The Nissan GT-R is a Japanese performance icon. Dating back to the late 1960s, the model has been among the pinnacles of what the automaker has been able to produce. The automaker is now preparing for the current R35-generation GT-R’s retirement after well over a decade in production. Over the years, the gradual improvements have boosted the power output from the original 473 horsepower to 592 horsepower for the latest, hottest variants.
A Nissan By Isuzu
Some interesting info about the GT-R’s development is starting to come out. For example, a recent tweet indicates that roughly 80 percent of the car’s development team came from Isuzu’s vehicle division. Many of these folks were from the automaker’s transmission and suspension teams.
Nissan GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno offered some additional info in a Twitter post. “Coming from the truck division, not the passenger car division, we started as amateurs when it came to supercar development,” he wrote in a translation of his post. “However, with strong teamwork, a will to achieve our goals, and training and practice based on the results (facts) of the comprehensive vehicle measurement system, we have all transformed into world-class engineers in about 1.5 years.”
The Future
The burning question is what happens next for the GT-R. Unfortunately, the company is keeping these details a secret for now. Plus, Nissan appears very close to merging with Honda. Performance cars aren’t usually an automaker’s top priority because the margins for them are generally lower than a passenger vehicle, pickup, or SUV.
The leading rumors suggest that if a new GT-R happens, then it would be an electric vehicle or would at least have a hybrid powertrain. The power output could be as high as an impressive 1,341 horsepower.
The Nissan Hyperforce concept is the best preview of the new GT-R so far. The show car looks like a more angular version of the R35 model. The company imagines the model using solid-state batteries, which offer improved energy densities and quicker charging times.
TopSpeed’s Take
Despite its age, the Nissan GT-R remains an impressive sports coupe. This tweet is fascinating because it allows us to learn a bit more about the model’s creations from one of its creators. The GT-R name might disappear for a little while as the automaker restructures, but don’t count it out yet.
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