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By Ben Barry
First Drives
19 May 2009 17:00
This is the ultimate GT-R. While Porsche has RS, Lamborghini has SV and BMW has M, Nissan’s best GT-Rs (or Skylines) have come with a V-Spec designation. Now reversed, the Spec V is Nissan’s newest GT-R, with carbon brakes, a stripped-out interior and a bank balance-breaking 15,750,000 yen, that's over £100k.
At the current exchange rate? Somewhere in the region of £55-£60k, or the price of a second GT-R on your driveway. Gulp. Most of that cost comes from the Spec V’s carbon brakes, which cost around £35k. The reason for the extra expense, says Nissan, is that the discs feature a higher carbon content than you’ll find in the equivalent Porsche, Lambo or Bentley stoppers.
Along with the brakes, the Spec V also features a new front splitter with carbon ducts to help cool the carbon discs, a carbon rear wing, some more black stuff to replace the hefty rear seats, and a special steering wheel-mounted boost button. Very KERS.
All the above is exclusive to the Spec V, but the rest of the tweaks – including manually adjustable carbon Recaro seats, a new diffuser and titanium-coated exhaust, black forged Rays wheels, performance-orientated rubber and fixed-rate suspension – are available for your regular GT-R through Nissan’s Nismo motorsport outfit.
A bit of a gimmick, if we’re honest. When pressed it’ll make the red needle of the rev counter flick round the dial a little faster, but it can only be used under fairly restrictive conditions.
The engine and transmission temperatures have to be spot-on and you have to be in manual mode for the dual-clutch gearbox, with at least third gear selected. To prime the system you flick a button where the switch for the adjustable suspension used to be, and you then have 80 seconds when you can use the extra boost. Then 80 seconds when you can’t. Then 80 when you can. And so on, and so forth, whether you’ve used the boost available or not. Even then you only get an extra 14lb ft and the smallest of extra horses above 2400rpm.
>> Click 'Next' below to read more of our Nissan GT-R Spec V first drive
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Nissan GT-R Spec V (2009) CAR review
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kkirkou says
RE: Nissan GT-R Spec V (2009) CAR review
35.000 GBP for brakes that are cooked in three laps? For 35.000 I'd wait the disks to outlast the car. Now its marginally betterm but only for three more laps at the "Ring. Then you'd have to wait for the brakes to get un-cooked, in which time the regular will GT-R have you eaten. Nice.
04 June 2009 01:49
barina47 says
Will any Nissan GT-R's imported to the UK, [NO, its NOT a Skyline], including the Spec-V be fitted with 'black boxes'. a la those fitted to most commercial aircraft?? I recently read the mostly cruddy - designed to sell papers, not enlighten the motoring world - column called Drive.com, [in the Sydney Morning Herald], and an article on the GT-R, with dark overtones of the black hand of 'you will obey' regarding your driving practices of your Nissan. Seems, according to Nissan, if you drive your GT-R with anything like alacrity, maybe the odd smoke-out, maybe the odd traffic light derby, a doughnut or two, or for heavens sake crank it up, your warranty will be NULL AND VOID!!! And your insurance may go the same way, if greedy insurers have their way. Any excuse to avoid a payout is a good excuse, put down to 'driver error', speed, angle of yaw, braking, etc etc. If Nissan built a sports car, to beat the pants off anything else, at half the price, then have the gaul to say :oh you should have beeen driving it like a Micra smacks of a massive contradiction. If anyone on here actually owns a GT-R, I love to hear what your insurer said to you, the numerous odious clauses inserted [without you watching], and the limitations they placed on you as to how you may enjoy the car. And Batty....in a word - NO, its the new Nissan GT-R Spec V......
26 May 2009 23:53
Batty says
Is this the new Scirrocco?
21 May 2009 06:58
Vilagos says
Says volumes about just how good the cooking GT-R is that doubling the cost for a Spec V upgrade yields such a marginal improvement. Finally saw one on the road here, in silver driven by a young Asian male - with a tiny chihuahua poking it's head out the open window. Sorry, not quick enough with the cell phone camera, you'll just have to imagine ...
Says volumes about just how good the cooking GT-R is that doubling the cost for a Spec V upgrade yields such a marginal improvement.
Finally saw one on the road here, in silver driven by a young Asian male - with a tiny chihuahua poking it's head out the open window. Sorry, not quick enough with the cell phone camera, you'll just have to imagine ...
20 May 2009 18:44
a t o m i c says
Probably Titanium Nitride, which is a very hard, low friction ceramic that has excellent corrosion resisting properties. Often used on shock absorber pistons and many other things.
20 May 2009 12:27
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