Here's What Goes Into Building A Nissan GT-R Nismo N Attack

The 7:08.679 Nurburgring lap time set by a Nissan GT-R Nismo back in 2013 is as controversial as it is impressive. Not long after the blisteringly fast lap time - which is just 11 seconds slower than the lap set by the Porsche 918 Spyder - was set, Nismo engineers admitted that the car used for the lap wasn’t quite standard.

It had less weight, bucket seats, a tweaked aero package and new suspension. That did take the sheen off the achievement a little, but as with other manufacturers (we’re thinking of Seat with its ‘Sub8’ package’ for the Leon Cupra, for one), Nissan has since offered all the changes to existing Nismo owners.

So, what exactly goes into it? We headed down to RJN motorsport - the ladies and gents who run Nissan’s GT3 outfit - to see the very first kit in Europe get installed.

Kit A vs Kit B

N Attack customers are given the choice of two packs: Kit A or Kit B. Kit A is the full works, giving the car the closest possible spec to the ‘Ring lap record car. In addition to the bits we’ll talk about shortly - which appear on both cars - Kit A also includes a carbonfibre intercooler pipe, new front and rear limited-slip differentials (the rear with a carbon plate), Recaro bucket seats (the driver’s bucket seat is optional on Kit B) and a rear seat removal.

A six-point harness and a carbonfibre bonnet gurney are also optional on Kit A, but when fitted, the car is no longer road legal.

Mr Westley - the chap who owns the car we went to see being built - decided to go for Kit B, wishing to keep his car as a four-seater. Makes sense - I mean, why only scare one passenger instead of three…?

Suspension

As well as fatter front and rear anti-roll bars, the N Attack also gets a full complement of Ohlins four-way adjustable dampers. And not just any dampers; RJN boss Bob Neville tells us that they’re “exactly the same” as the items fitted to Nissan’s GT3 car, which was busy being prepped for the 2016 season just over from the N Attack Nismo.

Aero

The most obvious aero change is at the rear, where you’ll find a much higher level carbonfibre spoiler, with a very similar gurney design to the GT3 GT-R. There’s a larger front splitter, and also a new set of front wings with a new aerodynamic device at the top of the wheel arch.

This smooths out the airflow down the side of the car, reducing turbulence and giving a further increase in downforce.

Brakes and ECU

The final two modifications concern the brakes and the engine management. Tackling the Nurburgring’s harsh braking zones mean standard brake pads don’t quite cut it; instead, the N Attack gets a special set of pads with an altered friction material for better heat management. The final piece of the puzzle is a modified ECU.

The results

The individual changes result in an even more aggressive-looking Nismo GT-R, and we’re pleased to hear that the owner will be putting plenty of miles on his completed car, including lots of track use.

All of this is quite expensive though: Nissan wouldn’t give us a full breakdown of costs, but it’s been previously reported that the A kit - which takes three weeks to fit at RJN as opposed to two for the B kit - costs around $90,000…