Spy photographers caught what appears to be a production prototype of the 2008 Nissan GT-R. The car was seen in testing at the Nürburgring this week in Germany.
The car is based on the highly popular Nissan GT-R concept, first unveiled in late 2005. Earlier this year, the Japanese automaker announced the GT-R would be badged as a Nissan, much to the disappointment of Infiniti dealers. Since unveiling the concept, Nissan has tried to limit the car’s exposure to prevent tiring the public.
Pricing is expected somewhere around $70,000. When Nissan first previewed the concept, it said the show car was 80 to 90 percent representative of the final shape. Rumors have indicated the car will feature a 3.2 liter twin turbo V6 engine with 480 horsepower. It is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in Fall 2007, followed by the U.S. and Canada in Spring 2008. Gallery after the jump…




10/09, 6:35 PM
posted by:
mbftw
I cannot wait!
10/09, 6:42 PM
posted by:
Namir
70,000 for a nissan?
sounds like another nsx..cool car but way too expensive..espcecially for the badge its got.
10/09, 6:43 PM
posted by:
Joey D
Hell ya, I’ve been waiting to see these.
10/09, 6:46 PM
posted by:
sampson
HOly Mother of Boost!! there it is….
10/09, 6:54 PM
posted by:
Hyperion
$70,000 for a 450 horsepower twin turbocharged Nissan capable of 1,000 horsepower and stunning track times. It’ll be worth the money.
10/09, 7:00 PM
posted by:
leviathan18
it will have attesa ets ? im looking forward to this car the gtr34 was a beast this should be too
10/09, 7:05 PM
posted by:
A4
its worth the 70 grand… especially considering that some people just love AWD and turbos better than, say, a RWD bored out Z06
10/09, 7:05 PM
posted by:
(V)ike
Now we need to just to get the Supra Back!
10/09, 7:10 PM
posted by:
InvisibleEcho
This is sweet news for anyone who likes nissans and/or imports. And who also happen to have 70k burning a hole in their pocket. I would have expected it to be more like 50-60k though… i wonder where the costs went? If I had to take a shot in the dark, I’d probably say the engine. Still, waiting until it actually goes on sale should determine everything.
10/09, 7:18 PM
posted by:
snoboardguy21
Too bad this thing is really ugly. The R34 was so beautiful. Anyone else think those tail pipes look HUGE?!?
10/09, 7:28 PM
posted by:
Hyperion
It will have a very heavily reinforced version of Nissan’s VQ35HR series engines. Probably aluminum block with heavy crank main bolstering and exterior reinforcement. Twin turbochargers, ATTESA all wheel drive, four wheel steering, huge brakes and hopefully a 6-speed manual AND some form of automatic/paddle shift.
The recent G35/Skyline and 350Z engine redesigns point to a lot of these changes.
10/09, 7:32 PM
posted by:
Jeev
Brilliant!!!
and yea, for those whining about it, 70 large aint too much for a car dat’ll eat Porsches for breakfast!!
GOD’s own creation….
10/09, 7:33 PM
posted by:
J-Ro
window lines resemble those of a b2 stealth bomber
10/09, 7:49 PM
posted by:
Kenny W
I wasn’t a big fan of the concept when it came out, but this is looking good, from what we can see. I’m most interested in the technology they put into it as opposed to the car itself though.
10/09, 7:52 PM
posted by:
Egbert Souse
Yes, this car is looking better than I anticipated. It will be mine
10/09, 8:03 PM
posted by:
V1ltR
The R35 production was a real improvement over the GT-R concept.
It’s $70,000 for a reason.
10/09, 8:10 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
“Namir”, what world do you live in?
This monster will RULE. I’d bet easily over 500 hp when it comes out.
10/09, 8:26 PM
posted by:
Don
refreshing to see that kind of horsepower on a Japanese car
10/09, 8:39 PM
posted by:
Namir
i have no doubt this car will be pretty amazing. Im just wondering whether or not people in this country that actually have 70k will buy a nissan or spend it on a name like porsche, corvette, or viper.
Pretty much my copmlaints were because of the fact that I won’t be able to afford one : \
10/09, 8:41 PM
posted by:
nowei
on all the concepts thus far, i’ve been really skeptical of the way the headlights look. they’ve always been too vertical. but this one appears to have headlights similar to the current M and new G cars, which gives it a more horizontal profile, like they’ve always had. I also like the fender flares, very reminiscent of the previous gt-rs. and yes, i did happen to notice that the exhausts look massive.
while i’m psyched that it’s going to hit the market with a ton of horsepower, i only hope that it’s as tuneable as the previous gt-r, because that’s what really made them great.
/no
10/09, 8:44 PM
posted by:
John Landers
I bet this car will end up with 60000 horsepower. It will be faster than the speed of light. Needlessly to say, it’s a little difficult to drive at 3×10^8 m/s.
Most owners will total it the first day. How sad.
10/09, 9:42 PM
posted by:
Ricardo Head
If I simply had to spend 70k on a car … this would be it. But that would be tough to blow on a Nissan. I’d at least debadge it.
