We love how racing teams turn street cars into track racers. The facelifts that they make in order to make cars competitive racers is just astounding. The new Nissan GT-R GT5000 race car is no exception. Looking at the photos makes any regular Joe want to take up racing.
The GT5000 is the top tier class of the Super GT Championships.
The Nissan GT-R and its predecessor the Skyline GT-R have a lot of history with the GT5000. Both the GT-R and the Skyline have dominated the GT5000 class for a very long time. The GT-R with four championships in total with the last coming in 2015.
For the 2017 Super GT series, Nissan has upped the ante to regain its crown. The 2017 GT-R GT5000 will be using a 2.0 liter twin turbocharged straight four engine. This pint sized engine is capable of producing 600bhp which is set by the Super GT rules. It might not be that powerful but the race car tips the scales at just 1,000kgs which is 500kgs lighter than the road going version of the GT-R.
Lighter weight and a bit more power equals a whole lot of fun.
The new racecar also brings a nifty, aerodynamic package to go along with the engine. The first thing you notice is the massive rear wing. The wheel arches, hood and rear bumpers have vents to channel air through the car. The front bumper has huge intake vents and multiple front splitters while the side skirts have an array of winglets. All these things combine to give the GT-R enough downforce to keep it on the road. We do wonder how it conforms to the rule that reduces 25 percent of downforce for next year. The weight has also been redistributed to give the car a lower center of gravity and better handling.
The Super GT championships looks to be very interesting in 2017 with the new GT-R GT5000. We will have to stay tuned to see if Nissan regains its lost crown. Stay tuned for more news on the Nissan GT-R.
Photos via Top Gear
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