2008 Nissan GT-R shows its new face
Seen here is the first ever unmasked photo of the 2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R, as revealed prematurely by Motor Trend magazine. We haven’t seen the magazine, but they revealed a handful of performance specs along with this picture.
The rag claims 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 192 mph, all for under US$ 80,000. We cannot verify the mechanical specs yet.
Update: Autoweek also released more official images prematurely, as seen below.
11 Responses to '2008 Nissan GT-R shows its new face'
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Why would Nissan price the new GT-R at $80k when the last GT-R Skyline was around $32-$35 new. The new added crap isn’t nearly as impressive as the last GT-R Skyline. Oh well some poor sod will buy this thing.
Dr.Gonzo
16 Oct 07 at 7:56 pm
This is supposed to act as a flagship to the Nissan. To show that they can build a 911 Turbo fighter for a fraction of the cost. Not just some other STI or EVO’esque concotion. More of a higher end car than an econobox with a wing and a turbo.
TheGeester
19 Oct 07 at 3:45 am
This car is rumored to be priced in the range of the Corvette… definatly a flagship for both Infiniti and Nissan brands as they make the transition to go global… I gotta say if the architecture of the engine is something close to the VQ35HR there should be a turbo per cylinder bank… definatly along the lines of what BMW is doing!
JayCue
24 Oct 07 at 11:42 pm
That’s great and all that they can make a car that can stand up to the Porsche 911 turbo but didn’t the previous GT-R34,33,32 all beat their generations 911 turbo’s at the nurburgring track but cost a fraction of the amount that the 911 turbo did at the time too? The fact the GT-R32,33,34 all beat the turbo’s times was one of the first things that got the GT-R Skyline known.
Dr.Gonzo
26 Oct 07 at 4:32 am
The GT-R Skyline series was known for being a giant killer at half the price kind of like the Evo is now. With a $100.00 flash turbo back exhaust up pipe down pipe and the Evo is seeing 12’s. No the personality of a car doe not revlolve around the 1/4 I understand that but the Skyline came from the same genre as the EVO. It seems that Nissan has forgotten that the US is in a recession and that most of the people who are into the Skyline are enthusiasts who sure as hell can’t afford to buy an $80K car. It’s like of like when VW came out with the Phaeton great car but way over priced.
Dr.Gonzo
26 Oct 07 at 4:36 am
You’re absolutely right! the previous generations of this car were brutal to other cars costing twice or three times as much! But It seems that this time around, they are trying to appeal to a diferent demographic. It seems to be more a business move and showcase of “technological wizardry” than a car for the everyday hero. We cant hold that too much against them though, if we ever want japanese brands (both economical and luxo) to be respected and taken seriously with the likes of the euros we should praise it! Hey either way if the price tag is too much now, just wait 6-8 years to pick one up used!
TheGeester
30 Oct 07 at 12:45 am
I see your point and the idea that Nissan like other Japanese brands should evolve into higher luxury brand cars like the Euro’s, but at what price do they do that? VW for example is getting a bit more expensive while their reliability is still the same which is usually lowest on the list even lower than Yank cars. Yes like Nissan they are becoming more luxurious but their relability tends to suck. Yes I see the logic of where Nissan is headed while at the sametime I don’t think it will work if VW couldn’t sell the Phaeton for 90K what makes Nissan think that it will be able to sell the new GT-R for 60-90K? I hope it goes well for them and that they might consider the enthusiasts that pushed the older Skylines to their potential and made the name for the GT-R so that they might make a less expensive version of the Skyline for them.
Dr.Gonzo
30 Oct 07 at 11:07 pm
hey, this is a change but the geester says, they’re after a new demographic, if you love the car, keep faith in it. and just buy an older model lol
Skyline for life
1 Nov 07 at 2:24 pm
You are absolutely right when you say that people will likely have a hard time paying 60-80k for a Nissan.Especialy here in the States I hate to admit people are very “brand snobby” and buy expensive vehicles only if people know they are expensive. I’m sure there will be some willing enthusiaists who will fork out the cash… Now if I could only get BMW to cut the lease early on my M coupe… Hmmm lol
TheGeester
5 Nov 07 at 5:30 pm
Yes I believe that once Nissan starts to lose money with the new GT-R they will either stop it as a miserable failure or realize they can’t charge that much for their GT-R and lower the price. Nissan will have to lower prices or stop producing the GT-R and face emabarassment of the auto industry. It’s sad to see how irresponsible Nissan has been with the production of the GT-R. No on the other hand if BMW lowered their M prices then we could all have some fun.
Dr.Gonzo
6 Nov 07 at 3:27 am
Can we compare the new GTR with 911 turbo? in term of performance, yes, but I believe they are in two different leagues. As some ppl mention, GTR is only a “nissan sport car (350z like)” to the public/oblivious eye in the state. 911 is a flagship of luxury “almost-supercar.” So, does GTR worth 70K-90K? If you don’t care about “showing off” to girls then YEA! but it’ll just be like or even worse than corvette “CHEVY”.
love_car
14 Dec 07 at 8:08 am