You may remember us mentioning that a ‘track focused’ version was on its way, when we introduced the new 542bhp 2012 GT-R last month. What we didn’t know at the time was exactly how focused Nissan planned on making the GT-R, given it lacks very little apart from carrying a little too much weight.

But much as I’d like to tell you than Nissan had lopped 100kg off the GT-R in a move to match Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS, that’s unfortunately not the case (and I do realise that even 100kg would not be enough to out-RS Porsche’s GT3). What they have done is beefed up the brakes, tightened the suspension’s springs and dampers and fitted some nice Spec V-like Recaro front seats.

All right, maybe I was fibbing slightly about the weight-loss, the ‘Track Pack’ results in the rear-seats being removed and lightweight six-spoke RAYS alloy wheels being fitted (again, much like the Spec V), so it may be lighter, although perhaps not noticeable enough for Nissan to confirm a specific amount in their press release.

Nissan describe the upgrades as being “..for drivers who want an extra edge on the race track” and yet despite the changes, the GT-R remains fully road legal.

Externally the Track Pack is easily identified by those six-spoke RAYS alloys with gloss black painted centres, whilst the brakes behind these are cooled by additional cooling ducts built into the front bumper. These reduce the operating temperature of the front brake discs by as much as 100 degrees during track use, improving the stopping performance. Similar ducts, hidden behind the rear wheels, channel cooling air over the rear discs.

To reflect this GT-R’s harder edge, the suspension’s spring rates have been revised to be optimal for track use. Like all GT-Rs though, the dampers are adjustable to offer more comfort when the car is being used on the road.

Engine power remains the same as the regular 2012 model GT-R, which means 542bhp of power, 632Nm of torque and a 0-60 mph time of just 2.7 seconds.

Inside, the Recaro front seats are trimmed with blue bolsters and a new high-grip material to keep the driver in place during hard cornering and braking ( I thought that’s what the seat belts were for..). A ‘Track Pack’ emblem on the centre console identifies the model as a special GT-R, as does the additional £10,000 withdrawn from your bank account taking the price of the GT-R (with Track Pack) up to £84,450.

Orders are being accepted now at any one of the 21 Nissan High Performance Centres around the UK, with first deliveries expected from March 2012.

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Three years later Nissan facelifted the GT-R, but more importantly upped its power to 522 bhp due to revised engine mapping, changes to valve timing, larger inlets and a revised exhaust system. Job done then.

Just over 12 months later Nissan have moved their flagship model further out of reach, now offering 542 bhp and a wholesome slab of 632Nm torque from 3,200 to 5,800 rpm. It’s a good job BMW took the pre-emptive move of turning the latest F10 M5 up to 552 bhp.

Nissan’s 2012 GT-R gains more performance, agility and efficiency… plus a special new ‘Track Version’ for the UK and Japan only.

Engine

The changes made to bump the 2012 GT-R up by an extra 20 bhp and 20 Nm, are more extensive than you might realise.

Engine response and torque at mid and low-speeds, and power at high revolutions, has been significantly improved, mainly due to:

• Improved intake efficiency
• Better air flow resistance, which has been reduced by the addition of an intake manifold fitted to the head of each unit and the use of resin in the enlarged air intake duct for the intercooler.
• Improved exhaust emissions efficiency and enhanced control.
• Reduced air flow resistance thanks to a more compact under floor catalyser which improves emissions efficiency and reduces weight.
• Improved exhaust valve cooling performance by the adoption of a newly-designed metallic sodium-filled valve. At the same time, valve control timing, the air mixture ratio and ignition timing have been improved.

Upgrades for the 2012 model are not just about the GT-R’s performance – fuel economy has also been improved, albeit by an insignificant amount from 23.5 mpg to 24 mpg (combined).

