The next GT-R will be configured with a rear-mounted transaxle. This fact raises a critical and as-yet-unconfirmed question about the GT-R: Will it employ rear- or four-wheel-drive? One company insider we spoke with puts the chances at 50:50 right now. Rear-wheel drive has become more viable with recent advances in traction- and stability-control systems, and it is inherently lighter. The Lexus LF-A and the next Acura NSX both are expected to employ rear drive. On the other hand, the GT-R has employed rear-biased four-wheel drive since 1989, and it’s become an integral part of the GT-R’s mystique. And given the power the next GT-R will have, more accelerative traction would be preferable to electro-nannies stealing the fun. If the GT-R does get four-wheel drive, it could use a revised version of the ATTESA four-wheel-drive system found in the R34 GT-R or a radically new in-wheel electric motor four-wheel-drive system. Driven wheels aside, it is rumored that Nissan has contracted with world-famous Lotus to help with fine-tuning the car’s track performance. As for the transmission, we can expect the GT-R to be fitted with a seven-speed setup with steering-wheel paddles and two pedals.

Even though the GT-R will employ a purpose-built body, chassis, and engine, one senior Nissan official says there is still a chance the new GT-R will share part of its name with the Japanese version of the G35, the Skyline. Whether it’s called the Nissan Skyline GT-R or just the Nissan GT-R, the 2009 model is expected to cost $75,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in the spring of 2008.

BY PETER LYON AND HIDDEN IMAGE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HANS G. LEHMANN/HIDDEN IMAGE
April 2006