The Tokachi-bound R35 Nissan GT-R is on a carbon-rich diet, as evidenced by images captured by our new friends at GTR-World. On the outside, the trunk lid, hood and side mirrors have been replaced with carbon fiber bits and the rear-quarter windows have been swapped out in favor of lightweight acrylic pieces. The stripped cockpit gets a carbon fiber racing bucket, a fire suppression system (with a carbon fiber mounting bracket) and a C.F. gauge and dash surround that's expected to migrate to the Nissan GT-R V-Spec when it goes on sale next year (look for the dry-carbon mirrors too).
The only other additions needed to make the R35 ready for its 24-hour race are the on-board pneumatic air jacks, a new steering wheel, a racing harness and the bolt in roll cage, which is more for safety than stiffness. GTR-World is reporting that NISMO isn't doing any additional spot-welding to the body, as the stock GT-R's chassis is stiff enough to campaign in a production race class without modification. Look for more coverage of the NISMO/MOTUL GT-R when it hits the tarmac in Tokachi on July 20th and 21st, and rest assured that many of the carbon fiber pieces that have been developed for the race car will find their way to Nissan retailers as either dealer-installed options or on the forthcoming V-spec.
Just a day after Nissan's formal announcement that it plans to campaign a race-prepped R35 GT-R in the Tokachi 24-hour race, GTR-World has procured a few pics of the coupe undergoing its transformation. The GT-R appears to be getting aligned at the NISMO Omori factory (about 60 miles from Tokyo), equipped with a full roll cage and a set of the same Volk TE37s originally spied on a mystery mule back in December. As with any competition car, weight reduction is high on the priority list, so NISMO has gutted the interior and fitted a carbon fiber trunk lid to help cut an estimated 273 pounds from the racer's curb weight. With NISMO producing parts for the GT-R race car, it's only a matter of months before owners can start individualizing their own super coupes abroad... and hopefully here in the States.
Nissan's motorsports arm, NISMO, will bring a race-prepared GT-R to the Tokachi 24-hour race on July 20th and 21st equipped with NISMO tuning parts that will be available to consumers later this summer. The car is being prepped by both NISMO and MOTUL, the Japanese French specialty oil manufacturer, and the modified GT-R will benefit from a special blend of the brand's high-performance oil.
The GT-R won't be packing additional ponies, with power still pegged at 480 PS (473 hp) and 434 lb.-ft. of torque. However, the curb weight of the racer has dropped from over 3,800 pounds to 3,527 pounds. Masami Kageyama (former Formula Nippon racer and SuperGT pilot) and Tetsuya Tanaka (2008 Super GT GT300 driver) will be handling the tuned GT-R around the track at Tokachi.
The team's director, Taro Kumagai, points out that this is the first time a production-based GT-R has been raced, and that the aim of the campaign "is to complete the race distance, testing both the performance and reliability of the car." There's no word yet on what performance parts will be released and whether they'll find their way into NISMO-certified dealers in the U.S. We'll let you know.
