Under the hood of the Nissan GT-R: Engine details revealed

Posted Sep 11th 2007 1:44AM by Dan Roth
The upcoming Nissan GT-R is already a streetbound race car, but rather than just toss the tasty-enough VK V8 in the engine bay and call it a day, Nissan's going all out with an engine befitting an actual racer. The VK45 was rumored to be the engine for the GT-R, but Nissan felt its overall style was more Grand Touring than was appropriate, so they reached back into history and pulled out a little number from the R390 LeMans racer.


The R390 sported a 3.5 liter V8 known as the VRH35L, which was essentially recreated as a V6 production engine in the form of the upcoming GT-R's VR38VETT. Even though it loses two cylinders, it gains 300cc of displacement, for a total of 3.8 liters. Oh yeah, there's a couple of turbochargers thrown in for good measure, too. Despite the amount of air it can pump, the VR38 is a compact mill with lots of trick touches. Among the most interesting features, and probably the ones that tuners will hate the most, are the integrated turbine housings in the exhaust manifolds. Having the impellers right in the manifold keeps weight down and improves response, while also making the overall package more compact and thus easier to nestle down into the frame. Each cylinder bank has its own independent intake manifold, which is the main thing you see when lifting the hood. The cylinders fed by that plumbing are occupied by lightened pistons, which are in turn flung around by svelte connecting rods and crankshaft, too. Cosworth had a hand in engineering the engine, which has an alloy block with linerless bores, plenty of magnesium alloy pieces, an oiling system capable of coping with high g's, and an eagerness to rev in a way 3800ccs usually aren't.

The GT-R will be impressive when it debuts in just a couple of months, and from the numbers, it looks like it'll give a Porsche 911 Turbo quite a run for its (big pile of) money. The horsepower figure for both cars is 480ps, and while the GT-R gives up some torque to the Porsche, the GT-R rips off equally quick dashes to 100 km/h (3.9 seconds) and has been designed with vehicular balance as an overarching theme. While the chassis of the GT-R can handle more power, Nissan's considerable Group C racing experience showed that cars with better balance are faster than horsepower champs. With a front engine/AWD layout, it'll be less a widowmaker than the 911, which can get wiggly at times. How's this sound – performance equal to (and potentially better) than the 911 Turbo for half the price (7.9 million Yen versus 18.2 million Yen)? Yeah, we thought so. Besides, the GT-R isn't stuck in some kind of iconoclastic styling purgatory the way the 911 is.

Jorgi je napisal/-a:ko bom velika, grem žvet na japonsko Tm majo itak najboljše igračke, ki jih ponavadi obrdržijo zase.

The 2007 Skyline Coupe is a genuine step ahead in the right direction this time around. Starting with the exterior, the sheet metal is entirely unique with no panels shared with the sedan at all, although the wheelbase is the same at 2850mm....
Under the hood lies the biggest step forward from the V35: the VQ37HVR 3.7L VVEL V6 engine. With 200cc extra displacement over the old VQ35DE, the VQ37HVR also boasts variable valve lift and continuous valve timing to produce a maximum power output of 330ps @ 7,000rpm and 37.3kg/m @ 5,200rpm. Upon lifting the hood there is nothing to give away the presence of the VVEL system other than the badge on the engine cover.

De_Tomaso je napisal/-a:UUUU kak je znotraj grd.

esem je napisal/-a:Novi Nissan Skyline Coupe 370 GT
več o avtu tu http://www.7tune.com/?p=81

The 2007 Skyline Coupe is a genuine step ahead in the right direction this time around. Starting with the exterior, the sheet metal is entirely unique with no panels shared with the sedan at all, although the wheelbase is the same at 2850mm....
Under the hood lies the biggest step forward from the V35: the VQ37HVR 3.7L VVEL V6 engine. With 200cc extra displacement over the old VQ35DE, the VQ37HVR also boasts variable valve lift and continuous valve timing to produce a maximum power output of 330ps @ 7,000rpm and 37.3kg/m @ 5,200rpm. Upon lifting the hood there is nothing to give away the presence of the VVEL system other than the badge on the engine cover.

