Nissan celebrates the GT-R’s 50th birthday with a tech-packed special Anniversary edition

Special edition Nissan GT-R [ Image credit: Nissan ]
The Nissan GT-R is 50 years old, and Nissan is celebrating in style with a fresh, tech-packed special edition. This new model takes its inspiration from the racetrack.

The 2020 Nissan GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition keeps the car’s classic look. Packed with new tech, including the NissanConnect infotainment system that impressed us in the revamped Micra and Qashqai.

NissanConnect not only covers audio, navigation and communication, it also connects to a smartphone app. The app allows you to remotely lock and unlock the car’s doors, and activate the alarm. It even can contact the emergency services, and track down its whereabouts.
When you’re behind the wheel, NissanConnect is controlled using an eight-inch touchscreen. The screen is set into a dashboard wrapped in a single, seamless piece of soft leather.
Indeed, the interior is leather and Alcantara fabric, in a tasteful shade of gray. Nissan rather poetically likens to “the atmosphere of the night sky after the twilight hour”.

Road or track
The 50th Anniversary Edition GT-R is also sportier, with upgrades including a refined ‘R’ mode. This is designed for exiting corners more quickly on the road or on track days. With gear shift paddles so you can keep your hands on the wheel.

If you’re planning on hitting the track, you’ll also appreciate the adaptive shift control. This interprets the way you steer and accelerate and changes gear shifting modes automatically to suit your driving style. It does not require any extra input from you.

Nissan is also releasing a specially 2020 Track Edition optimized for racing and decked out in carbon fiber.

Nissan has yet to reveal details of prices and availability.

By Catherine Ellis 6 days ago Car tech 

Making its debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, the 2020 Nissan GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition takes the nameplate to a level that was unimaginable when it was first introduced 50 years ago. To celebrate the half-century of the GT-R, engineers challenged themselves to find undiscovered performance potential while still making sure the car can be enjoyed by drivers at any level.

“A GT-R is about total balance management,” said Hiroshi Tamura, chief product specialist for the GT-R. “It is not about chasing a power figures, but creating a new GT-R, where no aspect has been overlooked. This is appropriate to celebrate the GT-R 50th anniversary.”

A 50th Anniversary Celebration

The 2020 Nissan GT-R will come in three trim levels in most markets.

GT-R Premium, GT-R Track Edition and GT-R NISMO. In select regions, there will also be the Pure, Prestige and Black models. But it is the 50th Anniversary Edition that truly celebrates the GT-R’s rich heritage.

The special edition car will come in three heritage-era, two-tone exterior color combinations. These are meant to represent the GT-R’s liveries from the Japan GP series – of which the original GT-R was born to dominate in. Retired since the GT-R “R34” model, Bayside (Wangan) Blue makes a return, complete with white racing stripes. A four-coat, double-heat treatment process ensures a vivid blue with striking highlights and deep shadows. Blue accents on the wheel spokes are among several fine touches made to celebrate the GT-R’s milestone. Pearl White with red stripes and Super Silver with white stripes round out the 50th Anniversary liveries.

Inside the 50th Anniversary Edition is a special gray interior color scheme. This gives the cabin a sense of luxury, reminiscent of the atmosphere of the night sky after the twilight hour. (the color is also available on select other 2020 GT-R models). Additional 50th anniversary features include unique steering wheel and shift knob trim. Special embossed seats, an Alcantara(R) headliner with unique stitching, Alcantara(R)-wrapped sunvisors, and more.

“The Nissan GT-R has been the icon of our company’s driving performance for the past half century”. Said Shinichiro Irie, program design director for the GT-R. “We were highly motivated to ensure that the GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition stands out. While the exterior and interior changes may seem subtle at first glance, they’re still impactful. Especially with the new paint schemes, keeping the car’s lines and overall presence modern and edgy.”

