Ultimate millionaire's attack missile

Born to roar!

Wild is a gentle word to describe this millionaire's attack missile because it is virtually impossible to keep it on a leash. Get in strap up tight, hit the start button and that almighty thunder that throbs and roars out of the four bazooka-like exhausts screams at the driver to get on with it.

Tootling about is not really in the GT-R's nature. It can do the boulevard bragging idle-by, but it keeps chomping at the bit, begging the driver for bigger doses of high octane. What this car mostly wants to do is to roar and go fast, very fast because that's what it is made for - speed, speed and more speed. Sure, it can idle along with a sulky grumble until you give in, flick a few switches to put it into full racing mode and then slam down the pleasure pedal - then you better hang on and be wide awake because 0-100km/h pops up in less than 4 seconds!

Quicker... for less

Keep your foot on the fast pedal, find a straight, deserted strip of black tarmac and it will get to 315km/h in about the same time as a fighter jet taking off. It is quicker and faster than just about every other road sports- car, even those costing two, three times more than the GT-R.

Since the first GT-R arrived in South Africa in August 2009, 200 have found local owners and now another 30 of the latest models are already on their way here (these cars are only sold on order). Already a quarter of all super sports cars with a price tag of R1m or more in this country are Nissan GT-R's.

So, is the latest model any better than the previous model, which was already super exciting? Undoubtedly, and good or bad, the clever Japanese white coats didn't bother with make-up and cosmetics to make major changes to its rather under-stated looks. Instead, they concentrated on finite tweaking and improvements, all with one single objective in mind, namely to make it go faster, cling better and handle even sharper than last year's model.

What most fellow road users might see of the Nissan GT-R.

To such lengths have Nissan gone to they have even made intricate damper and suspension adjustments to the left front and left rear of the car to off-set the weight of the driver's position on the right half of the cabin! In the process the GT-R's balance has been further perfected and the steering feels even sharper than before, something anybody who has ever driven Nissan's number one wild child would find hard to believe.

It's so sharp now that at low-flying speed on even slightly uneven surfaces the driver has to be wide awake because the steering is absolutely alive and it reacts to every little bump or indentation in the road and minor steering-wheel adjustment. The car reminded me of a flight I had years ago in a Mirage jet-fighter when the instructor urged me to fly by just using two fingers of each hand on the stick until I got used to the extreme sensitivity of the plane. This new GT-R too, requires a firm but light touch and it takes a while to get used to the car.

Poster perfect

I rode Nissan's wild beast for about an hour on quiet strips of tarmac spaghetti in the hinterland of Gold Mine Territory but this was more than enough to see why the world's petrol heads and anoraks splutter and foam at the mouth at the mere mention of this car. If I was 13-year-old schoolboy I would have a poster of it above my bed. As it is a picture of the GT-R is probably going to replace my current German sportscar screen saver, seeing that the Nissan moves into top slot as the most exciting car I have ever driven.

So, for the benefit of anoraks and the automotive know-alls who prop up bars, here's some information to feed on. Under the bonnet the GT-R armament comes in the form of a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged 24-valve V6 that blasts out 397kW and 628Nm. Yep, these figures are not misprints.

Other go-fast weapons in its arsenal include an electronic drive-by-wire throttle, all-wheel drive, electronic traction control, a high performance limited-slip differential, six-speed transmission that offers fully automatic shifting or paddle-shifting via the steering column mounted flappies (and yes, the engine does blip nicely when you slow down or change down), plus weight-reducing hollow stabiliser bars at the front and rear. To bring you to a safe stop, the GT-R boasts a Brembo disc bake system and speed sensitive steering (which tightens up nicely the faster you go).

The GT-R’s balance has been further perfected and the steering feels even sharper than before.

If you get tired of speeding tickets you can always select cruise control, turn on the dual zone automatic temperature control and chill to the sound of the BOSE audio system thumping out from 11 speakers with the encouragement of two sub-woofers. Or if you like, you can plan your route on the fancy navigational system (that can be configured to please the driver with information settings that most other manufacturers only dream of).

In terms of entertainment and connectivity the GT-R is also ahead of the pack with a 9.3GB music box, MP3/WMA CD and DVD video playback, USB connection pod and audio streaming via Bluetooth and a very user-friendly steering-wheel mounted set of audio controls.

Functional... and fast

But the throbbing heart and fighting spirit of the GT-R lies in its ability to change character via three switches on the dash which give the driver the chance to make adjustments to suspension, stability control and transmission to make the car fast, faster and very fast,

For example, in full R (for racing mode) transmission shifts become lightning fast, the suspension changes as the damping force of the shock absorbers sets the car up for maximum performance and seriously high-performance cornering, and power distribution between the front and rear wheel is adjusted to enhance handling.

The cabin of the GT-R oozes a smart and sophisticated race-track ambience and although there are many knobs, dials, switches and gauges the overall impression is functional rather than fancy. Finding an ideal driving position is dead easy because this is a true driver's car which wraps itself around you to such an extent that you feel part of it - and that's not too far off because you can feel its big heart beating and its engine throbbing in the seat of your pants.

Nissan's wild child... ready to rumble.

What helps to make the GT-R even more impressive, particularly when compared to the German Threesome, is that it offers no optional extras. What you see is what you get: five colours, three seat types and a choice of two variants. You can go for the GT-R Premium Edition at R1 387 000 or a Black Edition at R1 437 000 (the Black Edition has some additional interior trim and sporty-classy black-and-red Recaro leather seats which are very sexy. So blow the extra R50 000 for the seats and trim, it adds to the car's fun and race track spirit). A three-year/100 000km warranty and a three-year/50 000km service plan are included in the price.

Footnote: By the end of September last year ace racing driver Deon Joubert piloted the 2011 GT-R around Killarney in 1:19,79 to beat his own best lap times in the Audi R8 V10, Audi R8 manual, BMW Frozen Edition M-DCT, Audi TT RS manual, BMW M3 and even the Lotus Evora. The latest GT-R is equally at home in full race-car company and its speed, handling and overall performance is all the more stunning considering it's a beautifully decked out, comfortable and classy 1,7 ton car.

Brochure and specifications

James May testing 2012 Nissan GTR Launch control - Top Gear

Nissan R35 GT-R

2012 Nissan GT-R: The Promise Fulfilled