Introduction
Few Japanese engines are held in as high esteem as the venerable Nissan RB26DETT. The engine was first fitted in 1989 to the Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R, and immediately caused upsets in motorsport and tuning circles, including it’s iconic debut at Bathurst in Australia using the N1 designation (more on the RB26DETT N1 down the page). Here we present a few pertinent facts about the powerhouse of the later model Godzillas.

The unit is from the RB family of engines, a 2.6L dual overhead cam, electronically fuel injected, twin turbo (RB26DETT) charged inline six cylinder. It uses a cast-iron block at it’s core, with aluminium cylinder heads, 24 valves (4 valves per cylinder) and uses 6 throttle bodies, unique amongst the RB family.

Mechanical Specifications

Power & Torque

Due to the “gentlemans agreement” in Japan, the power of the RB26DETT is always 206KW/280HP on paper, though mechanically stock standard vehicles have consistently produced figures that place the power at 320HP plus. For the first series, peak output occurs @ 6800 RPM, with 353 N•m (260 ft•lb) available at 4400 RPM. The final series produces peak power also at 6800 RPM, and 392 N•m (289 ft•lb) at 4400 rpm.

However, the motor is recognized as being over-engineered, much like Toyota’s 2JZ, and power up to and exceeding 600HP on mechanically stock internals is common in tuning circles. Some highly modified vehicles carrying extensively modified RB26DETT’s produce well over 1000HP.

The N1 series RB26DETT, produced by NISMO for Group A/Group N motorsport is believed capable of a maximum power exceeding 1900HP.

The Z2 series (designation RB26DETTZ2/RB28Z2),  a stronger N1 block bored and stroked to 2.8L, produces 368KW (510BHP), with 540N•m of torque. The engine featured in the Skyline GT-R Z-tune.

Turbochargers

All models except the N1 and Z2 (itself a modified N1) versions of the RB26DETT use twin, parallel ceramic turbochargers, utilizing 3 cylinders per turbo and running at 10PSI (restricted by boost restrictor to 14PSI). The N1 and Z2 versions use Garret T25 steel turbochargers due to issues with the N1’s higher boost rating, with the R32, R33 using Journal Bearing versions, and the R34 using the Ball Bearing type.

Engine specifics

• 24 valves, 4 valves per cylinder
• Cast-iron engine block
• Aluminium cylinder heads
• Camshaft Duration: 240°in, 236°ex lift: 8.58mm in, 8.28mm ex (Standard). Camshaft duration 240°in, 236°ex lift: 8.58mm in, 8.28mm ex (N1)
• 6 throttle bodies

Cars using the RB26DETT

• R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R
• R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R
• R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R
• Nissan Skyline GT-R Z-tune
• Nissan Stagea 260RS

2012 Nissan GT-R: Soon to have more power

According to Autoblog the revised 2012 Nissan GT-R is expected to develop in excess of 500HP and 450 pound-feet of torque in a bid to keep the newly revamped Porsche 911 Turbo at bay. Apparently the revised model has been seen around the ‘Ring recently, no doubt in order to lower the GT-R’s infamous lap time of 7:26.

Not much more is known at this stage, but it’s safe to say the VR38DETT Twin Turbo V6 will remain the workhorse, and gain a few tuning changes. Expect retuned suspension, larger brakes, new diffusers and rear wing configuration and minor aerokit changes.

Nissan GT-R Gallery

Let’s see these two on the track, Motortrend.

[Ed: Dear Lord, they both look kinda awkward in terms of styling, don’t they?]

The Nissan GT-R Spec V… droolworthy much?

Autoexpress have tested the magnificent new GT-R Spec V, a continuation of the V Spec vehicles of the previous model Skyline GT-R’s. The car comes covered in uprated components, from the carbon fibre wing and front lip to larger brakes and suspension. The 478HP monster clocks a 0-60MPH (100 km/h) time of an incredible 3.2 seconds and 74.7MPH through the slalom, giving the Corvette ZR-1 something to think about. Check the Autoexpress video after the image gallery!

The Nissan GT-R Spec V

The Nissan “Juke”

Clearly taking on the cues of the quirky (that’s being diplomatic) Qazana, the Dakar inspired Juke tones down the theme with slightly less comical wheel arches, but appears to retain the oversized foglights and coupe-ish styling. Not much else is known, though full details will be released on Feb 10.

The car probably won’t make it to North American or Australian markets and will be produced in the UK, no doubt aimed at the youth(and young at heart/ just plain bizarre) market.

[Ed: I think Juke is a mispelling of Joke.]