Elsewhere

Nissan have applied their kaizen-philosophy throughout the rest of the car, improving the quietness and feel of the GT-R’s transmission and reinforcing parts of the body to improve stiffness. But perhaps the most evident step towards perfecting the GT-R can be demonstrated by the changes in its suspension – to account for the added weight of the driver in a right-hand drive vehicle coupled to the fact that the propeller shaft for front wheels is located on the right side of the vehicle; the GT-R’s suspension in RHD versions has been set asymmetrically.

What this means in practice is there’s now a harder spring rate on the front left side suspension while at the rear the suspension arm has been installed upwards on the left side and downwards on the right.

This means an imbalanced wheel load when the car is stationary, but which is equalised during driving, providing improved responsiveness, smoothness and steering feel, as well as enhanced cornering stability and riding comfort (for right-hand drive cars only).

Subtle changes have also been introduced to the GT-R’s dashboard including blue lighting, which has been added inside the tachometer ring to match the shift position indicator light and giving a more sophisticated atmosphere to the cockpit.

New ‘Track Focused’ variant

This is the real news we’ve been waiting for. The feud between Nissan, Porsche, Chevrolet and Lexus over the Nurburgring production car record shows no sign of abating, although the GT-R’s greatest handicap has always been the additional weight it carries.

So, Nissan are introducing a track-version of the GT-R for the UK and Japanese markets, which is designed for customers who want to enjoy a more track biased driving experience in their cars.

Nissan have yet to disclose the configuration of this limited-edition variant, but it sounds like there is more to it than fitting a few after-market parts and therefore it’s likely to be a full factory model.

We are told that further details of this new variant and pricing of the MY2012 GT-R, will be available early next month.

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The logic which controls torque distribution between the front and rear axles when the GT-R is manoeuvring at low speeds when fluids are cold, has been altered to reduce rear-axle ‘binding’. Also, the logic in the gearbox has been changed to give a later downshift from 6th to 5th when driven in automatic mode, but a more aggressive downshift pattern when changing down from 4th to 3rd, and from 3rd to 2nd gear.

To improve cooling around the rear of the car, two additional NACA cooling ducts have been added to the carbon fibre underfloor diffuser which will provide additional cooling to the exhaust and gearbox. Furthermore, a new, larger diameter pipe connecting the oil cooler will reduce gearbox temperatures.

Earlier this year some problems were reported by US GT-R owners which related to the first gear cog in the gearbox, which under stress can develop cracks and then fail entirely, causing destruction of the gearbox. Part of this problem appeared to be due to the over-use of launch control, but some owners have chosen to upgrade first gear and the input shaft with stronger parts anyway.

Nissan took the decision to remove the launch control function in response to these issues, and now this improved cooling and reprogrammed logic control should have banished these issues for good. Hopefully.

Another small, but significant update has been to the front transmission mount, which has been stiffened, reducing vibration through the drive-line under high-load conditions. Also, the balance of the electronic brakeforce distribution bias has been moved slightly rearwards, giving greater braking stability in dry conditions, while a change in design of the rear brake cross spring has reduced noise and a modified air deflector increases rear brake cooling.

Changes to the engine management systems now ensure that the GT-R is Euro 5 compliant, without a loss of performance, whilst CO2 emissions have dropped by 3g to 295g/km.

Visually, front and rear bumpers now benefit from a double coat of clear paint, providing a deeper finish to the base colour, while inside the speedometer and rev counter now sport gun metallic finish surrounds.

Finally, uprated insulation has been fitted to the rear seats, which is said to improve cabin refinement.

A number of additional improvements have been made inside the GT-R, which is now equipped with Nissan’s latest generation combined audio and navigation system featuring a 40GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD), improved 3D maps, touch-screen interface and the option to select on-screen instructions in 8 different languages and voice recognition in a choice of 7 languages.

Since the start of European sales earlier this year, Nissan has delivered a total of over 1600 GT-Rs to customers, with waiting lists continuing to grow.

We’ve become used to the leaner and meaner version of the GT-R being referred to as the V-Spec, but true to form (with this R35 model at least) Nissan have decided to break away from the past and this time call it the ‘SpecV’.

Read the remainder of the article and then let us know what you think