWD Nissan GT-R wearing the familiar orange and black livery of the Hankook team is enough for us to give it a chance. The car is made up of a multitude of lightweight carbon fiber body panels from Seibon, a 4.0 Liter stroker kit, KW coil over kit and a set of 19 inch Weds Sports wrapped in the obligatory Ventus R-S3 Ultra High Performance rubber. With experienced drifter Robbie Nishida behind the wheel this drift GT-R should rack up a few wins in next year’s Formula D championship, that is if import racing legend Steph Papadakis doesn’t step in on the action.
Press release after the jump.
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The Nissan GT-R is by all means a bona fide super car and , however for anyone who is too old to have used a Playstation has been left in the dark about the cars that made those three letters so significant over the past two decades. That is because the most contact most people in the U.S. had with a Nissan Skyline GT-R was when playing Gran Turismo, or at an auto extravaganza like SEMA, and there were two fine examples on display this year in the Las Vegas Convetion Center. These were ultra exotic all wheel drive sports cars powered by a revolutionary low displacement high revving twin turbocharged straight six that pushed the Japanese Government’s limits with a reasonably priced package that was able to trump quite a few super cars of its day. Adding to the lore of the old Skyline GT-R; the ones that did make it to America with a DOT approval all came from the same import company, and they were found out to be crooked.
In 1989 the Japanese automaker revived the GT-R nameplate from the 1970s with the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. At the time the GT-R was a two door version of Nissan’s popular Skyline luxury sedan, something we were introduced to in America as the Infiniti G35 some years later. Back in the ’90s Nissan had to advertise their budget super car at 280 PS (275 HP) but Godzilla has been dyno’d to reveal closer to 350 HP coming from the RB26DETT under the hood. What was even better is that these car’s could easily be boosted to produce closer to 500 HP and there are even a few recorded 1000 HP runs by tuners who never had to crack the head gasket. In the U.S. the baddest car you could buy and then modify was a Toyota Supra, there are even models that can race against a Suzuki Hyabusa and win at 150 MPH, in Japan they said that when you got over your Supra you bought a GT-R.
This year’s SEMA Show featured two of the latter examples, one white on gold R33, a model that was made from 1995-1998 and got more curves and a bigger turbo. The other jaw dropping piece of high performance machinery was the highly coveted six speed R34, although Nissan ended production of the car in 2001 they came back with a rare proposition for 2004. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Nissan Motorsport International, the manufacturer offered to buy back 20 low mileage models which were stripped down and rebuilt to be Z tune GT-Rs. Making 600 PS from a race engine and shod with a set of beautiful black GT500 style Volk racing TE-37s, simply exquisite. Although the late model Rotora car is wearing a different set of wheels, it does have the Z tune style fenders with the vents at the top. It’s tuners cars like these that gave the GT-R its super car credibility; so now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
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The German luxury automaker BMW is one of the only automakers that can invent new car segments so successfully, with models like the X6 Sport Activity Vehicle. Well the Japanese car maker Nissan is attempting something similar with their first true super car GT-R. Branching out in the opposite direction from the upcoming razor sharp SpecV with a more refined SpecM, much in the fashion of the old Mizuno Spec GT-R.
In an interview with the automotive journal InsideLine, Kazutoshi Mizuno, the man behind who has been at the controls of Nissan’s flagship performance vehicle for over a decade stated that the automaker is indeed working on a SpecM version of the GT-R super car when he put the nail in the coffin saying that "we’ve always planned that after we released the SpecV, we were going to build the SpecM." The new Nissan GT-R SpecM is said to have a new set of thoroughbreds in its sights because when the more plush GT-R debuts sometime next year it will compete with high end super cars like Aston Martin and Ferrari. Now while the GT-R is sure to deliver the same super car thrills there is no word yet as to how Nissan’s engineering and design team are going to soften Godzilla and spruce up the interior, all we do know is that much like the other special edition GT-R, prices will roughly be more than double the base model. However $200,000 is still a bargain for Ferraristas and Nissan will surely sell every last one.
The Japanese automaker Nissan has just announced pricing for the 2010 Nissan 370Z. Fortunately for Z fans Nissan is keeping true to their roots with an affordable sports car, next year’s asking price will remain under $30,000. The base model with a rev matching six speed transmission is priced at $29,990 and climbs to $31,460 for the seven speed automatic version. A drop top 370Z will set you back $34,660 if you shift it yourself, and $36,130 without a clutch. However the much coveted Nismo edition is priced at a lofty $39,190 and has no slush box option. Either way the 2010 Nissan 370Z is powered by a 3.7 Liter V6 engine that sends a total of 332 HP to the rear wheels, although Nissan’s engineers have managed to squeeze 350 HP from the race bodied Nismo’s VQ37VHR making it even more desirable.
Press release after the jump.
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United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. This is the place where the bad boys have no chance to run or any place to hide. Why? Because the Nissan GT-R is at watch!
The traffic control police just got the Gt-R as the new addition to their fleet. So, if we were you we will be good around there. But, wait! is Abu Dhabi - the place with no traffic rules!
