Incredible. Amazing. Sensational. My limited vocabulary seems to be fading and my legs are trembling as I exit the driver’s seat after driving a 2012 Nissan GT-R. This car blows my mind, and that’s only from a brief stint driving on the street! No, it’s not my new car 🙁
This GT-R belongs to Walt P, a long time customer and friend of ZCG. He also worked at Nissan for a few years and owns a beastly 300zx Twin-Turbo with ~700hp that will be featured on the blog soon. Walt was in the market for a fast, do-it-all sportscar that could be driven on the track wet/dry and feel equally at home on the street. He drove several cars like the BMW M3(E92) and Audi R8, but the GT-R won his heart. We think he made the right choice 🙂

With only 6 miles on the clock Walt immediately set out to familiarize himself with his new acquaintance. Minding the break-in period he drove hard and fast through Bay Area back roads, racking up 150miles+ within hours of getting the keys!  Unlike most GT-Rs this one is and will be DRIVEN! 12hrs after purchase check the sidewall out! Look for it at the upcoming track day at Laguna Seca in April.

Walt chose an exterior/interior combo that exudes an understated classiness. The paint color is Aurora Flare Pearl and it’s gorgeous under varying light. It’s a color that looks just right on the GT-R and is less ubiquitous than Gun Metal or Silver.

The 2012 has a host of improvements to the interior and exterior.  The menacing front end is even more pronounced with LED lighting:

It’s in the details: New wheels, CF strut bar (I thought it was trim!), red accented intake and vents on the rear trim:

We took the GT-R to the weigh scale and it was 3900lbs with a full tank of gas. It is a large car that feels quite the opposite when behind the wheel. Walt was kind enough to let me take the GT-R for a spin and I was very impressed. First, the interior feels and looks much better than the previous models I’ve seen.

The dual-clutch transmission is phenomenal. Shifts that are so crisp and instant it could probably make the most diehard 3-pedal fans envious (and I’m all for saving the stick!). One’s perception of time and space gets seriously skewed behind the wheel of this car. The surge of torque and accompanying sounds of the exhaust and turbos make roll-on acceleration a  “prepare for hyperdrive” experience. I did not explore the limits of the GT-R or it’s adjustable suspension, diff, and throttle settings. Walt, however showed me how incredible the GT-R is accelerating out of corners. In “Race” mode he could drift the tail out, and sure enough the car would magically hook up the front wheels and rocket out of the turn. AWD traction and RWD handling. Brilliant.
Here are few videos we took just having fun. It is truly a sight to see when a supercar owner actually drives the car instead of putting in a garage to admire(which I’m sure he will do tonight):

Check out the current issue of Motor Trend magazine for a comparo between the GT-R, Z06 ‘Vette, and Shelby Mustang:
TrackRace
DragRace
Congratulations Walt and thanks for making my day!
Long Live the GT-R!

You can see more photos of the GT-R in the gallery: