In February 2008, Road & Track asked Steve Millen to test the worlds newest and hottest sports cars, this time pitting the much anticipated Nissan GT-R versus the Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo. Road & Track secured the first left-hand drive US version of the GT-R to hit the states, and immediately transported it to Buttonwillow to see if the hype was warranted.
Photos by Bruce Benedict & Jeff Allen
Choosing Steve for this test was an easy choice for Road & Track. His resume speaks for itself: the winningest driver in his IMSA Sports Car Series #75 Twin-Turbo 300ZX, countless days track testing cars for Road & Track and other major publications, aftermarket parts designer/manufacturer, and veteran record-setting driver at numerous tracks throughout the world.
We are pleased to report that the glowing reviews you've seen coming out of Japan are absolutely spot-on. To quote Steve directly: "This is the most fun I've ever had with a production car at a racetrack..." These words put the Road & Track Editors and Nissan Engineers at ease after witnessing the flogging Steve had just put their masterpiece through.
Be sure to pick up the May 2008 issue of Road & Track at your local newsstand – The poly-bagged newsstand edition contains a DVD with over 30 minutes of in-car video and additional video content.
Below is a short clip of Steve Millen in-car at Buttonwillow:
Look for additional content to be added leading up to the arrival of the GT-R and through our development process, we’ve got big plans for this “street car”.
Here's some more in-car footage from the Nissan Press Days in early April:
GT-R's Quick Facts:
- 0-60 time - 3.4 seconds
- 1/4 mile time - 11.8 seconds
- Slalom Speed - 73.4 mph (3 mph faster than the others - faster than the Ferrari Enzo)
- Skidpad (200ft) - 1.01g (versus 0.99g for the others)
- Lap Time - 1:56.9 / Buttonwillow's 2.73 mile course (versus 2:02 for the others - 5 seconds quicker)
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