A small team of Nissan development engineers working in their spare time have transformed a 350Z into a highly tuned 'Saturday Special.' Called the GT-S, the supercharged super coupé is a performance-focused version of Nissan's acclaimed 'Z-'car' and is designed to appeal to enthusiastic 350Z owners who simply want more. Although boasting a power hike and a substantially modified chassis, the GT-S is far from being a stripped out racing car with a rock hard ride and a peaky power delivery. "The GT-S has been created as a real car not an ornament," says Communications Director Wayne Bruce. "We wanted to build a 'Club Special' that could still be used to commute to work during the week but would provide added thrills at the weekend: a weekday workhorse and a weekend warrior in one distinctive package."

The project's technical leader Steve Robbins — who during the week is a senior engineer in the new vehicle evaluation team at NTCE — gathered together half a dozen like-minded enthusiasts to work on the project.

Working after hours and at the weekend, the team members came from within NTCE and also from outside suppliers and was known internally as the S-Club Seven…

Most of the changes center on the car's engine and chassis. Using a supercharger installation from Swiss manufacturers Novidem, power has increased by more than 25 per cent from 300 hp to 382 hp, while torque rises from 353 Nm to a heady 425Nm.

Performance gains are expected to include a one second cut in the benchmark 0-60mph time (5.8 seconds for the standard 350Z) with 2.5 seconds slashed from the 0-100 mph time.

And it sounds better, too, thanks to an electronically controlled by-pass valve that enriches the exhaust note at a pre-determined engine speed.

NTCE engineers — the very men who tuned the original 350Z to suit European roads and our higher speeds — have undertaken the suspension changes. Working closely with specialists from Bilstein, the changes concentrate on optimising road performance, with improvements in both handling ability and ride comfort. Wider wheels and tyres complete the chassis alterations.

A wind tunnel developed body/aero kit from German firm Strosek not only gives the all-black GT-S a distinctive look, but also improves the 350Z's aerodynamic performance with increased front and rear downforce at speed. The package is completed by a NVH pack which makes the GT-S even more civilised than the standard 350Z.

Steve Robbins said: "We could have produced a balls-out racer with huge power outputs and very little suspension movement. But while this would have created a superb racer, it would have been virtually unusable on the road. Instead we approached the GT-S from an engineering stand-point with a view to creating a 350Z that provides more of everything… performance, handling, looks, comfort and excitement.

"We also looked at the possible marketing potential of such a project and have designed the improvements as individual 'packs' — an engine pack, a suspension pack, aero pack and so on — and kept a close eye on costs."

So will the GT-S ultimately become more than a weekend project by a group of mavericks? Nissan is saying nothing officially, though insiders point to its appearance at Goodwood as a sign the company is giving the GT-S concept serious consideration.

Following the release of the Nissan 350 Z GT-S Concept, the Japanese automaker today unveiled the Nissan Murano GT-C — a grand tourer concept car based on the standard Murano. The GT-C features a heavily revised powertrain, a raft of suspension, brake and steering upgrades, all complemented by revised exterior styling.

"This is the first time that Nissan's Cranfield-based Technical Centre Europe has produced such a concept, and it speaks volumes for our ability to respond quickly and effectively to customer demand," explains Jerry Hardcastle, the director of Customer Oriented Engineering at Nissan’s Technical Centre Europe.

Central to the Murano GT-C’s dynamic appeal is its muscular new turbo-charged engine. In the GT-C, the Murano’s all-aluminium 3498cc V6 engine is breathed on by a single Garrett turbo-charger. The hybrid turbo is a bespoke unit created for this application, and features a turbine from a Garrett T3 and a compressor from a Garrett T4.

The engine employs an advanced air to water charge cooling system, which both lowers the temperature and increases the density of the air drawn into the combustion chambers to boost combustion efficiency.

The turbo housing itself is isolated with advanced Darchem heat-shielding sandwich material to further regulate temperatures. The engine’s 10.3:1 compression ratio remains unchanged, and volumetric efficiency is also enhanced by the engine’s variable valve timing on both inlet and outlet camshafts.

To facilitate the turbo installation, the battery is now housed in the spare rear well in the boot, and the engine is fitted with an acoustically tuned stainless steel exhaust system with four tailpipes to optimise back pressure. Naturally, the exhaust’s closed loop feedback system with three-way catalyst remains unaffected by these enhancements.

