rockinpandas
02-16-2007, 12:33 AM
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/GeneralFuture/articleId=119599?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1 .*
:bowdown:
Our hunt for the latest on the 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R continues. Nissan's engineering crew headed north after a brief stint on the streets of L.A., so naturally our road-weary spy shooters followed. The destination for the Nissan Skyline GT-R prototype and its Porsche 911 Turbo chaser was Sears Point Raceway, a roughly 2.5-mile road course that has the odd distinction of hosting one of the two road races on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule.
According to our shooters, the bulk of the day was reserved for solo hot-lapping with the Skyline GT-R, although Nissan's test-drivers also laid down a handful of laps in the 911 Turbo. Unlike NASCAR, which uses an abbreviated version of the Sears Point road course, Nissan was using the more traditional setup favored by IndyCar and AMA Superbikes. Hand-timed lap numbers showed the two cars circling the track at an almost identical 1:50.00 pace.
Two drivers were seen behind the wheel, although the majority of the laps were completed by a driver we later identified as Toshio Suzuki. A former open-wheel champion in Formula 3, Suzuki also had a brief stint in Formula 1 along with several runs at Le Mans and Daytona. Clearly, Nissan is serious about getting this Skyline dialed in just right.
Suzuki has previous experience with Nissan as one of the main test-drivers during the development of the FM platform that underpins the 350Z. And judging by our video of the Skyline GT-R, Suzuki was pushing the prototype pretty hard. Even with its ultra-sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, the Skyline GT-R was seen hanging its tail out on a few tight turns, the result of a rear-biased power delivery.
Other details uncovered by our shooters include massive drilled brake rotors front and rear and what look like six-piston calipers up front. There were numerous tire changes made throughout the day, and we were able to identify one tire as a Bridgestone Potenza of undetermined specification.
After a full day of testing, Nissan's engineers loaded the Skyline GT-R into their support truck and headed to a local hotel. We're not sure if this is the last of the GT-R's stateside test run, but rest assured: If it comes out of the truck again we'll be there with cameras rolling.
:bowdown:
Our hunt for the latest on the 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R continues. Nissan's engineering crew headed north after a brief stint on the streets of L.A., so naturally our road-weary spy shooters followed. The destination for the Nissan Skyline GT-R prototype and its Porsche 911 Turbo chaser was Sears Point Raceway, a roughly 2.5-mile road course that has the odd distinction of hosting one of the two road races on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule.
According to our shooters, the bulk of the day was reserved for solo hot-lapping with the Skyline GT-R, although Nissan's test-drivers also laid down a handful of laps in the 911 Turbo. Unlike NASCAR, which uses an abbreviated version of the Sears Point road course, Nissan was using the more traditional setup favored by IndyCar and AMA Superbikes. Hand-timed lap numbers showed the two cars circling the track at an almost identical 1:50.00 pace.
Two drivers were seen behind the wheel, although the majority of the laps were completed by a driver we later identified as Toshio Suzuki. A former open-wheel champion in Formula 3, Suzuki also had a brief stint in Formula 1 along with several runs at Le Mans and Daytona. Clearly, Nissan is serious about getting this Skyline dialed in just right.
Suzuki has previous experience with Nissan as one of the main test-drivers during the development of the FM platform that underpins the 350Z. And judging by our video of the Skyline GT-R, Suzuki was pushing the prototype pretty hard. Even with its ultra-sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, the Skyline GT-R was seen hanging its tail out on a few tight turns, the result of a rear-biased power delivery.
Other details uncovered by our shooters include massive drilled brake rotors front and rear and what look like six-piston calipers up front. There were numerous tire changes made throughout the day, and we were able to identify one tire as a Bridgestone Potenza of undetermined specification.
After a full day of testing, Nissan's engineers loaded the Skyline GT-R into their support truck and headed to a local hotel. We're not sure if this is the last of the GT-R's stateside test run, but rest assured: If it comes out of the truck again we'll be there with cameras rolling.