Nissan’s giant-killing R35 GT-R has reached a rarified atmosphere of admiration, and for 2017 the Japanese automaker wishes to up the ante even further with a refreshed model which will be heading to the New York Motor Show next week.
This could be the first non-minor visual and/or technical overhaul since the car’s initial launch in 2007 – yes, it has been that long. We’re tentative with our speculation since, first of all, the GT-R isn’t known to undergo any sort of drastic changes as the years roll on, and second, because Nissan is keeping very quiet at even hinting at the possibility of this being anything other than a minor refinement exercise.
Just have a look at the teaser image they posted, which is almost entirely dark save for the tail lamps. Then again, the liberal use of darkness could suggest that there is something to hide. We just don’t know, and we’ll have to lean on our patience to get through the days until the 2017 GT-R’s unveil.
Since the photo only focused on the GT-R rear, the more pronounced changes might be found up front, where some have speculated that Nissan have given it a single-piece trapezoidal front grillle (think Lexus LFA-esque), possibly with subtle louvres for to enable active aerodynamics.
Changes to the GT-R’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo VR38DETT V6 should be unsurprising if true, meaning the output could jump from the 406kW found in the most current model-year standard version, with NISMO-fettled units dealing out even higher numbers. Could they even shave some milliseconds off the current GT-R's (pictured all over) already ludicrous launch-controlled 2.7 seconds sprint from zip to 100km/h?
Calibration and component refinement work has been continually improved with the GT-R’s six-speed dual clutch transmission, a pattern that should repeat for the 2017 car.
Interior upgrades should be very welcome, as over the years the cabin has begun to show its age especially against some German rivals such as Porsche and Audi.
Again, the mere fact that Nissan is making an effort to build hype about a refreshed GT-R is enough to make us raise a curious eyebrow. The question is, how much more monstrous have they made it?
