Finally Official: 2009 Nissan GT-R Unveiled

For those of us with a Japanese copy of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the GT-R was virtually unveiled (in five colors!) this morning, concurrent with the Tokyo release. Too bad the video game driving impressions can't be carried over into real life. But I digress.

The GT-R was officially unveiled this morning, with all the photos and specs that have slowly trickled out through the past few weeks. By now, you probably already know the numbers: 3800 pounds, all-wheel drive, two turbos, 3.8 liters of displacement, and 473 hp. See the specs page after the jump.

GTR SPECS

ENGINE

Exclusive engine for GTR - all-new "VR38”" 3.8L Twin-Turbo V6 -- 473 HP @ 6400 rpm and 433 lb-ft

Mounted mid-ship, the VR38 engine combines Japan's first Plasma-sprayed-bore V6 with a twin-turbo system centered on the IHI turbocharger, which Nissan often uses on its racing vehicles, and a special exhaust manifold. It generates maximum torque of 433 lb-ft (588Nm) in a broad power band of 3200-5200rpm. For powerful acceleration it makes maximum output of 473HP/6400rpm.

Features -High output by Plasma sprayed bore

-Fully independent intake and exhaust systems on right and left banks support higher output and quicker response.

-Clean emission by the secondary air system

-The feedback control of the air-fuel ratio in all engine operation ranges improves high-load driving fuel consumption by 5%.

-Higher cooling performance with pressurized radiator system and high-capacity water pump for greater cooling efficiency. Nissan employs a pressurized radiator system.

-Thermostat-controlled oil cooler, racing oil and fuel systems

TRANSMISSION

“GR6” type dual clutch transaxle

-Direct, twin-clutch has the advantages of high transmission efficiency without slip and direct response to the accelerator pedal operation. There are separate clutches for the odd (1/3/5) and even (2/4/6) gears. When the car is running in an odd-numbered gear, the adjacent even-numbered gears are pre-selected and ready to make the shift immediately.

-During Manual mode driving, paddle shift makes a quicker response than any other production cars and as fast as F1 cars as well. The lag between a shift signal and the change in power to the wheels is just 0.2 second. This smooth power transition maintains the turbo boost pressure, making for seamless, powerful acceleration.

-Synchro-rev control - In downshifting, this controls the throttle to synchronize engine speed for a quick shift.

-Borg Warner Triple-cone synchronizer for all gears

TRANSAXLE

World’s first independent transaxle. Clutch, Transmission and Transfer were moved rearward of the vehicle and integrated with the rear final drive versus a conventional layout.

Features -Set up helps stabilize ground load of all 4 tires -- Improves maneuverability, ride comfort and brake performance.

-Dramatically enhanced cooling performance for the powertrain due to air flow tunnel. Cooling air passes over the engine, enters a space where the transaxle would normally be, then passes through the floor tunnel to cool the transaxle. This cools the powertrain far more efficiently.

-Reduced powertrain vibration. As a result, the powertrain has greater endurance at high speeds and air noise around the front seats is reduced.

-Expanded foot room for front seat passengers

SUSPENSION

Nissan developed a new, high-performance suspension that offers excellent straight line driving, cornering and braking in every situation - from urban commutes to wet or snow-covered roads to the racetrack. This suspension system takes advantage of the optimal load balance on all four wheels based on the mid-ship packaging. The set-up switch accesses three modes for the Bilstein DampTronic: R mode, Sports mode (the normal setting) and Comfort mode (comfortable city driving that absorbs road bumps).

Tires

Tires exclusively developed for the GTR with run-flat structure allow handling and braking balance even under punctured conditions (80km driving at the speed of 80km/h is possible, accordingly to JATMA standards.)

Features:

1. The new-pattern high stiffness tread which provides high circuit-run performance. In addition, the newly-developed compound achieves considerable improvement in abrasion quality, and improved the ride quality from efficient shock-absorption.

2. Normally, the structure of a run-flat tire requires hardened sidewalls. The GT-R's tires however, are able to bend pliantly without sacrificing run-flat reliability.

3. Nitrogen filling prevents change in inner pressure when a major load is generated during a circuit run. Also, maintenance performance has been improved for less air-leakage.

4. The tread pattern is designed for optimal water shedding both along and across the tread. Made of highly hydrophilic compounds, the tires realize high performance in wet conditions.

5. Wheel rims have knurling which reduce declination between tire and wheel when full acceleration and full braking.

BRAKES

The Premium Mid-ship package maximizes efficiency of the rear wheel load in braking system, to create a car with “the absolute braking performance” in every situation (dry, wet, or snow). The super large-sized “Brembo Full Floating Drilled Rotor” and “Low Steel High Stiffness Brake Pad” applied to this car, realizes high performance of anti-fade and stable braking in any condition, from cold regions with snow to hard attack driving at a circuit.

4WD SYSTEM

Combined with the optimal weight distribution of the mid-ship package, the all-wheel-drive system controls front end traction for more positive steering. This creates a feeling of optimum tracing and unprecedented turning performance.

Features:

1. Restrain the instability by road friction change, etc. The all-wheel-drive system (ATTESA E-TS) optimally distributes power to front and rear wheels, responding quickly to calls for acceleration and real-time information from the sensors about road-surface conditions and the state of the vehicle. A new addition to the system is Yaw-rate Feedback Control, which corrects front traction torque for balancing between turning performance and acceleration performance based on the difference between the actual yaw rate detected by the yaw-rate sensor and the target yaw-rate calculated from the steering operation.

2. Reacts to the driver's accelerator operation faithfully and controls the vehicle by the traction When VDC-R R-mode is selected, 4WD controls more effectively by the cooperation control with VDC.

Exterior Dimensions

Wheelbase: 109.4”
Overall Length: 183.1”
Track F/R: TBD
Width: 74.6”
Height: 54.0”

Interior
Seating Capacity: 4
Cabin Volume: 79.4 cu ft
Luggage Volume: 8.8 cu ft.

Front
-Head room: 38.1”
-Hip room: 54.7”
-Leg room: 44.6”

Rear
-Head room: 33.5”
-Hip room: 18.6”
-Leg room: TBD

Cd = 0.27