There but for the Pace of Godzilla Go I

Can Nissan change the fate of the GT-R?

- Scott Evans

Updating a legendary car is the sharpest of double-edged swords. Expectations are high, and any deviation from the mythos will be judged mercilessly. Acceptance and success can often hinge on forces beyond a designer’s control, and even the less dramatic mid-cycle refresh can make or break a car whose image has outgrown its performance.

The Nissan GT-R is one of those cars, and it’s been stung by its own reputation before. Last year, we drove a GT-R, a Porsche 911 Turbo, and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S up the easternmost edge of California. The GT-R placed last. Although it had the speed to contend with the Germans and the price to kneecap them, we were disappointed with how the car drove. In attempting to civilize the GT-R, Nissan dulled the edge while not providing enough of an improvement in comfort to make it a worthy trade. We lamented the loss of the GT-R’s signature corner exit explosiveness. It didn’t accelerate with the ferocity it used to. Before, you could stand on the throttle as you straightened the wheel, and the GT-R would fling you down the road without so much as a tire chirp. The car we drove last year, not so much.

Back in 2013, Nissan decided to build more than one GT-R. The standard car would become more of a grand tourer, and performance models, ultimately expressed by the NISMO edition, would retain the performance enthusiasts loved about the GT-R. Although the NISMO is great, the standard car missed the mark, giving up too much capability for too little comfort.