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Nissan GT-R NISMO Vs. Nissan GT-R NISMO Drag Race Is an Aerodynamics Lesson

We've seen plenty of the Nissan GT-R on the drag strip, be it in its NISMO guise or the more vanilla one, which means we all know where its "Godzilla" nickname comes from.
Nissan GT-R NISMO brotherly drag race 24 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
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Before Tesla came along, the GT-R was the best example of near-perfect launch control, with the Japanese sports car almost magically finding what looked like the most traction any vehicle could hope for in those specific conditions.

The Model S with its two electric motors, instant torque from zero rpm, lightning-quick torque vectoring, and clever traction control system brought things to a completely new dimension, but back in the early 2010s, the GT-R was king.

Which means it's pretty good now as well as long as we're talking about a standing start and a short race since it's all in the way it shoots off the line. With help from the amazing all-wheel-drive grip, the NISMO version puts 600 hp on the tarmac thanks to the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine found in the standard model.

That's enough to intimidate most stock cars out there, regardless of the prefix used to describe them - super, hyper, and so on. The GT-R might not win a race against a McLaren, for example, but it'll give it a good run for its money - which, by the way, the Nissan doesn't require too much of to jump into your garage.

But what happens when two Godzillas meet each other on the drag strip? Surely, even if the cars are identical, it can't be a draw, right? Of course not. This is where the driver's skill comes in, as well as another not so discreet aspect.

You see, the two cars may look the same, but they're not identical. We're not talking about any hidden engine modification, but the fact the grey one has an aftermarket huge rear spoiler on its trunk. As soon as they pick up speed, that thing is going to create downforce, and in doing so, also create friction with the air.

A quarter-mile race isn't enough to reach dizzying speeds, but it does offer enough track for the wing to make a difference. The two cars have a go at each other four times, and in the end, the score is tied at two each. However, we're pretty sure that spoiler wasn't doing the grey car's driver any favors, and it might have been four-nil if they had a smaller one.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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