Nissan GT-R vs. a Rented Hertz Corvette…with Nitrous.

Garage 419 pitted these two cars against each other. One is driving a stock GT-R, a formidable opponent to say the least. 480+ horsepower, all wheel drive and launch control mean that this car can rocket to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds. The corvette, on the other hand, only has 400 horsepower and an automatic transmission, but the nitrous might be able to get the Vette moving fast enough to keep up with the GT-R on this 1/8 mile track. Before you watch, take a good guess at which car is going to win this battle.

Worlds Fastest Car’s Duke it Out in a Drag Race

Well, maybe they aren’t the worlds fastest cars, but they sure are quick!  Chevy ZR1 vs. Ferrari 599 GTB vs. Porsche 911 GT2 vs. Godzilla.  I’m not sure how long of a runway these guys had, but I think it was close to the mile mark. Check it out as these drivers smash the pedal to the floor and take these four super cars up to top speed. 

Nissan GT-R Loses Launch Control in 2010

The GT-R, the performance king in the bang-for-the-buck department, is losing it’s launch control in the 2010 model year, and likely all subsequent models after that.  The launch control is an important feature that helps the GT-R accelerate to 60MPH in 3.5 seconds, so what could the reasoning behind Nissan’s decision?

The Warranty.  Apparently Nissan thought they could make a 480HP super car, give it lots of fancy features from the factory like launch control and then not cover the transmission when it breaks due to using the factory installed features.  Unfortunately for the consumer, this has been a real issue for a number of people.

The procedure to activate the launch control requires that you temporarily turn off the VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control).  Nissan snuck in a warranty disclaimer which states they are not covering parts that break if it can be proved that the problem was caused by the owner turning off the VDC.  The cost to repair a broken GT-R’s transmission is $20,000, so who would be that upset anyway…

“We just don’t want to deal with the warranty nightmare anymore. It’ll make the 2009 GT-R really special. It’ll be the only R35 with launch control” said a Nissan executive.  Brilliant statement: it’s the only GT-R to have a factory-installed mechanism that breaks itself.  Come Nissan, you’re better than that.

Source: Edmunds

Nissan Releases Second Video of the GTR Lapping the ‘Ring

After Porsche accused Nissan of cheating on the ‘Ring to get an unbelievable lap time of 7:29.03, Nissan released this second video to prove that the car was entirely stock and that it had the extra 100kg of recording equipment on board. Check it out, the speed of this car is incredible!

Nissan Serves Up More Proof for Porsche & the World

Nissan wants to make sure nobody is believes Porsche’s claim against the GT-R’s time on the ‘Ring. I thought they had made themselves clear by making an official statement and sending out a press release, but nothing is better than cold, hard proof. Today Nissan released a second video of the GT-R running around the ‘Ring in 7:29 seconds and also included a photo of the tires that were used and currently on display in Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan. The video shows the GT-R Nissan before the actual lap, along with the 120lbs of tracking and video equipment that was used to measure and record the GT-R’s performance. The racing starts around the 4-minute mark, hit the jump to watch the whole thing.

Source: GTRBlog.com

Read more

Nissan Motors Smacks Porsche with Another Press Statement: Learn How to Drive

Hoping to set the record straight, once and for all, Nissan issued a press release today outlining the exact details of the GT-R’s record run around the Nurburgring. Not only did they clarify that the vehicle was completely stock, but also that using one-off specialty car to run around the ‘Ring would “have no meaning” to them. In case anyone wants to see the tires that were used to run that hot lap around the Nurburgring, the full set of Dunlops SP Sport 600 DSST CTT’s are on display at Sumitomo Rubber Industries in Japan.

Nissan also thought it was a good idea to let Porsche and any other auto maker know that Nissan does offer driving lessons to help people understand the full capabilites of the GT-R. Nissan also wanted to remind everyone that to ensure maximum performance from their GT-R, they should follow all break-in procedures, service schedules and routine maintenence. Sounds like Godzilla is confident that they will win this shoving match, hit the jump to read Nissan’s full press release.

Source: AutoBlog

Read more