10/09, 10:39 PM
posted by:
nowei
I would just like to categorically state that I am completely mystified with the idea that a badge adds some kind of value to a car. I guess I can understand it somewhat when it comes to things like Ferrari or Rolls-Royce, but in my opinion a great car is a great car. This could be the Lada GT-R and I would still want one.
/no
10/09, 11:12 PM
posted by:
Vdub
70k? that doesnt look like a 70k car. the numbers are impressive but nissan could atleast make it abit more exotic looking to distiguish it from the rest of their models. IMO no one is gonna buy that car except for tokyo drift fanboys.
10/09, 11:22 PM
posted by:
Hyperion
If folks want to go there over the badging, I think there are super sportscars out there in the $40-$100k range that beg a LOT more questioning from the buying public than Nissan’s GT-R.
Corvette — $60-$70k for a Chevy?? And yet people know the car is good and buy it.
Viper — $70-$80k for a Dodge?? Same as above.
GT500 — $55k for a Ford Mustang?? I question this a little more
NSX — $70k for a…. at least they’re redesigning it. These things never compared to GT-R’s anyway.
The only two nobody ever questions is the BMW M3 and the Porsche 911 because they do not bother with any low end markets. I think the cheapest BMW you can buy is $30,000 and the cheapest Boxster still costs about $35,000. The 911 starts at about $75,000. Those are ENTRY prices for those brands. Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford all sell basic cars around $12,000 to enter their brands.
And yet, when you start poning up big cash for a car that’s meant to perform (Honda/Acura being the exception, I think), you do get a car for the money. All of the above car manufacturers (excluding Honda/Acura) sell bread and butter cars by the truckload but do offer serious performance for serious money.
Owners of these kinds of cars are choosy in what people get to perform service. They’re driving the “Other Chevy”, the “Other Dodge”, the “Other Ford”, and pretty soon, the “Other Nissan”.
To be fair, the NSX is a great car and it’s quite far removed from other Hondas. It just hasn’t been redesigned since it was first offered. I’m sure the new NSX will be a great car.
10/10, 1:44 AM
posted by:
acura_el2000
it will be closer to 60 then 70. 70 is a bit unatainable for that market. it is a mean car and i love it. but 70 is on the heavy side, nissan knows someone is inevitably look at the gt500 in comparision. if only toyota felt the need for a halo car, too bad they are stuck in the boring zone. i can only see this being 70k if they decide to boost the performance of the 350z…..450z anyone?
10/10, 1:53 AM
posted by:
snoboardguy21
I think what bothers me about the look of this car is the roofline. It’s one of the only parts of the car that doesn’t slightly remind me of the R34. Everything else seems very Skyline-ish. Mind you, the R34 is one of my most favorite cars ever.
10/10, 4:09 AM
posted by:
James
My Skyline, grandson of Godzilla.
10/10, 4:11 AM
posted by:
WEKS
I loved all the Skyline GTR’s but I think it’s kinda sad they dumped the R3 in favour of the Z3 platform.
10/10, 4:53 AM
posted by:
Hidden_Hunter
You guy’s are kidding yourselves if you don’t think that badge appeal comes into play for a $70,000 car (if that’s how much it’s going to cost)
10/10, 6:25 AM
posted by:
Carnut4ever
I’ll take this over a Corvette Z06 any day!
10/10, 7:44 AM
posted by:
BAMF
It should be badged as a Nissan, but sold at Infiniti dealerships. Everyone wins that way.
10/10, 9:06 AM
posted by:
meanpants555
Somebody hold me. My prayers have been answered. They could call it a Fairlady Wild Turkey Suprise and I would still burn for one.
10/10, 9:34 AM
posted by:
Wickedated
For $70K I’ll take the new upcoming M3, which will have a V8, 420+ HP and ability to tune the heck out of it.
10/10, 9:44 AM
posted by:
snork
Sweet…even with the front and rear masking it still looks HOT!
10/10, 10:38 AM
posted by:
doublearon21
Wickedated, I understand that for 70k you would want the new M, I drive a e46 m and want the new one too, but you obviously don’t realize that you’ll need to dump another 40k into the M to “tune the heck out of it”, and it will take about 2 years for the aftermarket to catch up. You can tune a gtr right out of the box. My car runs a 11.2 1/4 mile and I had to dump 30k on top of the price of the car to get that. For 70k the gtr is going to keep up with a heavily modified M all day long, with the ability to squeeze more out of the turbos by simply turning the boost up, which cost almost nothing (compared to 40k). I’m not going to buy a gtr, but its a bargain for the amount of performance you get, and not to mention the awesomest awd system out there.
10/10, 10:52 AM
posted by:
Gandhi
The new BMW M3 may have a V8, but it is sadled with pitiful iDrive and complicated SMG (if the current M5 and M6 is anything to go by). I will take the GT-R with its awesome AWD over an M3/M5/M6 any day.
The GT-R is a Porsche 911 Turbo for the masses (well, more reasonably priced at least).
10/10, 11:37 AM
posted by:
tppp
Hell Yes, its no longer just a myth!! Its finally going to happen!