Upgraded performance, born from racing

Many believed that the refinement and performance of the GT-R’s 565-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 24-valve twin-turbocharged engine. (each handcrafted by its own takumi technician) were so high that there was no room for improvement. But the car’s engineers had a few tricks up their sleeves. Among them was incorporating new turbochargers. These help increase the engine’s low rpm response due to an abradable seal. These are providing tighter clearances and a 5% increase in efficiency. Overall, they provide even sharper engine response in and out of corners. This is making the driving experience more rewarding and richer than ever before. The exhaust manifolds, inspired by racing technology, have optimized turbo flange attachment points. Allows for easier servicing and potential tuning, without touching the exhaust manifold.

GT-R features a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission with a refined “R mode,” made for both road and track. It features more aggressive downshifts to better anticipate swift cornering exits, with gear selection happening during ABS engagement. Resulting in reduced understeer and a more driver-intuitive feeling. The adaptive shift control is programmed to change shift schedules to fit the user’s driving style. It is possible to drive according to the law on public roads with full brute force available on the race track. There is no need to manually change shift modes (in A mode/R mode).

The GT-R’s signature exhaust note is the product of a new titanium muffler, featuring titanium finishers with burnished blue tips.

The electronically controlled suspension has been tuned to provide better cornering stability and a smoother ride. The steering is more linear and precise than ever. Only requiring minimal corrections at speeds of up to 186.4 mph (300 kph). A new brake booster increases the initial braking response by engaging with less pedal stroke. This results in enhanced stopping power and feel.

A cabin worthy of GT-R

The GT-R’s cabin represents the ideal blend of luxury and sport. The distinct driver-oriented cockpit has comfortable yet supportive seats for both front and rear passengers. The dashboard is designed to convey a “horizontal flow,” delivering a sense of high stability for front seat occupants. It comes wrapped in a single, seamless piece of hand-selected Nappa leather, artfully stitched with takumi-style precision. The center dashboard integrates navigation and audio controls and an 8-inch capacitive touch-panel monitor. The large icons on the display screen inform the driving experience without distracting from it.

Mounted to the sporty steering wheel are shift paddles that allow drivers to change gears in mid-turn without taking their hands off the wheel.

All 2020 Nissan GT-Rs come with the NissanConnect(SM) integrated audio, navigation and communication system in select markets. It allows users to remotely lock or unlock the doors, activate the alarm, summon emergency services or track the car’s whereabouts using smartphone apps.

A revised 2020 GT-R Track Edition

For those inclined to take their GT-R to a race circuit, Nissan offers the revised and very potent 2020 Track Edition. Also it comes with an optional carbon fiber roof that sports a clean, tight weave made possible by a new construction process.

The engine (for U.S. models) is borrowed from the famed GT-R NISMO. With newly redesigned turbochargers from the latest GT3 series GT-R race car. This results in a 20% increase in pedal-down acceleration reaction time and 600 horsepower.

Optional on the Track Edition are special Brembo carbon ceramic rotors and calipers. Made of carbon and silica carbide, the rotors – 16.1 inches (410 mm) front and 15.3 inches (390 mm) rear. These are nearly as hard as diamonds. Paired with the performance brake pads, they generate more friction. Which translates into better feel and control in all types of braking situations.

“With the 2020 GT-R, we kept to the car’s concept – pursuing ultimate driving pleasure,” said Tamura. “Once you take hold of the steering wheel, you will immediately know that no other car in the world delivers as much satisfaction to the driver, both physically and spiritually.”

2020 GT-R specifications (U.S. spec)
	Premium Edition
Engine	VR38DETT, V6 Twin-Turbo charged DOHC
Displacement	3.8L
Horsepower	565 hp	Track Edition 600 hp
Torque	467 lb-ft /3300-5800 rpm	481 lb-ft /3600-5600 rpm
Overall length	185.4 in. / 4710 mm
Overall width	74.6 in. / 1895 mm
Overall height	53.9 in. / 1370 mm
Wheelbase	109.4 in. / 2780 mm