2009 Nissan GT-R

Nissan wasted no time in upgrading its venerable (R35) GT-R with a mild (some may say negligible) power hike, suspension tweaks and a new exterior color called ‘Storm’ (Pearl White), for 2009 model year. Hardly or just after a year, the ‘new’ Nissan GT-R will also sport Gun Metal grey coloured Rays seven-spoke alloy wheel while the Premium Edition GT-Rs, i.e. Black Edition will have similar design alloys, albeit shaded in black (?!?).

The 2009 GT-R's 3.8L V6 twin-turbo engine gains 5ps (485ps) while torque is maintained at 588Nm. A slight gain in horsepower along with better fuel economy is always welcomed - even in this class of supercars - with Nissan claiming an average fuel consumption of 8.3km/l versus 8.2km/l for the 2008 model. Nissan has also extended the traveling range of the GT-R by increasing its fuel tank capacity from 71liters to to 74liters.

Apart from tinkering the suspension spring rate settings to improve ride comfort, the 2009 model will benefit from a standard OE set of Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST tyres. These are the same rubbers that Nissan used during their ‘infamous’ fast lap of 7mins 29secs at Nurburgring, a timing which was controversially disputed by Porsche recently. Speaking of which, the iconic 911s from the same German sportscar manufacturer will undergo a facelift (PDK, 3.8L boxer, Direct Fuel Injection, improved AWD system et al) that will result in a 'new' 911 Turbo and probably 'new' GT2, well before end-2009. So Nissan will have to get serious about a proper GT-R V-Spec in excess of 600ps and 700Nm of torque by then, for the new Godzilla to remain significant and relevant.

The 2009 mild “facelift” GT-R has a 'value-added' premium of roughly 3.8 percent to its pricing in the U.K. Any new orders for the 2009 GT-R can only be fulfilled by mid 2010, with about 1200 U.K. customers currently awaiting official deliveries from March 2009 onwards. Additionally, there are some 1300 buyers in queue from other parts of Europe. With such healthy demand in these trying times, no wonder Nissan is playing the V-Spec/V-Spec II/Nismo/Nur edition cards close to its chest.