10/10, 12:08 PM
posted by:
moogleii
It actually looks better to me covered up this way. I just didn’t sync with the concept.
10/10, 12:17 PM
posted by:
Hyperion
doublearon21, you’ve nailed it. Any GT-R is built to achieve high horsepower for relatively little money compared to other cars in the same category.
10/10, 12:23 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
For many of those who posted stupidity (and there is more than I thought there would be), do some research on the history of this car … you might get SOME idea of what to expect.
10/10, 12:54 PM
posted by:
Shawn1982
Hideous. I guess I’ll never understand why people like these Japanese cars. I’d rather have a Z06.
10/10, 2:19 PM
posted by:
joseph
Shawn1982……you and the rest of Detroit are wondering the same thing. The answer is pretty obvious if you omit your biased views.
10/10, 2:26 PM
posted by:
Fatstrat
I never really was a fan of the origional Skyline style but marveled at its performance.
Going by the pics, this one looks better with numbers to match. It will indeed sell very well, Nissan badge or no. This car has a long history and anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the JDM will drool over it.
10/10, 4:10 PM
posted by:
bacalao
loks better than the concept 70 k?????? wow thats too much money for such an ugly ass car. get the Z 06 vette or wait for the next generation nsx
10/10, 4:41 PM
posted by:
Alex Dillon
im glad it looks like the prototype.
10/10, 4:59 PM
posted by:
theshadow
The telling will be in the driving…if it’s a heavy pig of a car that can’t outperform a Carerra 2 by much then Nissan’ll have problems. Not to mention the Z06 already running 11 second quarter miles (and damn quick Nurburgring times) for the same money.
So for it to be a success, this car will HAVE to be like a wet dream from the get go, and not just be a great car with just a few too many pounds on it to be exceptional like the 350Z.
But if it’s more like 911 Turbo performance for Carerra 2 money, with speed, excellent sharp handling and easy tunability thrown in, I think I’ll have to sell my left nut to own one
10/10, 5:08 PM
posted by:
anonymous
even with the camouflage, you can already tell this car is gonna look amazing. and the car bears the name skyline gtr never disappoints. i hope they bring this badass to america!!! they gots to
10/10, 6:01 PM
posted by:
Shawn1982
I don’t have any biased views towards Japanese cars. I admit they are fuel efficient and have great tech but for that money I’d rather have an American or European car with more horsepower at the same or a lower price.
10/10, 6:37 PM
posted by:
BAMF
shawn…. 480bhp out of a 6 cylinder is quite a bit of horsepower. The GT500 only has 20 more and its a V-8! And a European car with similar horsepower is going to cost you more than 70 grand, for the most part.
10/11, 12:41 AM
posted by:
mblommel
Finally. We should have gotten the GT-R two generations ago.
10/11, 1:21 AM
posted by:
Hyperion
Shawn1982, this isn’t a “fuel efficient” Japanese car. It will get rotten gas mileage faster than anything out there for the money and if that’s not enough for you there will be plenty of aftermarket support for it.
Nissan’s last GT-R’s had insanely overbuilt and high revving inline-6 engines capable of 500-1,000+ horsepower. This isn’t a joke as long as you have lots of money. Nissan KNOWS we expect the same from the new GT-R.
Tell me… how much does a Callaway or Lingenfelter Corvette twin turbo cost?
10/11, 1:25 AM
posted by:
Hyperion
Add to that, name another car that can reach those horsepower numbers that has a robust AWD system that stays RWD until you enter a turn with all of that massive power.
10/11, 7:11 AM
posted by:
Carnut4ever
I smell a comparo brewing Nissan GTR VS Corvette Z06 VS BMW M3! Can’t wait for that one!
10/12, 1:01 PM
posted by:
doublearon21
the m3 isn’t in even the same class as the the GTR or the Z06 so they really aren’t comparable
10/14, 7:57 PM
posted by:
leviathan18
i cant remember if was this car or the supra that they put a lower HP because of the japanesse laws? the supra and gtr34 are beast machines i hate toyota isnt making the supra anymore
ive seen gtr34 with 9k red line with twin turbo those cars arent toys
10/14, 9:39 PM
posted by:
nowei
It was pretty much every single one of the “Japanese Supercars” (Supra, GT-R, NSX, GTO, RX-7, SVX, 300ZX TT) that had some fudging done to the numbers. In the cases where the cars were sold in both Japan and the rest of the world (so every one except the Skyline), the exact same cars often post different horsepower numbers. I’m fairly certain the GTO/3000GT, SVX, and Fairlady/300ZX are examples of this, where they would have been advertised in Japan as having 280bhp but 300-320bhp in America. I think the Supra might be a bit of an example of an exception, though, because there were some differences between the JDM car and the American market car that may have actually favoured the American car, like ceramic turbines instead of steel ones. Although I don’t know if that would have explained an extra 40bhp.
As another badging comment, I would be even more likely to buy one if they called it the Fairlady Wild Turkey Surprise. But then again, I’m a big fan of “Japanese Engrish.”
/no