New 2009 Nissan Skyline GTR R35 Test Run @ Race Track

2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R: The most eagerly anticipated new performance car of the century

Brakes: Brembo 4 Wheel Disc
Differential: 1.5 Way Mechanical Limited Slip
Final Drive Rati: 3.70:1
Layout: Front Engine, AWD
Transmission: 6 Speed DSG Manual
Engine: 3.8 liters Twin Turbo 24V V6
Horsepower: 480 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 430 ft-lbs. @ 3200 rpm
Acceleration: 0 to 60mph in 3.3 sec

Born from a long line of Skyline GT-Rs dating back to 1969, this latest version — "R35" to the hard-core — promises to pack more turbocharged power, more all-wheel-drive technology and more sheer speed than any Japanese car ever to come to America.

For six years the 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R has been the subject of intense rumors and frenzied speculation. Frequent sightings of GT-R test mules help fuel the excitement. We've caught GT-R prototypes on the streets of L.A. and the Nürburgring test track in Germany. Nissan's engineers also made a trip to a couple California racetracks, bringing the GT-R to both Laguna Seca and Sears Point.

Why is this car followed so closely? Because the Skyline GT-R R35 is expected to be the ne plus ultra of Japanese performance machinery

The original Nissan Skyline GT-R
might have hit the street in 1969, but it wasn't until 1990 that the GT-R legend would be solidified. That was the year the Skyline GT-R was introduced to an utterly stunned Japanese market. It was the first of three twin-turbocharged, all-wheel-drive and all-wheel-steering Skylines (R32, R33 and R34) and it's the generation upon which the Skyline GT-R legend rests.

Though the R34 left production after the 2003 model year, it was so beloved that Nissan's Nismo division actually bought 20 used Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec models during 2005 and completely rebuilt them into what is currently considered the greatest GT-R of them all — the $170,000, 500-horsepower Skyline GT-R Z-Tune.

So prominent had the Nissan Skyline GT-R become that in 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, the film's hero drove and raced one through the streets of Miami. And the actor Paul Walker, who played the role, bought his own and modified it.