It takes a certain kind of driver to sample the Nissan GT-R - a car with a 0-60mph time of 2.7 seconds - and say, “Yes, it's good, I like it, but can you make it quicker?”
In the years since Nissan dropped the Skyline moniker and detonated our dynamic expectations with its own Godzilla, it has been responding to this vocal minority with incremental improvements; for the 2014 model year, it has come up with an emphatic answer - the 591bhp Nismo.
As well as pushing the car’s limits deeper into hair-raising terrority, the car is destined to become the flagship of Nissan’s much-expanded tuner division (and race team).
While there is no limit to the number that will be built, the manufacturer reckons there will be no more than 200 examples built a year - only a small proportion of which will make it to the UK.
Even with a mighty premium - expect the price to knock on the door of £120k - it is reasonable to assume that UK (and global) demand will far outstretch supply. Does the new model deserve all the attention it’s about to get?
Well, Nissan’s marketing department has no doubt already done a fine job of softening enthusiasts up with a much mentioned ‘Ring time of 7.08 - an extraordinary, if slightly misleading lap attack we’ll return to later - but the single-mindedness of the on-paper technical adjustments are certainly noteworthy.
For a start, only a layman would mistake the now-standard MY 14 spec car with the NISMO. While the ride height has not changed, aerodynamic improvements help lower the centre of gravity and have rendered an even meaner-looking machine from the already aggressive template.
The carbonfibre additions are evidence of the lessons learnt from the Japanese Super GT race car, and comprise a new wider front bumper (and unseen undercover strake), elongated back bumper and an even-more-lairy rear spoiler. The net result, which doesn’t impact the GT-R’s drag figure, is an additional 100kg of downforce at huge, track-specific velocities.
Specifically tuned to work with the extra weight is a custom-developed suspension setup featuring Bilstein DampTronic dampers and new upper links on the front double wishbones for increased caster trail, as well as beefier hub bolts and a 17.3mm hollow rear anti-roll bar.
The emphasis here, unsurprisingly, is on improved rigidity, stability and ever-greater grip levels - helped along in no small amount by bespoke Dunlop tyres which, at the front, dress slightly wider 20-inch alloys.
