Although it’s a 14-year-old car, the R35 still is one hell of a white-knuckle ride in stock trim. The Nissan GT-R that Mat Watson drives in this clip is a little different in the sense that it’s a 1,600-horsepower land missile.
Instead of 3.8 liters, the force-fed V6 now displaces 4.1 liters. Better induction and exhaust system, massive turbochargers, a strengthened transmission, and ultra-sticky rubber pretty much sum up the modified R35, which is estimated to cost in the ballpark of £150,000 (make that $204,340).
Tipping the scales at 1,750 kilograms (3,858 pounds), the fixed-head coupe they call Godzilla is on the heavy side of cars. The Audi R8 is roughly 100 kilograms (3,638 pounds) lighter, and even though it’s all-wheel drive, the more sedate brother of the Lamborghini Huracan doesn’t hold a candle to the Japanese challenger. This particular example of the breed is rocking a set of turbochargers that hike up the horsepower figure to just around 1,200.
Last, but certainly not least, McLaren offers the lightest car in this drag race in the guise of the 720S. Rated at 1,400 kilograms (3,086 pounds), the V8-engined model puts out 1,100 horsepower thanks to a Stage 2 tune. Although it’s very close to the Audi’s torque rating, the Macca is rear-wheel drive, which means that it can’t dream of shaming the R8 over the ¼-mile.
On the first run, the GT-R and R8 hook up better and keep gaining speed at a ludicrous rate until they cross the finish line. The same thing happens on the second race, which is only natural considering the on-paper differences between the GT-R and R8. The Nissan records 8.9 seconds over the ¼-mile while the Audi and McLaren make do with 9.4 and 9.7 seconds.
Godzilla has more trouble than the R8 putting the power down from a roll, then comes into its own to pass the German supercar. In the braking test, however, the 720S is king of the hill thanks to its much lower curb weight.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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