2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year Winner: Nissan GT-R

AK370Z · 11-20-2008, 10:05 AM

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Masterpiece de Resistance

In 1998, Nissan unveiled the 202-mph, $1 million R390 GT1. Essentially a roadgoing version of the race car that captured four of the top 10 spots at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans, the R390 street car enjoyed a breathtaking aura (its body was the work of famed Aston and Jag designer Ian Callum), humbling specs (550-hp, 471 lb-ft), and remarkable performance (0-to-62 in 3.9, quarter mile in 11.9). Rules dictated that manufacturers build at least one street-legal version of their race cars, so, as rumor has it, Nissan built two.

Today, after a little over a decade since those Le Mans days, the GT-R, of which Nissan will sell roughly 2000 per year at a cost of $77,840-$83,770 each, has superseded the omigawd! R390. Significance? When a genuine production car outperforms a homologated, Le Mans-based street machine-even one 11 years old-for about eight percent of the cost, it is certainly noteworthy.

The GT-R's significance, naturally, stretches far beyond its preeminence to the R390. Its justifiable association with contemporary flagships from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche alone says it is no poseur. The bottom line is Nissan is comfortably performing in rarified air, legitimately shaking up the hierarchy within the supercar stratosphere. And, lest you forget, at a comparative pittance of the others' retail prices. Further, whereas previous generations were sold only in Japan, Australia, and the U.K., the new GT-R boasts a global presence, treating enthusiasts in such countries as Germany and the U.S.

As with any supercar, simply looking at the GT-R is an integral part of the experience. Per senior vice president of design Shiro Nakamura, "The mission was to achieve a distinctive car, a supercar, but not a normal fast car-it's chunkier, more practical, and more muscular. The element of functionality is core to the GT-R and that functionality is reflected in the design. It is clearly not an Italian, German, or American car: It is unmistakably Japanese." Mission accomplished. St. Antoine notes, "The GT-R intentionally has none of the sophistication of a Ferrari, but instead looks mean and techno and macho."

Per chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno, a Nissan racing team director in the 1990s, his goal with the GT-R was to produce a "multiperformance supercar that can be driven fast and skillfully by just about anybody in just about any road condition." Thus, his mantra, "Anyone, anytime, anywhere." Well, the GT-R managed to astound every editor with its capabilities. Sure, some were dissatisfied with the styling ("Nissan has built the world's ugliest, oversized electric shaver"), the videogame feel ("If someone buys a car for more than just pure performance, i.e., emotional feel, the GT-R would be at a disadvantage"), and the stiff suspension ("Coarsest ride on the oval"), but none, regardless of talent, could dispute the GT-R's ability to leave mouths agape and spines tingling. Its mind-blowing faculties seemingly blur the line between surreality and reality-what a fantastical "Anyone, anytime, anywhere" supercar should do.

Plainly put: No Nissan has ever been as formidable or as awesome as the GT-R. More significant, no other 2009 contender crushes our criteria like the GT-R. For that, it wholeheartedly deserves our Golden Calipers.

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