There is no greater sight than a group of modified Nissan GT-R super cars lined up and shined to perfection, and of course while walking along the crowded halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center for the 2009 SEMA Show that is exactly what we came across. The old Skyline GT-R has already built itself a strong relationship with the aftermarket, and the new GT-R super car has quickly become famous for being able to embarrass Porsche owners for a fraction of the price by granting owners with ungodly amounts of power and handling that defies physics, all straight from the factory. Given the car’s tuning credibility and outstanding performance potential, the GT-R has become the perfect platform for enthusiasts to transform into the purpose built vehicle of their choice.
At the head of the pack sat Brian Lock’s GOTO:Racing R35, now any race spec GT-R is a visual treat, but when you consider that this is the first ever race ready Nissan GT-R to compete in any form of sanctioned motorsport in the U.S. you know that this is truly something special with its multitude of aerodynamic aids, gutted interior and ultra wide semi slicks. While Mr. Lock’s GT-R was modified in search of an all around ability to go, turn and stop in order to achieve the quickest lap time possible, the next Nissan in line focuses on doing one of those tasks extremely well with the same goal in mind of course. That is because the next example of Godzilla lined up in Las Vegas was a gleaming white GT-R that boasted as being the world’s fastest. With straight line acceleration being priority one, this super car owner has managed to run his GT-R down the quarter mile in an elapsed time of just 10.4 seconds with a trap speed of over 130 MPH, very fast.
There were so many modified GT-Rs in the lineup that it would be difficult to go over the nuts and bolts of each one, but if you are a true GT-R fan, and spent hours endlessly staring at that old B.F. Goodrich poster, then you should recognize this last GT-R distinct shade of Bayside Blue. Even though that particular paint code went away with the R34, this Godzilla enthusiast did a great job of bringing back the image of the four round red taillights floating in a sea of that memorable metallic blue paint.
Video of Brian Lock’s GT-R after the jump. > More
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Nissan is the last automaker set to enter this year’s LA Design Challenge, but they are certainly not the least. In a look forward at what we will be driving in the year 2030 suggests that every car on the road could be zero emission electric vehicles, that is if Greenpeace gets their way, that will travel on an ultra efficient high speed network called the GRID. Nissan’s entry is appropriately named V2G, or Vehicle to Grid, and will be an affordable entry level automobile that offers the same build quality and fun to drive nature of the automakers current lineup.
However while the other forward thinking design teams are focusing mainly on vehicle to vehicle communications and keeping up with Facebook, Nissan has highlighted on a more traditional approach to car customizing. The coolest feature about Nissan’s V2G is that they recognize that their futuristic electric vehicle will eventually be taken Off Grid. Just like the Silvias and Skylines that made the Japanese automaker such a desirable sports car maker in the last decade, the Japanese automaker is anticipating the hot rodding hopes of future consumers and has readied their 2030 electric car to allow for modifications in much of the same way. Although we would hate to see the internal combustion engine go the way of the dinosaurs, but if future electric vehicles can be as fun as the V2G, we say bring on the electrons.
Official details after the jump.
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The German suspension manufacturer Eibach is well known for being innovators in the field of automotive spring manufacturing, while at first these aftermarket metal coils were meant simply to lower the car’s ride height, these days springs are tuned to not only drop the vehicle but enhance its handling as well. A perfect example of a high performance machine upgraded with the help of Eibach is the Rally Innovations
Nissan GT-R that was residing in the coveted corner spot of the spring maker’s booth. The Japanese super car has been slightly massaged into a machine worthy of the name Godzilla. The GT-R wears a new nose complete with a larger front opening and a few new vents to extract the hot air out from behind the radiators. Riding on a set of Work rims wrapped in sticky Falken tires and of course the obligatory Eibach suspension, this GT-R not only haas the perfect stance to intimidate
Porsche 911 Turbo owners, but now it has the legs to run rings around them as well.
The sights at SEMA expand well beyond the air conditioned exhibit halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center and manage to s----onto the sidewalks and driveways surrounding the enclosed building. One such example of automotive excellence that just didn’t quite make it indoors is this wide body Nissan 350Z. It only takes a quick glance to see what makes this Japanese sports car so special, and as you slowly make your way around the vehicle you can see the color shifting Kameleon paint in action as it changes from an aqua green to a deep purple depending on how the light is reflecting off the Z’s aftermarket bodywork and onto your optic receptors.
While this custom House of Kolor paint is more than enough to make any automobile stand out from the crowd, this 350Z’s owner went a step further with a winged wide body kit and a set of 20 inch Speed Star Rims to fill the now oversized wheel wells. Hidden away inside the multi spoke rollers is a big brake kit from Stoptech, which will come in handy, especially because of the Stillen supercharger bolted to the top of the VQ35.
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The Japanese automaker Nissan has launched a special edition version of the 2010 model year Rogue crossover utility vehicle. Called the Rogue Krom, the new package is all about appearance with its aggressive sport styling, exclusive 17-inch wheels and a center-exit sport-tuned exhaust.
The all new Krom edition is based on the 2010 Rogue S, and adds a brilliant finish to the aluminum-alloy wheels and then wraps them with a set of 225/60 Continental Conti 4x4 Contact tires and a unique grille to match the rims embedded in the aggressive front fascia with integrated fog lights. In the rear, the Rogue Krom edition includes a boldly styled sport fascia with integrated center-exit exhaust, a body-colored rear spoiler and rear privacy glass. Body-colored power outside mirrors, a Krom emblem and steering wheel-mounted audio controls complete the Krom equipment modifications.
Press release after the jump.
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