Tuner Importracing strengthens the well-known Nissan GT-R. With more than 750 hp, Godzilla spreads out in the left lane. Acceleration is tremendous, controllability is good. The driving behavior also fits on the country road.
The Nissan GT-R is the veteran among sports cars. The R35 series is now almost 14 years old. Since then, it has always been based on the same basic structure: six cylinders, turbocharging, six gears, double clutch, all-wheel drive, beefy body, four tailpipes.
We know from sport that routine is certainly not a bad thing. Not if you develop further over the years. The GT-R has done this with one or the other facelift. He never became a top athlete. The Japanese suffered one or the other (severe) defeat in comparison tests, but it always scored with its base price. Four years ago, the sports coupé with 570 hp cost less than 100,000 euros. Today it is 112,340 euros for the Black Edition.
Printing en masse
The GT-R has its very own charm anyway. This fact, and the fact that there is still room for improvement with the series, makes it a popular object in the tuning industry. Which brings us to the strengthened Godzilla from Importracing from Benningen am Neckar in Swabia.
For his standards, he's still strolling in sixth gear at 130 km/h on the autobahn. The turbos whisper at a speed of 3,000 tours. This goes on until the last cars in front of him clear the left lane. Now he can finally live it up.
You step on the gas pedal, the chargers respond quickly, the red needle whizzes across the central dial. Two thrusts mark the way up to the peak speed. At just under 4,000 revs, he tightens his gait, pushing with so much pressure that you think there can't be much more. Wrong thought: The V6 ignites the afterburner at almost 5,000 revs.
The speedometer on the left of the instrument panel quickly shows a speed of 275 km/h. A maximum of up to 340 things should be in it. Then the electronics limited.
In order to live out the tuned one, it is better to go to a racetrack with long straights. We're not going there this time. Nevertheless, for information: For better performance, Importracing has a brake system with new discs, pads and improved cooling (4,900 euros) on offer.
The driver also feels that there is a lot of pressure on the boiler far below the maximum speed. The blow-off valve releases steam when the gas is removed. Pfff: The GT-R snorts - how wonderful! Importracing has extensively revised the 3.8-liter six-cylinder. Two larger turbos, forged connecting rods, new injection nozzles, modified intake ducts, plus many other measures on the periphery of the engine.
The V6 captures 762 hp and chokes the crankshaft with up to 860 Nm. The cost of the upgrade: 23,000 euros.The power is transmitted by a reinforced gearbox: with, among other things, milled clutch baskets and an optimized oil pump (4,000 euros).
The tuner promises a stable package. We can say: During our test drive over 700 kilometers, there were no abnormalities. The GT-R did what it was supposed to. Always worked in the green area. The nice thing: Import racing keeps the many horsepower in order. In other words, the performance doesn't suddenly catch the driver off guard, but gradually piles up as described.
Test drive on the Alb
For the transverse dynamics, we head to the Swabian Alb. Such a GT-R weighs around 1,750 kilograms, which it cannot hide without roll compensation or rear-axle steering. The front end nods a bit on the brakes, then the tuned Nissan throws itself into the first right, immediately after that it attacks a left-hand bend and devours the straight up to the next corners.
For my taste, the steering is a bit too easy to move around the middle position. That's how Nissan tuned them. Otherwise, however, the front end finds its way precisely into the curve if you don't turn in too quickly. The Nissan shows its strength at the corner exit. Power is available en masse thanks to import racing, the all-wheel drive clutch engages the front axle so that the rear axle practically never swerves on country roads.
Wide tires provide the necessary grip. The sound is just as furious as the propulsion. The six-cylinder revs over 7,500 rpm while roaring its heart out. Fortunately, the rock face on the right is secured with nets.
The conversion list goes beyond engine and transmission. Import racing lowers the sports car by 20 millimeters using a KW chassis, installs new rubber for the axle bearings and harder stabilizers (4,500 euros). Even in comfort mode, the driver takes bumps. The wheelset costs 5,450 euros. The outer facade is trimmed with widened fenders, which have gills on the top and rear (990 euros), as well as a spoiler lip on the rear wing (979 euros). Importracing has coated the aluminum-look door handle with a layer of carbon. It's a small piece of the puzzle to create a more unified picture. In the series GT-R, Nissan mixes too many different aluminum tones from the tuner's point of view. For example, you can also line the doors yourself with a carbon look (2,199 euros). Likewise, the steering wheel (990 euros) carries carbon fiber.
Conclusion
All in all, the result is a coherent package that has its price. But for the Nismo, the manufacturer's top version, it's still 60,000 euros. And it has 162 hp less.
