What's all this about?

How long do you think the R35 Nissan GT-R has been with us? Five years? Six? Seven? Eight?

Longer, I reckon...

You'd be right. It arrived in 2007, which is fully 12 years ago. But, Nissan being Nissan, it has fettled and tweaked and updated and revised the astonishing supercar-slaying coupe time and time again in the interim. There was the Track Pack version in 2012. Then, in 2014, with the arrival of the 600hp Nismo variant, the 'regular' car was softened off to create more of an everyday driver of a machine. And we've already touched on the 2017MY updates in the first link we posted in this article, which saw the shell of the GT-R improved and the power ramped up.

Why are you telling me all this?

Because we've got another GT-R in the mix and it's the aforementioned Nismo derivative getting the treatment. Launched in 2014 and updated once already in 2017, the Nismo is the most extreme, track-focused example of the GT-R clan. This time around, it's a programme of subtle updates, designed to make the most of what's already there - for instance, the Nismo's VR38DETT engine remains untouched, although mammoth outputs of 600hp and 652Nm should keep everyone satisfied. Instead, it's weight loss for the 2020MY Nismo: fully 10.5kg has been junked by making the bumpers, the GT3 GT-R-inspired front wings, the bonnet, the roof, the side sill trims, the boot and the rear spoiler out of carbon fibre; while another 20 kilos of de-bulking has taken place with other upgrades, such as the beautiful nine-spoke, 20-inch Rays alloys made out of forged aluminium. These are wrapped in newly designed Dunlop tyres, which increase the GT-R Nismo's contact patches by 11 per cent to improve grip and handling.

Is that all that's changed?

No, as inside there are exclusive GT-R Nismo front seats, while new turbochargers - again, using know-how gleaned from the GT3 competition version of the car – feature a modified turbine shape and fewer vanes. This makes them 20 per cent quicker to respond, without losing any of those 600 ponies developed by the biturbo V6 motor. The six-speed dual-clutch gearbox also has a refined 'R-mode' of control, the titanium exhaust system with burnished-blue tips has been revised, and both the suspension and the steering have been tweaked to improve the cornering stability, yaw-rate response and ride quality of the car. Finally, monster Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted.

Any words from the team behind the Nismo?

Sure thing. Hiroshi Tamura, chief product specialist for the GT-R, said: "The 2020 GT-R Nismo has evolved into a balanced, yet extreme, performance car. Pursuing driving pleasure is the most important concept behind GT-R and the new Nismo's performance suggests it is a car that belongs on the race track - but is also at home on the open road. We have built the 2020 GT-R Nismo for our customers to be the ultimate track and street vehicle. It is about total balance management, not just chasing power figures. The new Nismo has been brought to a new level, with enhanced engine, handling, braking and aerodynamics."

And where did Nissan announce the GT-R Nismo 2020?

At the New York Auto Show. Interesting, because it used the same event in 2016 to announce the 2017MY updates for the regular GT-R. Also shown in New York was a GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition, to celebrate five decades of the legendary 'GT-R' badge.

Matt Robinson - 17 Apr 2019