Exploring the limits with Godzilla

[dmuramoto]

If you've been reading Nissan Sport for awhile, you may recall the feature articles in issue 6 ("Unlocked- Secrets of the GT-R") and issue 8 ("The Godzilla Experience") about the R35. In those issues, we analyzed the initial design and features of what I consider to be the fastest, most sophisticated road car Nissan has ever produced. Now it's almost a year since the GT-R was introduced and I thought it appropriate to revisit this ground-breaking vehicle and some thoughts on it.

First off, let me be the first to say that I don't own a R35, nor do I have any plans to do so. As great as the current GT-R is, my budget won't stretch nearly enough to cover $80-85K cost of acquiring one. Beyond that, the cost of maintenance would likely exceed my racing budget for an entire lifetime! Especially if you drive the GT-R the way it should be driven.

I had the opportunity to drive preproduction models at two different racetracks in both the U.S. and Europe. With the factory engineering team on hand, they allowed journalists to take the car out for a limited number of laps. One remarkable quality of the GT-R is how easy it is to get in and simply drive. All the controls fall readily to hand and would be familiar to anyone who has driven a late model Nissan, from a 350Z to a Versa! OK, OK, the center stack multifunction monitor would take some fiddling with, but even it offers an intuitive joystick knob to scroll between screens. Driving in the street, you have more the impression that you're driving a loud and stiffly sprung (even on the "comfort" suspension setting) sportscar than an uncontrollable beast.

Ah, but that changes at the racetrack! With the three switches on the console set to deliver full performance, the GT-R still feels very docile...right up to the point you crack the throttle. The VR38DETT ramps up quickly, with an explosive burst of power above 4,000 RPM. But even coming off a corner, the ATTESA E-TS system puts down the power so smoothly (if you're not plain dumb with the throttle) that there's none of the snap oversteer or big handfuls of steering correction to be dialed in. As I got quicker in the car, I noted the ability to put the power down early by ignoring the initial understeer and pointing the car towards the apex. It felt like the car magically picked up traction mid-corner (more likely the electronic algorhythems feeding power to each wheel to keep the car neutral) and used the power to reduce the slip angles produced.

Make no mistake, the R35 feels like a rather big, heavy and powerful sportscar. But give a consummate driver like chief GT-R test driver Toshiro Suzuki the wheel and he can make that car sing and dance. Rapid countersteering, together with large throttle openings allowed Suzuki to maintain a good line without scrubbing off too much speed. Even paid professional drivers hired by Porsche could not match his speed on the 'Ring and for good reason. Beyond superlative skills (Suzuki holds F1 experience in the 80's), it was readily apparent he knew the car, inside and out. It was probably his feedback on the programming of the AWD systems software that allowed him to rapidly pivot through turns and get maximum acceleration down the short chutes. He knew what to expect out of the car, down to the degradation levels of the Bridgestone RE070R RFTs we were using that weekend. He handled the GT-R like a samurai sword; with quick, smooth and precise movements leading to one incredibly fast lap!

[dmuramoto]

Nobody said R35 performance was cheap:

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