Nissan GT-R: Next-gen to be “the world’s fastest brick” – report

The next Nissan GT-R is still some years away, but the company isn't shying away from making bold performance claims, according to a new report out of the UK.

Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president for global design at Nissan Motor Co., told Autocar the new-generation supercar will be "its own special car" and it has to be "the fastest super sports car in the world".

"We will do our jobs when the time comes to make the car something really special. But we’re not even close to that yet," he said.

On the topic of the new model's powertrain, the design boss added the company is undecided as to what exactly will power the next 'Godzilla', though did indicate that some form of electrification is likely.

"Whether we go to a lot of electrification or none at all, we can achieve a lot power wise," Albaisa said, "But we are definitely making a new ‘platform’ and our goal is clear: GT-R has to be the quickest car of its kind. It has to ‘own’ the track."

"And it has to play the advanced technology game; but that doesn’t mean it has to be electric," he added.

In 'standard' guise, the current GT-R makes 419kW and 632Nm from its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6. Jumping to the racier GT-R Nismo spec ups those numbers to 441kW and 652Nm.

Those figures have been boosted even further by the GT-R50 by Italdesign (top) revealed ahead of last week's Goodwood Festival of Speed, boasting outputs of an "estimated" 530kW and 780Nm from the same engine – albeit with some fettling by the Nismo team.

In terms of performance specifications, the GT-R Nismo (above) claims a 0-100 time of just 2.7 seconds, so it's unclear just how much quicker Nissan wants the next one to be.

That said, the latest generation of electrified performance vehicles are gunning for the 2.0-second mark when hitting triple figures – not that you'd ever use that kind of acceleration in Australia.

Autocar reckons the 2015 GT-R LM Nismo endurance racer could provide clues as to what might power the next GT-R supercar. It may have never made it to competition, but the front-wheel drive Le Mans prototype paired a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor and kinetic energy recovery system (KERS), making for a rumoured power output of around 930kW.

When quizzed about the design, meanwhile, Albaisa said the new GT-R would retain the solid, muscular aesthetic of the current car.

"It’s an animal; it has to be imposing and excessive. Not in terms of its wings, but rather its visual mass, its presence and its audacity," he told Autocar.

"It doesn’t care what every other supercar in the world is doing; it simply says: ‘I’m a GT-R, I’m a brick, catch me.’ It’s the world’s fastest brick, really."

"And when I review sketches for the new car, I say that a lot: “Less wing, more brick," he added.

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