Nissan claims new benchmark for GT-R

NISSAN claims to have set a new acceleration benchmark with the latest GT-R, setting a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.046 seconds.

However, a Wikipedia list contains a number of production cars with faster acceleration times – headed by the Ariel Atom 500 V8 at 2.1s, followed by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at 2.4s – so perhaps the company’s new “benchmark” is for Japanese cars.

The GT-R’s time was recorded on a cool 13-degree day in Japan last month and the Nissan engineers believe it would easily have cracked the three-second barrier if the road temperature had been higher.

Nissan Australia said the more powerful R35 GT-R will go on sale in Australia in March priced from $168,800 plus on-road costs.

A standard production 2011 model year GT-R was used for the acceleration test on the main straight at Sendai Highland Raceway north of Tokyo, witnessed by a group of Japanese journalists and recorded by a V-Box measuring device.

Kazutoshi Mizuno, the chief engineer and ‘Godfather’ of the R35, said that with warmer track temperatures “the GT-R will reach the world of two seconds” (drag racing-speak for a time starting with a ‘2’).

The 2011 model GT-R achieves its maximum acceleration when the driver selects ‘R-Mode’ and activates the revised ‘VDC-R’ traction program to maximise grip, gear-change and engine performance.

Times of 3.1 seconds were still reportedly achieved using the less-aggressive ‘A-mode’.

Along with increased power, the up-rated traction system and other features, the upgraded MY2011 GT-R will be offered in two additional colours called GT Blue and Jet Black.