When it was launched just over three years ago, the Nissan GT-R was heralded as a benchmark offering supercar performance at an affordable price. It won award after award and unstinting praise from everyone lucky enough to drive it. According to Andy Palmer, Senior Vice President at Nissan "It would have been easy to sit back and rest on our laurels... but we don't do that at Nissan. Welcome the 2011 GT-R, the best GTR yet." Extra power, downforce, grip and more thrills - that's the promise from the 2011 Nissan GT-R!

While the original multi-award winning GT-R offered breathtaking performance and outstanding handling that we have seen from the very beginning of the every GT-R to date ever since this the 1971 Hokosuka GT-R, the new GTR hasn't stopped Nissan engineers and designers from making the best to date even better. Every aspect of the car has been stripped down enhanced and improved, no page has been unturned. Performance from the 3.8-litre twin turbocharged V6 engine has been boosted by tricking with valve timing, air/fuel ratio mixture, upping boost pressure along with larger inlet pipes and the redesigned exhaust system, All of this has upped the performance by 45hp to a healthy 530HP & to 612Nm, Although Nissan has stayed green too by also improving emissions (279 g/km) and fuel consumption now at 12 l/100km on the combined cycle.

"We didn't want a nice elegant shape - we wanted an original and efficient shape. Some people who buy this car will also have a Ferrari and a Porsche. This car must be different from all others. I see it as a car influenced not by feminine beauty, like Italian cars, but by masculine beauty” says design director Shiro Nakamura.

Overt styling touches include the kink in the rear pillar. "It's highly distinctive and helps rear airflow," says Nakamura, "and it also gives the GT-R a really unusual roof line." He also explains that the car's deep flat sides are highly functional. So functional it has improved downforce by about 10 per cent while the co-efficient of drag has been lowered to just 0.26Cd.

Inside a number of changes have been made to enhance the sports luxury feel. There are two interior versions of the standard car available: Premium or Recaro Black. Both are comprehensively equipped, but the Premium exhibits a more luxurious style while the Recaro Black comes with Recaro embossed racing seats which accentuates the car's performance potential. "A new raft of superlatives is needed to describe the 2011 Nissan GT-R. Every aspect of the car has been enhanced to the point where the high standards set by the original have been surpassed at every level. The GT-R is a truly remarkable machine," said Andy Palmer.

A series of subtle but significant changes to the chassis have sharpened the already impressive handling, while new tyres, wheels and bigger brakes also enhance the driving experience.
The 2011 Nissan GT-R is now available to order from Nissan High Performance Centres across Europe.
At a glance

• 9% increase in power - from 485 to 530PS
• 4% increase in torque - from 588 to 612Nm 
• 0-62mph in a breathtaking 3.0 seconds 
• Improved fuel consumption and emissions reduced by 3.5% 
• Improved aerodynamics with 10% greater downforce
• Suspension changes for even better handling
• Revised electronics for greater control
• Bigger brakes and new bespoke tyres
• Revised interior with greater comfort
• One comprehensively equipped grade; two trim options
• Improved cooling
• Revised styling