Nissan Announces GT-R-Powered Juke-R
Okay, no, Nissan is not planning to offer a production version of the Juke-R. Which is sad, because we like biturbocharged, V-6-powered, all-wheel-drive-equipped, 500-plus-horsepower small crossovers. A lot. At least the two examples being built will be road legal, but still, don’t expect to pick up a Juke-R this time next year.
Instead, if the two Juke-Rs get a positive reaction to the buying public, look for a hotter version of the crossover to hit the market in the not-so-distant future.
Besides the GT-R powertrain, the Juke-R gets the gauges, dials, and the trick customizable LCD display from Nissan’s world-beating supercar. An FIA-spec roll cage and racing buckets with five-point harnesses sandwich the motorcycle-derived center console found on the standard Juke. There are also twenty-inch forged alloys developed by RAYS.
Nissan will begin testing the Juke-R in November, and will hopefully (hint, hint to Nissan PR) have the hotted-up crossover making the rounds at the bigger auto shows.
Please scroll down for the official press release from Nissan.
NISSAN ANNOUNCES THE JUKE-R — THE ULTIMATE COMPACT CROSSOVER
Juke-R to inject new excitement into the crossover market
Juke and GT-R brought together to create the ultimate compact crossover
One-off concept to test the public’s reaction to a seriously sporty Juke
Underlines the compact crossover’s fun factor
Fully road legal with GT-R drive train
Developed for Nissan by RML with input from Nissan Technical Centre for Europe (NTC-E)
Car currently in development; expected to complete first tests in November
Question: What do you get when you cross a Nissan Juke with a Nissan GT-R?
Answer: The fastest, most exciting and daring compact crossover in the world.
Not content with re-shaping the new car market by pioneering the crossover – a success reflected in the soaring sales of its Qashqai and Juke models – Nissan is now creating the Juke-R, the first ever super crossover.
Currently under development, the bold design of the Juke is clear to see. However, with the addition of flared wheel arches, revised front and rear bumpers plus a unique split rear wing, this is no standard crossover. It’s a Juke that thinks it’s a GT-R, and with good reason.
However, the car is not for production. It is a one-off, road legal concept car developed by Nissan and built by leading motorsports outfit RML with input from Nissan Technology Centre for Europe (NTC-E).
Under the hood is a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine adopted directly from Nissan’s flagship supercar. Under the floor hides the GT-R’s six-speed transaxle, with the front and rear ends joined by a modified GT-R 4WD driveline and prop shaft, while chunky 20-inch RAYS forged alloy rims fill each wheel arch.
The interior merges crossover and supercar with finesse, as the Juke’s dashboard has been transformed to accommodate the gauges, dials and 7-inch customisable LCD display from the GT-R. The Juke’s iconic center console, inspired by the fuel tank of a motorcycle, remains while the rest of the interior has the look of a machine bred for the track. Twin race-seats with five-point harnesses sit inside a visible roll cage that gives FIA safety standards as well as enhanced rigidity to provide the ultimate performance.
“Nissan Juke is one of the most exciting cars on the market today. Its bold crossover design has captured the imagination of car buyers all over Europe; after just a year on sale we are celebrating sales of more than 100,000 units,” said Paul Willcox, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Nissan in Europe.
“Juke lends itself perfectly to a sports derivative and Juke-R explores that territory. Equally at home on road and track, Juke-R showcases two of the most exciting cars in our range and highlights the technical innovation that drives Nissan. This car will more than live up to the dynamic driving experience we engineer into all our cars.”
For full details on Juke-R and to follow the car’s development, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/NissanJukeOfficial
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Notes to Editors:
Only two Juke-Rs will be created, one in left-hand-drive and one in right-hand-drive.
Nissan has been racing since the 1960s and currently competes in the FIA GT1 World Championship, Super GT, LMP2 and many other motor racing events around the world.
Nissan is the founder of GT Academy – a unique competition on Playstation’s Gran Turismo that provides a dream come true opportunity for video gamers to become real life racing drivers.
Nissan and RML
Nissan has enrolled the expertise of RML for several specialist projects over the past 21 years.
Key Dates:
1984 – Ray Mallock Limited (RML) was founded by race driver and motorsport engineer Ray Mallock. The company started by building and running sports prototypes in the World Sportscar Championship.
1990 – RML first became involved with Nissan with the team running a works-backed R90C prototype at Le Mans. The lead car took pole position, led the race for five hours and claimed fastest lap before being sidelined.
1998-1999 – RML runs works-backed Nissan Primeras in the British Touring Car Championship, winning Team and Manufacturer titles in both 1998 and 1999, with Laurent Aïello claiming the drivers’ championship in 1999.
2003 – RML creates a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” for Nissan as the two companies unveil the Micra-R – a version of the unsuspecting city car sporting a full works Nissan Primera racing engine where the rear seats used to be. The engine was later replaced by a V6 engine from the Nissan 350Z.
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