PRESS RELEASE

7 January 2010

JUKE: NISSAN’S NEW SMALL CROSSOVER

* Sales to begin in Autumn for Europe
* Extending the Crossover philosophy to the small car segment
* Nissan’s fourth Crossover in Europe – reinforcing Crossover leadership
* Manufactured in UK

One month before its global media unveil on February 10th, Nissan today confirms the name of its forthcoming small Crossover. The Nissan Juke will go on sale from October, following its global public premiere at Geneva Motor Show in March.

The Nissan Juke will inject some much-needed dynamism into the small car segment, offering European car-buyers an alternative to the traditional, uninspiring small hatchback. As the fourth Crossover in Nissan’s European range, “Juke” reinforces the brand’s pioneering Crossover leadership in Europe.

The car was inspired by the Qazana concept car that received such a warm reception at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, and will fit into the Nissan range between the Note compact family car and the Qashqai crossover.

Nissan’s customer research identified a large proportion of European small and compact car buyers whose needs are not met by what they perceive to be uninspiring and unoriginal options available to them where copycat hatchbacks dominate.

The Nissan Juke has been designed and developed to give customers an alternative to the traditional small hatchback in Europe. We know that there are a lot of customers that are looking for a car which combines striking design, agile handling and driving pleasure, user friendly technology but not at the expense of practicality and convenience. These unique attributes will allow Juke to occupy a unique corner of the European market,” said Simon Thomas, Nissan’s European Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

“Nissan caught the mood of the European car-buying public with Qashqai crossover and we’ve worked hard to study the market in the same way for Juke to be sure we meet the needs of European customers. We’re confident that Juke will bring a new generation of customers to Nissan, in the same way that Qashqai did. Our philosophy of challenging conventions with Qashqai has been a huge success. We’ve just reached the 500,000 landmark and we’re applying many of the lessons learned from Qashqai to Juke. We’re confident we’ll have another success on our hands,” added Simon Thomas.

Juke will be manufactured alongside the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and Note at Nissan’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sunderland, Great Britain.

With the introduction of Murano in the US in 2003, the Crossover concept was introduced to consumers who were looking for a vehicle that combined the dynamic design and handling characteristics of a passenger car, but with the added benefit of all-wheel drive traction and the improved visibility of a raised seating position, but without the boxy shape of an SUV.

In Europe, the introduction in 2007 of Nissan’s Qashqai heralded the mainstream introduction of the Crossover concept for the first time, providing an alternative to the traditional C-Segment offering. In just over two-and-a-half years, and with a half-a-million buyers in Europe, customer feedback shows they love its combination of understated, but sophisticated design which combines the lower body robustness of an SUV, but the upper body profile of a passenger car. Such has been demand for Qashqai that production was increased at the plant in Sunderland, UK, to meet supply. The Qashqai concept was followed by the introduction of the stretched wheelbase version, the Qashqai+2, offering extra interior space allowing the inclusion of a third row of folding seats to meet the needs of larger active families who need extra space or accommodation.

Details of forthcoming refreshments to the Qashqai were released earlier in December.

Full details of Juke will be released on 10th February 2010.

A pic of the Club Sports package from the new minisite

Specifications of exactly what goes into the Club Sports Package are thin on the ground, but expect a suspension upgrade, new wheels, aerodynamic/minor body upgrades, ECU changes and the awesome NISMO Data Logger Kit.

The Data Logger Kit enables drivers to download the abundant performance data from the GT-R to their computers via a USB cable in detail, and appears to be a NISMO only option specifically for the Club Sports Package.

Nissan will complement the GT-R with a NISMO tuned and dressed 370z, the Roox Highway Urban Selection concept, some Autech tuned Rider series vans,  a sports-oriented Skyline coupe and sedan package, and the 2008 Super GT XANAVI GT-R.

PRESS RELEASE

Nissan to showcase 9 exciting models at Tokyo Auto Salon

YOKOHAMA (January 6, 2010) — Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., together with AUTECH Japan and Nissan Motorsports International Co. Ltd. will present 9 exciting models equipped with the latest custom and after-market parts in the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association), to be held from January 15–17, 2010 at Makuhari Messe.
Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan will showcase its transporter and hospitality cars used during it’s participation in the domestic racing series, recreating the exciting atmosphere of the race circuit. Included in this display is Nissan’s range of standard road cars stylized with the latest genuine aero body-kits that compliments the vehicles pure form. Autech will show its expertise in custom cars with its fun and relaxing Rider Series while NISMO will be presenting its NISMO Club Sports Package Custom, the 2010 Nissan GT-R equipped with the newly-developed “NISMO Data Logger Kit” and the XANAVI NISMO GT-R racecar that competed in the 2008 SUPER GT series.

