2013 Nissan GT-R 7:16 at Nurburgring : Latest and Greatest

Looks like the flood of 2013 Nissan GT-R information is coming early. 2013 in the US, 2012 everywhere else in the world. The US always has to be one year ahead of everyone else. Or behind, but ahead. Or the same as everyone else, but we think we are ahead.

Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar posted a short article detailing some of the changes for the 2013 US car. 

And the scary thing is, it’s about to get even better still. On 7 November Nissan will officially introduce a new 2012 model year version that boasts more power, more performance, even tastier handling and, as is de rigeur nowadays, better economy and cleaner emissions, too.

•  560-565 hp
• 6kg - 13 lbs ligther
• Asymmetric spring rates

Pistonheads had an opportunity to interview Katsutoshi Mizuno, the "father of the GT-R", and got some more information on the lifespan of the car, the changes, and what we might expect to see in the next few years.

First off is a power hike, the exact scale of which will be confirmed next week, but which we're expecting to lift output to the 550hp-ish mark. Second, and for right hand drive markets only, there's an asymmetric suspension set-up (which Mizuno reckons may be a world first for a production car) designed to counterbalance the extra 50kgs weight of the steering assemblies etc. So everything's just a little stiffer on the right, and even the geometry has been adjusted.

530hp to 550 horsepower sounds realistic.  560-570 sounds a little optimistic, especially after a 485 to 530 hp bump for 2012.  Maybe the rumors of some hard part changes are true?

However, Mizuno told me that a review of the data collected from extensive Nurburgring testing reveals the 2012 car is on average 5-8kmh faster through every corner there, and 5kmh faster on the final straight where the car now reaches 296kmh.

A couple mph in every corner and a top speed of 183 mph at Nurburgring means the car is probably cooking with fire.  They estimate the 2013 US car to be capable of a 7:16 time.

The firm is also considering making the Club Track Edition available in the UK - this will get you a car with a roll-cage, Bilstein racing shocks and slick tyres, plus five full track days including Nissan on-circuit maintenance, driver training with Toshio Suzuki (he who holds the GT-R 'Ring lap record) and the chance to rub shoulders with Mizuno san himself. A similar deal is already available in Japan, where it looks pretty good value at around £25k.

Just considering it.  We would never see this car in the US.  They never think the US market is ready for anything sporty.  No SpecV, but we might get an Egoist.  All show, none of the hardcore go. 

Mizuno san also talked about the platform extension possibilities of the GT-R, which in this current generation has at least five years of life in it. I pressed Mizuno san for more info, but drew a bit of a blank - although he did tell me this: "The GT-R is a two door coupe with a very big boot. Use your journalistic skill to imagine what might be next."

Five more years, five more years.  I thought it was four more years, maybe I have the wrong chant going on.  Five more years is quiet the extension, when people have been rumoring an R36 for 2013 since about 2008.

As far as what might be next?  A GT-R Wagon?   SUV?  Infiniti - Sebastian Vettel model with a bit more go?   Infiniti has extended its relationship with Red Bull racing, and the two time F1 champion.