Five cool Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 things

With the Bathurst 12 Hour only days away, Nissan’s been busy preparing its sole Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 to defend last year’s win at The Mountain.

MOTOR joined Nismo last week at Phillip Island to watch the team dial in the Nismo GT3 for the upcoming race. And here we had the chance to peek at the hulking racecar up close.

We learned quickly GT3 cars like the Nismo, despite being based on road cars, are serious machines.

Here are five quick GT-R Nismo GT3 details worth drooling over…

1] Crazy aero

Along with a massive wing and rear diffuser, the front bars on Nismo’s Godzilla GT3 sport serious addenda to help it hug the ground with way more down force than a V8 Supercar. Notice its large front dive planes and massive splitter.

2] Monster brakes

Brakes on GT3 cars withstand up to 24 hours of abuse but still rely on relatively basic steel discs and ABS intervention. Proper cooling means the team will only need to change the front pads once during a 12-hour enduro.

3] Carbon fibre

Although it’s built around road car’s body shell the Nismo GT3 features carbon fibre everywhere. The doors, the dash, guards, radiator support, and bumpers are made from the weave, and help the Nismo GT3 meet its regulatory weight.

4] Serious cooling

Running at high speeds for so long means the Nismo GT3 produces enormous heat loads, and needs to keep cool, of which there’s evidence everywhere. For example, the rear side of the wheel guards being gutted with channels to help vent hot air.

5] Road car relation

GT3 cars are well related to their road counterparts, as the Nismo GT3’s engine, body shell, lights, and ABS system are shared with the road car. In the Nismo GT-R road car’s instance, it also shares its turbines and carbon composite front radiator support with the racecar.

To read more on what makes GT3 cars tick and how manufacturers like Bentley are fighting Ferraris and McLarens, and winning, check out our “Bentley & the rise of GT3 racing” feature from MOTOR Magazine’s March 2015 issue here.