Highlights of the exhibit include:

NISSAN area
Roox Highway Star Urban Selection
A distinctive, stylishly finished premium model based on the Roox, a light vehicle launched for sale in December, equipped with third-party custom parts such as an advanced HDD navigation system, lighting components with custom exterior, and stylized cabin interior.

Skyline Sporty Package-equipped car
This minor modification to the Skyline Sedan announced on January 6 raises the vehicle to a whole new level as a sports car. The model’s package includes a sporty aero body-kit, a sports muffler, and high-performance suspension.

Skyline Coupe Sporty Package-equipped car
Exhibited during the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon as a concept, this custom car has an aggressively designed aero-body kit that give out a sporty feel. It is now available to the public.

Autech Japan area
Rider Series
Autech Japan takes its Rider Series of custom cars, known for its punchy aeroform coating and emblematic front grill design, to a new level and incorporates the latest HDD navigation system into it.

• ‘Serena Rider Plus Navi HDD’
• ‘Cube Rider Plus Navi HDD’
• ‘Note Rider Plus Navi HDD’

NISMO area
Nissan GT-R 2010 Model: Featuring the NISMO Club Sports Package
The “NISMO Club Sports Package” is the fusion of Nissan GT-R and NISMO technologies — a package boasting a high level of sports performance. The Nissan GT-R 2010 model also includes the newly developed “NISMO Data Logger Kit”, which makes it possible for the driver to download their driving data via USB and view it on a computer. With this data logger kit, NISMO provides a new driving pleasure in which the driver has a full complement of options to analyze driving data acquired at the driving circuit.

XANAVI NISMO GT-R (2008 SUPER GT GT500 class: Drivers’ Championship winning car)
Presenting the car that Satoshi Motoyama / Benoît Treluyer used to win three races (including two victories in a row) in the 2008 SUPER GT. This racing car took home the series’ championship in its debut year.

FAIRLADY Z Version NISMO
Continuing in the spirit of the previous Z33 model Fairlady Z, this model builds onto the Fairlady Z’s high level of driving performance with added fun and sporty functionality.

NISMO will also have the “Kids & Ladies Ride Event”, where participants can experience what it’s like to be inside a racing car, and the “Pitwork Simulation”, where NISMO mechanics will be performing real tyre changes and other techniques.

NISSAN/NISMO collection booth
Nissan official merchandise, under the Fairlady Z, Nissan GT-R and NISMO motorsport range are available. Limited editions (996 pcs.) of the 1/64 scale model of the “XANAVI NISMO GT-R (#23, the 2008 SUPER GT Championship-winning machine) will also be on sale at this year’s event.

NISSAN Customize Website URL http://www.nissan.co.jp/EVENT/CUSTOMIZE/

Porsche is claiming, after internally testing the Nissan GTR on the ‘Ring, that the car could not come within 25 seconds of April’s acclaimed time of 7 mins 29s.

Product Chief August Achleitner for the 911 team claims ’”This wonder car with 7:29 could not have been a regular series production car” and that  “For us, it’s not clear how this time is possible. What we can imagine with this Nissan is they used other tyres.” — meaning semi-slick tyres.

Achleitner said his team bought and tested a brand new Nissan GTR with new tyres, and achieved a time of 7:54, behind the 911 turbo at 7:38 and GT2 at 7:34. The opening shot at Nissan’s performance car credibility will no doubt create a response from fans and the company, and is being hailed around the world as a case of ‘sour grapes’ for Porsche, who’s 911 contender retails for double the cost of a new GTR.

[Source: Carsguide AU]

The Nissan GTR

What is All Japan Day?

Sick and tired of car shows that spend so much time promoting themselves that they’ve forgotten all about the cars?

So was the All Japan Day organising committee! We decided to band together and create a simple event that ‘got back to basics’ and allowed entrants and spectators to do what they love doing best — just admire and talk about the sensational cars on display. By keeping it simple, we’ve also kept the costs down, which has benefited both entrants and spectators.

We are very excited about our inaugural event on 27 April 2008 and we hope its success will encourage suitable entrants from interstate (maybe even overseas? Mazda please send us a 787B racer!) in future years.

So, come and enjoy us for a relaxing day out and be dazzled by some of Australia’s finest Japanese automobiles.

So for those of you in Adelaide who love Japanese cars, head over to the All Japan Day website to learn about becoming an entrant and spectator.