The Nissan GT-R once shattered expectations for what advanced driving systems could enable a sports car to do — especially for about $80,000. Now that “Godzilla” costs over $100,000, while it is still an absurd performance car, fans are looking to the next generation to set new performance benchmarks for a car costing far less than its rivals.
Nissan confirmed the redesigned Nissan GT-R will use a hybrid setup, and now Autobild is reporting a similar system to the GT-R LM NISMO will appear serve up around 700 horsepower in the road-going car.
The race car uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 gas engine paired with an electric motor. A five-speed sequential transmission with a carbon clutch and pneumatic paddle shifters gets 1,240 horsepower to the ground. We can expect almost exactly the same system in the 2018 GT-R, detuned to still make monstrous power, but not quite Veyron output.
The 2018 GT-R will retain the front-engined, all-wheel drive layout despite rumors that a mid-engined switch was planned. It appears fans want a mid-motor match-up between the Corvette and GT-R, but it looks like that’s still years away.
While the latest model year Nissan GT-Rs are the Gold Edition, costing $101,770, and the Black Edition, costing $111,510, the most powerful GT-R to date is the 2015 GT-R NISMO, with a twin-turbocharged V6 developing 595 hp and 481 pound-feet of torque. Zero to 60 mph takes a scant 2.7 seconds, and top speed is 193 mph.
Considering the 2018 Nissan GT-R will have instant torque from its electric motor and a combined 700 horses at its disposal, expect the new GT-R to topple those impressive figures and further shame super-cars priced four to five times as much … some video gaming required.
