Hansen
Nissan unveiled their new 2017 Nissan GT-R at the 2016 New York International Auto Show. This is most likely the last GT-R riding on the R35 version before going to the R36 in 2018, which has been rumored to possess a much needed technological refresh. The 2017 GT-R version sports a revamped leather-clad interior while still carrying more of the same mechanical hardware from before. But with all of these upgrades, the new Nismo GT-R loses its primary advantage over its opponents: Its price. And that will surely upset some of the people that were drawn to it in the beginning.
As expected with previous GT-Rs, a Nismo version has been announced for the 2017 model and it loses a bunch of weight but gains a massive amount of dollars. The differences between the Nismo over the Plain Jane GT-R Premium lie in the engine and bodywork.
The GT-R’s 3.8 liter V6 Twin-Turbo engine (The VR38DETT), which has been hand assembled by the Takumi, receives the Nismo tuning treatment and gives it a healthy 35 horsepower bump, reaching 600 brake horsepower at 6,800 rpm, while upping the torque by 14 lb-ft of torque to a total of 481 lb-ft. The GT-R also gains a lot of carbon fiber body work for its front and rear fascia, side sills and rear spoiler. 
With these upgrades, the Nismo tacks on a bonus $65,000 to the already steep price tag of the 2017 GT-R Premium trim. That’s a total of $175,000 for a lighter weight, slightly faster, more track focused version of Godzilla. At this price point the GT-R Nismo is on the same marketplace as the 911 GT3RS.
The beauty of the GT-R was its ability to spank cars twice as expensive and doing so easily. But with the slowly creeping MSRP over the years the price of the GT-R is a quickly depreciating appeal. While the GT-R was never a cheap car to begin with (Thanks, dealer markup) the relative price difference compared to Porsches was always a point of pride for Nissan owners and lovers. Now with the Nismo $175,000 price tag, they can’t brag about price any longer.
(Photos: Nissan)
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