The only thing more super than a supercar is its next generation. When Ferrari went from the 612 Scaglietti grand tourer to its successor, the FF, output jumped from a very healthy 533 horsepower to a bonkers 651. If the speculation about the 2016 Nissan GT-R is to believed, the next iteration of the Japanese juggernaut is going to be quite super, indeed.
7Tune, a website which covers Japanese Domestic Market vehicles and news, says on its Facebook page, courtesy of a Japanese mag, that Godzilla 2.0 will hit a staggering 830 horsepower, courtesy of a redesigned twin-turbo, 3.8-liter VR38DETT V6 paired with regenerative hybrid and Kinetic Energy Recovery System tech.
A hybrid GT-R?! It’s looking that way. The head of Nissan’s sales and marketing, Andy Palmer, said in November, “There is an inevitability about electrification of all cars in the future, and there is the very real prospect of enhancements coming from this and ending up on a sports car like the Nissan GT-R. The electric systems can fill in the gaps in the torque curve and offer genuine performance gains, as well as lowering emissions.”
Nissan’s follow-up to its current record-beater should do the 400-meter (roughly a quarter mile) dash in 10 seconds and blast from zero to 62 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds, according to 7Tune’s Japanese sources. Targeted top speed is 211 mph. The beast should be available starting in 2016 and be priced between $120,000 and $150,000.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
