GT-R

Make
Nissan
Segment
Coupe

GT Series racing is big business in Japan, and while we don't really watch the racing itself, we're fans because the cars used are just plain awesome. The Japanese teams use some of the most popular fast streetcars as a platform, and this lets us see what these streetcars can look and perform like with a multi-million dollar budget chucked at them. Class rules mean the engines are usually different, but that doesn't mean they're any less amazing. After losing out on the 2016 title, Nismo is upping it's game.

We recently showed you how Honda is using the NSX platform for its 2017 car, and it looks mighty impressive. That high-output 2.0-liter is a real screamer. For the 2017 series the GT-R Nismo GT500 is what the manufacturer is pinning it's hopes on to take back the title, having claimed the top trophies in 2014 and 2015. The 2016 title was close, but the Nismo car lost out to the wicked Toyota/Lexus car and team. A new car will be used for the 2017 attack on the podium. Changes to the rules have seen manufacturers having to cut the current downforce by around 25 percent, which means a complete redesign of the aerodynamics.

If you compare this new car to the one raced this year, you'll see the wings and canards and arches are not as pronounced, but are still more extreme than what you'd see on a streetcar. This trimming down can only be a good thing because the car now looks like an uncle to the streetcar version instead of a distant cousin just sharing the name. As a result, fans will be able to better relate to the racecars and the series as a whole. he GT500 will still have a fight on it's hands in 2017 though, because the NSX-based car looks like a monster, and we're yet to see what the new Toyota/Lexus will look like. There's no word on the power yet, but to be competitive 600 horses isn't unbelievable.