The Nissan GT-R official order book opened for business on 2 April 2008 and within the first 48 hours nearly 700 customer deposits were received for pre-order reservations.
Paul Willcox, Managing Director Nissan Motor (GB) Limited commented: “The dealer order line lit-up on the 2 April with an unprecedented amount of orders being placed. This clearly demonstrates the UK’s passion for performance cars and the enthusiastic following that the GT-R has established.
“Waiting lists are not unusual to have for a vehicle of such high performance, specification and value but there is a limit that people will be prepared to wait. In order to meet demand we are now starting to negotiate vigorously with Nissan Europe to secure further volume from our production facility in Tochigi Japan.”
Willcox went on to explain the complexities of GT-R production: “In normal production terms the pace of the line can be increased or decreased to meet with demand but as the engine of the GT-R is built by hand there is a maximum production capability of 1000 units per month.
This volume has to satisfy all global demands covering America, Asia and Europe and therefore it will be late May before we know if we have been successful in our request.”
Pricing for the GT-R starts from £52,900 (OTR) and the supercar is available in three trim levels: Base, Premium Edition and Black Edition. First customer deliveries are expected in March 2009.
HOW TO ORDER
Due to the heavy demand Nissan is encouraging customers to place orders sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.
To place a reservation for a GT-R, customers can either place an order online at www.gtrnissan.co.uk or visit one of the 10 specialised high performance centres strategically placed around the UK.
For those passionate car enthusiasts who will be signing up for GT-R ownership, there will be a series of tailored customer events and experiences giving them the opportunity to see the car up-close, get to know it and, ultimately, experience its performance before they take delivery. More details of this programme of special, Nissan-supported GT-R customer events will be released in the coming weeks and months.
Nissan High Performance Centres will ensure that GT-R customers receive the level of specialist attention and aftersales care that this special car warrants. They have committed to invest in the specialist sales and technical training for their staff that such a car demands, as well as the highly sophisticated equipment necessary to maintain and repair the GT-R.
The specialist centres have been chosen because they share the passion that customers have for the GT-R, and they have met strict criteria in terms of customer satisfaction, resources and location.
The GT-R boasts an all-new hand-built VR series 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 producing 480 PS (353 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 588 Nm of torque between 3,200 and 5,200 rpm.
Engine power is transmitted to the wheels via an all-new, paddle-shifted GR6 sequential 6-speed dual clutch rear transaxle coupled to an advanced all-wheel drive system. The sequential-shifting transaxle features separate wet clutches for the odd (1,3,5) and even (2,4,6) gears and pre-selects the next highest and next lowest gear for immediate shifts. The driver makes split-second gear-changes via paddles mounted behind the steering wheel.
To underline its supercar credentials, an unmodified GT-R completed a lap of the notoriously demanding Nurburgring circuit in Germany in 7mins 38secs, putting it among the fastest production vehicles to ever have lapped the circuit.
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