Nissan test driver Toshio Suzuki expects the 2010 ‘Series II’ GT-R to be up to five seconds faster than the outgoing model


It wasn't long ago that the public spitting contest between Nissan and Porsche regarding the GT-R's lap time around the famed Nurburgring was in the spotlight. Nissan started the tussle by recording an astonishing lap time of 7m 38s around the benchmark circuit and then withered this down to just 7m 29s – a full three seconds faster than the lighter and more powerful Porsche 911 GT2.

Porsche struck back with claims the GT-R was only capable of finishing the 12.9 mile circuit in around 7m 54s, and that the model used for the laps must have been modified. Nissan then retaliated by releasing a video of the run as well as presenting the actual car used so that it could be independently examined as completely stock.

To lay the matter to rest once and for all, Nissan will be running its updated 2010 ‘Series II’ GT-R around the Nurburgring once again - and the lap times are expected to be even better than last year's model. Differences between the 2010 model and the outgoing version include a 5hp (4kW) bump in power, a slightly modified suspension setup, stickier tires, and a reprogrammed gearbox.

Nissan's head driver and former F1 racer Toshio Suzuki confirmed to GTRBlog that the new car will be taking to the track once again. He also revealed that he expects it to be four to five seconds quicker than last year's car. This means that it may post lap times as fast as 7m 24s – more than two seconds faster than the mighty Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which posted a lap time of 7m 26.4s last year.

The story gets even more interesting as Suzuki also confirmed that the new SpecV variant of the GT-R will also be taking to the Green Hell, and with its lighter weight figures and improved braking system it should be significantly quicker than the standard GT-R.

Suzuki and his team of Nissan engineers will arrive at the Nurburgring in the middle of next month to post the new lap times.