During testing at the Nurburgring this week, the Nissan Skyline GT-R was spotted putting in some very hot laps. Although the numbers are unofficial, and reportedly hand-timed, the initial times are impressive. Putting the Skyline GT-R in a class with the Porsche 911 Turbo and substantially ahead of the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, the all-wheel drive coupe’s times are nearly unbelievable, given the pricing announced when it was released for sale in Japan on Thursday.

The Skyline GT-R is two seconds ahead of the 911 Turbo and a whopping eight seconds ahead of the Gallardo Superleggera, lapping the ‘ring in a searing 7:38, according to Edmunds. In fact, given the possible margin of error introduced by hand-timing, the GT-R could be running in a league with the Porsche 911 GT2, which laps the ‘ring in a scorching 7:32.

Adding even more heat to these rumored times is the possibility that the GT-R spied this week isn’t even the top-end model. The three-tiered GT-R model range includes a base-model sporting 480hp and selling for US$57,000, a V-Spec going for US$67,000, and a range-topping 100kg lighter EVO-Spec with 530hp priced at US$94,000. Although pre-orders began in Japan on Thursday, the official unveiling will happen in Tokyo next month, with delivery slated for December.

Regardless of which model is lapping the ‘ring in the 7:30s, it’s a price-to-performance dream. The 911 GT2 rings up at US$191,700, while the Superleggera will lighten your wallet by US$220,300, if you can find one next year - all the 2007s are sold. Even the Ferrari F430, which runs the Green Hell in a relatively snail-paced 7:55, will run you a minimum of US$173,079. Half the price and all the performance? The supercar stalwarts should be scared.

The newest round of unconfirmed, yet plausible information comes courtesy of the GTChannel, where they've reported a number of facts that we've listed in all their bullet-point glory after the jump.

• The chassis designation will be CBA-R35, the last bit continuing the long-held R-number moniker of previous generations

• Three trim levels: Base, Black Edition and Premium – all equipped with the same VR38DETT twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6

• Everything fit within the engine will be forged

• Six exterior colors: Titanium Gray, Dark Metal Blue, Super Black, Vibrant Red, Ultimate Metal Silver and White Pearl, the last two are classified as premium paints and will command a few extra bucks.

• Two interior colors: Black or Gray, with black appropriately being the only color available on the "Black Edition"

• Rays forged wheels (likely sized 18-inches), coated in chrome and wrapped in Dunlop Sports tires. An upgraded tire and wheel package with gunmetal Rays wheels will be available on the base model, and standard on Black and Premium vehicles.

• Anti-theft and Bose sound will be an option on the base and Black versions, while standard in Premium trim.

• SRS curtain and side airbags will be an option on all three models

As for dimensions, it's been pretty much confirmed that the GT-R will be 4,650mm long (183-inches), with a wheelbase of 2,800 mm (110-inches) and a width of 1,350mm (53-inches). Power is still expected to be in the 450 to 550 HP arena, with a curb weight somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,500 lbs.

We'll be on hand when the veil is lifted in Tokyo at the end of next month, and we'll finally be able to see what five years of development has finally wrought.

Nissan has issued the following press release:

Nissan today started the pre-launch activities in support of the all-new GT-R, the high performance sports car to be revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 24th. Central to the launch of GT-R, which will ultimately go on sale around the world, is a dedicated website that will provide all information on the car, including latest news, specifications and where to buy. The address for the website is www.gtrnissan.com and will be available in six languages: Japanese, English, Spanish, German, French and Italian.

With sales due to start in Japan in December, Nissan is today also confirming the final name of the car. Previous generations of this car were known as the Skyline GT-R; the new name for this car is simply "Nissan GT-R" in all global markets. Supporting substantial early customer interest in the Nissan GT-R, the company is today making available for customers in Japan some initial details including basic specifications, colors and practical information on placing pre-orders. Prices in Japan for the Nissan GT-R will start from around 7.8 million yen.

In support of the sale of the Nissan GT-R, the company also announced today the establishment of 160 Nissan High Performance Centers in Japan. These centers have been established to provide specialist sales and servicing support for customers of the Nissan GT-R.

The Stig je napisal/-a:Speak for yourself :P