Nissan has yet to settle all the controversial issues that surround their latest supercar, the GT-R, but they have already released the faster version of it which is indicated by the “Spec V” designation. Pictures of the new car have surfaced showing it in a super dark purple paint selection (called “Ultimate Black Opal”, a special edition color). Internet forums that were previously bickering over the effectiveness/sportiness of the auto clutch manual transmission, Nurburgring lap time (versus the Porsche 911), and the warranty issues that disabling VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and using launch control caused. Keyboard warriors will now get to clash over the hefty pricetag that this new package includes.

In the press release from Nissan, they stated that they designed this car with the enthusiast desiring “race car level performance”, which should give us a good idea of what is in store for future owners. Starting from the outside, they’ve included a throng of carbon fiber to easily differentiate the Spec V from plain Jane GT-R’s. Parts such as the rear spoiler, front grille, brake ducts, and the side skirts have all been replaced with lighter components with the checkered weave showing. The Spec V is also rocking new wheels that look pretty stunning, but they have not said if they are lighter or not.

The interior has also been given a makeover with large helpings of carbon fiber. Various trim pieces, the gauge cluster bezel, center console cover, rear storage covers, and the door inserts will all be lightened in the name of performance and style. The stock seats have also been upgraded to leather units from Recaro. Now we get to the most interesting part of the GT-R: the drivetrain. How has Nissan improved upon this already gigantic player in the exotic and import enthusiast scene? They started off by inserting an overbooster feature that will temporarily increase the boost limit for a small amount of time; curiously, this is also an option on certain turbo Porsche cars. They did not state exactly how much this will help out but it is probably not any more than a good aftermarket ecu with a slightly more aggressive tune (which would give increased power ALL THE TIME).  It also gets a new “titanium coated” exhaust upgrade which has tips that definitely do not look better than the vanilla GT-R has. What I don’t get is how coating an exhaust (of a different material) with titanium would help, since the goal of titanium is to reduce weight.

Carbon ceramic brakes seem like the only legitimate performance upgrade that the Spec V receives. Is it worth the huge additional cost? Nissan has set the price at 15,750,000 yen which roughly translates into 175,000 US dollars. You could almost get two regular GT-R’s for that! Why don’t they release something closer to the GT-R R500 instead…

More pics of the Nissan GT-R Spec V