Nissan Launches GT-R GT500 Race Car at Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan has released its GT-R GT500 race car at the Tokyo Auto Salon, complete with an all-new livery for the 2008 motorsport season. The red and black design is said to be the result of collaboration between Nissan, NISMO, and some input from the rabid NISMO enthusiasts club.

The red and black livery is meant to mean more than just a hot look for the GT-R racer, with the red said to represent Nissan’s racing passion, and the black exuding extreme performance.

(Click through the jump to read on about the GT-R GT500 including Nissan’s official press release.)

The GT-R GT500 will duke it out with other Asian heavyweights in the Super GT series, where Nissan hasn’t competed since winning the GT500 class in 2003.

Though technical details aren’t yet available for the car, Nissan has said that it will dish the full dirt on January 31, when the company will outlay all of its motorsports activity for the coming season.

TOKYO (January 8, 2008) - The GT500 specification Nissan GT-R racing car, which will vie for the 2008 SUPER GT series, will make its public debut at the upcoming “Tokyo Auto Salon with NAPAC” (January 11-13, 2008 at Makuhari Messe), followed by the “Osaka Auto Messe 2008? (February 9-11, 2008 at Intecks Osaka), the country’s two largest annual custom car shows.

The new works livery - which will be featured across Nissan motorsports activities during the 2008 season - will be unveiled on the race car. Nissan will vie for the SUPER GT Championship, one of the world’s most demanding GT race series, with the new machine built on the same multi-performance super car concept of the Nissan GT-R road car.

The new livery resulted from close collaboration between Nissan’s design team and NISMO, its motorsports affiliate company, and incorporates feedback from members of the “Club NISMO” fan club.

The signature wide “brush stroke” design motif, synonymous with the current Fairlady Z race car, was carried forward into the new GT-R racing car as Nissan’s racing fans worldwide could immediately associate with the design. The livery design swipes forward from the rear in bold red and black - the red symbolizes the passion for racing, while the black signifies the high performance of the new Nissan GT-R.

Further details of the GT500 Nissan GT-R including technical specifications will be announced on January 31st, as well as Nissan’s full range of global motorsports activities for the coming season.

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