Nissan GTR 2010: Portrait of a supercar

An industry where performance is directly proportional to the money you pay. The GTR proved to the motoring world that this formula isn't always right.

Motoring today isn't just about performance figures only. It's performance combined with a perfectly blended driving package that feels complete whether the car is cruising or doing 300km/hr on a racetrack.

The GTR is a car that defies the status quo that well-built supercars are meant to be expensive. The pricing of this supercar is a clear case of under-promising and over-delivering. Nissan's ‘Premium Midship Package' was developed with a new understanding of the Earth's natural forces - gravity, inertial force and aerodynamics - and translates these forces into a completely new design, maximising tyre grip and airflow.

This was quite evident in the way the GTR handled during the test drive. The kind of grip the tyres have on the road is unbelievable. It's like you could never do anything to get this car off the track no matter how fast you're going.

You feel like you could approach a roundabout at top speed and still manage to get around it without losing traction. It seems like every time the car senses any loss of traction, the on-board computer works out a solution in a fraction of a second and applies the necessary measures to get it back. All this happens in milliseconds. Absolutely amazing!

The patented ‘independent transaxle' all-wheel-drive system of the GTR has a rear-wheel bias in terms of power distribution in normal driving conditions and is capable of up to 50 per cent power delivery to the front wheels depending on the traction requirements. The rear-wheel drive bias gives the car a lot of its character.

During cornering conditions, the torque vectoring differentials and the all-wheel-drive system, along with the yaw rate sensors give the GTR its super handling capabilities. So it's not just the power of the engine that makes this a beast. Instead, it is a combination of the super refined mechanics that come into play from the moment the ignition is turned on combined with the refined 3.8-litre twin turbo engine that make this car great.

Cars like the new Jaguar XKR also feature torque vectoring differentials on a rear-wheel-drive system, which contributes to a well-balanced and lively rear end. The GTR's all-wheel-drive system uses almost every possible motoring technology available today to make a car that is great at track times. The GTR recently won the title of ‘Fastest Fire Fighter at the Nürburgring' after being loaded with 200kg of firefighting equipment and still being able to lap the ring in less than eight minutes.

The GTR's transmission, shock absorbers and Vehicle Dynamic Control settings are easily adjustable and offer a wide choice of combinations for various driving situations - the ‘R' mode being the most aggressive. The GTR also uses a mix of lightweight and advanced steels, carbon-fibre and die cast aluminium for key structural components.

A special glass fibre engine undertray is employed thereby making the car virtually ‘flat-bottom', which further improves the drag coefficient to 0.27. The body paint of the GTR features chip-resistant coats specially hand polished by craftsmen and this increases the durability especially at high speeds. Bilstein damp-tronic shock absorbers and Brembo brakes are standard as can be expected.

The GTR also features a multifunction meter which was developed in conjunction with Polyphony Digital Inc - the developer of the GranTurismo series for Sony's PlayStation. This multifunction meter provides a variety of useful information including mechanical data, driving information, optimal gearshift mapping and driving records, as well as doubling as a multimedia interface display.

The GTR has also been developed with the intention of being easily driveable by non-racers. The systems and controls in the GTR require minimum expertise to operate and enjoy. Listing the features and individual specifications of this supercar and the patents involved would take up the pages of an entire magazine, but trust me - it's worth looking up.

Nürburgring lap records are an ongoing battle and Nissan's record breaking numbers have inspired many car manufacturers to spend a lot of time and money coming up with their own record-breaking cars.

This is exactly what leaders do. They inspire others to get better than themselves and once they do, they pave the way to a bigger record-breaking event that others can follow. And that's probably what Nissan has up its sleeve in the form of the ‘GTR V-spec' for the next few years.

Specifications

Make/Model Nissan GTR
Engine 3.799 cc, V6 Twin Turbo
Power 485 bhp @ 6,400rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 3,200 - 5,200rpm
Transmission 6-speed automatic twin clutch
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 3.6 secs
Top speed 310 km/h
Price approximately Dh370,000