The 40th Tokyo Motor show opened to the public last month, in Chiba City and will run through November 11th.What's special about this year's show is that upgraded special events that involve audience participation and experiences have been offered to generate excitement about vehicles. On display are the latest space age designs, eco-friendly cars and the usual 'muscle cars' designed with scant regard either for mileage or the environment.
The star of the show is undoubtedly the all new Nissan GT-R. The original Nissan Skyline GT-R hit the street in 1969, but it was not until 1990 that the GT-R became famous. This was after Nissan introduced the first of three twin-turbocharged all wheel drive and all wheel steering cars R32, R33 and the R34. It was never officially sold by Nissan in the US which earned it the nickname Godzilla.However importing one was not difficult and hundreds of them found their way to the US. Its reputation got a further boost when in the 2003 film, 2 Fast 2 Furious, the film's hero raced one through the streets of Miami.
At the2006 New York Auto Show, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan announced that the GT-R36 would be sold in the US through Nissan.
The Nissan GT-R has a front mounted, 3.8L twin-turbo 6 cylinder V6 engine producing 473 horsepower. It has a 6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission with three driver selectable modes.It accelerates from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 193 m.p.h. GT-R Test mules have been spotted at various places, frequently alongside a 2006 Porsche 911 Turbo, speculated as being used by Nissan as a benchmark car.
Nismo, the motor sport arm of Nissan will be entering the Nissan GT-R in the super GT500 class for the 2008 season.
Its launch in the Japanese market is scheduled for December 2007. The US launch will follow in May/June 2008 and the European by the end of 2008.
The car is not cheap with the base version expected to cost around $70,000.Further the engine and rear mounted Dual Clutch gearbox are built by hand, limiting production to around 1,000 cars a month. This car will be followed by a more powerful GT-R Spec V, which will be available in the US as a 2010 model.
It is expected that the GT-R will live up to its hype.The most expensive car Nissan has sold in the US will certainly be worth its price.
