Report: Next Nissan GT-R upgrade coming 2012 with 30 extra horses

June 16, 2011June 16, 2011 Omar Rana Coupes, GT-R, Nissan GT-R, Sports Cars, Supercars

When Nissan released the latest version of its Skyline successor, the GT-R, it was instantly a great hit offering near-supercar performance for nearly a fraction of the price. However, with its success came criticism as Nissan’s claims of beating the benchmarked Porsche 997 Turbo were hard to replicate in the real world. As a result, Nissan released a heavily reworked GT-R for 2012 in Japan, featuring new styling, an improved chassis and some more oomph under the hood.

The results power wise was a bump from 485-hp to 530-hp, which is what program chief Kazutoshi Mizuno had wanted the original car to produce from day one. But the Japanese make just released word that another power increase is on the dockets for model year 2013 GT-Rs.

Japan’s Best Car magazine reported that the bump will be in the range of an extra 30-hp. However, an inside within Nissan confirmed that the new GT-R’s output will increase but the magazine’s report of 30 extra horses was wrong. Either way, Nissan’s changes are to take place globally instead of just in the JDM markets.

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Nissan also confirmed that the top-of-the-line Spec-V model will cease production this year because of its high price, the sole offering of the standard twin-turbocharged V6, and the lack of commercial success. The insider didn’t say what kind of replacement would take place, but rumor has it that another lightweight, track-oriented version, possibly dubbed the Spec R will take its place.

Surrounding that rumors are more rumors suggesting that the “Spec R” will be 130lbs lighter than the standard GT-R and will be significantly cheaper than the outgoing Spec V. The word on US versions are currently unknown.

Refresher: The 2012 Nissan GT-R is powered by a VR38DETT 3.8L twin turbo V6 that produces 530-hp and 488 lb-ft of torque. Off-the line performance is also improved with an upgraded “R mode” for the transmission and to control tight corner braking. That allows 0-60 mph to come in at 2.9 seconds. Prices for the 2012 Nissan GT-R start at $89,950 for the base model and $95,100 for the Premium and Black Edition.