Godzilla lives on with the 2020 Nissan GT-R
In a world fast filling up with a radical new breed of performance cars it’s good to see that some things never change. Nissan’s GT-R – “Godzilla” to a generation of fans – is alive, well and staying true to what it has always been. But it is getting a freshen-up for 2020.
To be fair it’s not an extensive freshen-up. That much is clear when high up on the list of changes is “optimised turbo flange attachment points”. The rest of the update is easily summarised: new turbos to improve low-rev response and give a five per cent efficiency boost; race-mode gearshifts that are 0.15 of a second faster; suspension tweaks for a smoother ride; more precise steering and better brake pedal feel.
Styling enhancements are more modest. Spot the 2020 GT-R by its new 20-spoke, 20-inch alloys and titanium exhaust finishers with burnished blue tips. There’s also a return of paint colour Bayside Blue, last available with the R34 GT-R generation.
Small changes that gild an always impressive lily when they appear as performance focused as this are all right in our book. And lest we forget, the GT-R still ticks plenty of boxes. It’s a 186mph supercar you can use every day, that’s well able to embarrass much more exotic machinery on a track. It boasts an iconic design and great heritage along with 570PS (562bhp) twin-turbo V6, 2.8 second 0-62 time and all-wheel-drive. And it costs from £84,000. Beat that, electric supercars!
It may be a restrained way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GT-R nameplate but don’t forget that was the job of the GT-R50 project with Italdesign that had its premiere at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard last year. Nissan has since confirmed that this rebodied ultimate GT-R would be made in a limited run of 50 cars, each costing £1 million, although things have gone rather quiet on that front recently.
Nissan likely has more mainstream fish to fry – with its battery models and the imminent unveiling of an all-new version of the million-selling Juke – but we’re glad there’s still a spot for Godzilla, even as it enters its 13th year in its current R35 guise.
Nissan
GTR