The 24 valve engine now produces a hefty 340PS at 6000rpm, and an equally impressive 265lb ft of torque at a low 3600rpm – enough to rocket the 1885kg Murano GT-C (a mere 20kg over the standard Murano) to 60mph in an estimated 7.0seconds and on to a top speed of 140mph. Impressive as these on-paper figures are, it’s the Murano GT-C’s powerful in-gear acceleration that impresses most – with that deep reservoir of torque, the Murano GT-C delivers instant and effortless overtaking acceleration throughout the rev-range.

To match this performance, the Murano GT-C’s MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension is fitted with uprated Bilstein mono-tube dampers, shorter and 35% stiffer coil springs – which lower the ride height by 25mm – as well as recalibrated front suspension kinematics to enhance cornering turn-in and improve steering feedback.

"The goal behind these upgrades is to enhance the Murano’s nimbleness without losing any of its supple long-distance ride comfort. In other words, it will still get a glint in its eye when it’s hustled down a mountain pass, but won’t loosen your fillings when tackling Britain’s craggy blacktop," explains Hardcastle.

The Murano GT-C is fitted with a bespoke AP Racing brake system that’s more than capable of handling the engine’s performance boost. At the front, large 362mm two-piece rotors are gripped by powerful six-pot callipers, while at the rear four-pot callipers grasp single piece 330mm discs. All four rotors are vented and grooved for improved heat dissipation. The Murano’s advanced ABS anti-lock system and ESP electronic stability programme remain unchanged.

Mated to the Murano’s slick computer-controlled X-Tronic CVT transmission and intuitive ALL-MODE electronic all-wheel drive system, the GT-C delivers effortless acceleration and taut, driver-focused responses, irrespective of the weather or road conditions.

Painted in Nissan’s Kuro Black paint, the Murano GT-C features front grille, wing mirrors, door handles, headlamp interiors and badging covered in a clear and deep black/bronze Dupont lacquer. The front air intakes are faced in stainless woven steel mesh and the redesigned rear bumper houses those four chamfered exhaust pipes.

Unique 22inch five-spoke two-piece lightweight alloy wheels, shod with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ZR 265/35 profile tyres fill the Murano GT-C’s bold wheel arches, and that aerodynamically tuned rear wing further underscores the Nissan’s sporting credentials.

The central sections of the Murano’s low-slung and electrically adjustable front seats have been trimmed in perforated Strathspey leather, from Andrew Muirhead in Scotland, Europe’s oldest and most distinguished tannery. This hand-stitched honey-coloured waxed matt leather is also used on the rear seats, the centre of the seat headrests, the elbow pads in the door, the top and bottom quadrants of the steering wheel and the recesses of the footwells.

The organic Strathspey leather is offset by the tan Glove material that’s used above the belt-line to cover the headlining and pillars. Like the leather, this advanced man-made fibre is hand-stitched.

That striking exterior black/bronze lacquer is carried through to the cabin, where it’s used to coat the door’s step sills and the lids of the central stowage console. The black/bronze hue is further accented by the GT-C’s grab handles, coat hooks and interior light surrounds that are all coated in a soft-touch tan finish.

The Murano GT-C comes with its own bespoke occasional leather bag. Hand-crafted from the same Strathspey leather and Glove material used in the cabin, the case – ideal for a lap-top computer or travel documents – fits perfectly into the Murano’s deep centre console stowage compartment.

And in tribute to its name – Murano is an island off the Venetian coast in Italy famed for its hand-crafted blue glass – the GT-C features a gearlever and centre console trinket tray fashioned from hand-blown Murano blue and clear glass. These two striking features are further enhanced by the ambient blue lighting from light-emitting diodes secreted at the apex of the B-pillar and beneath the seats.

And the extravagant specification of the standard road-going Murano – automatic climate control, bi-xenon headlamps, colour reversing camera, a seven-speaker, 225W Bose audio system, six airbags, advanced electronic traction and braking aids and ‘Birdview’ DVD satellite navigation – means the Murano GT-C driver will want for nothing.

"Although the GT-C is a concept," says Hardcastle, "we wanted to make it as production feasible as possible. So bar a few minor trim changes, what you see is what you would get - if the GT-C gets production approval."

Nissan Releases Details on Murano GT-C
Date posted: 07-07-2006

CRANFIELD, England — Last month, it was learned the Nissan Murano GT-C concept would be shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Now Nissan U.K. has released details on the vehicle, which was developed at the company's European Technical Centre here.

The Murano GT-C (for Grand Tourer Concept) features a turbocharged engine; upgraded suspension, steering and brakes; and revised interior and exterior styling.

Nissan engineers fitted a modified Garrett turbo to the DOHC 3.5-liter V6, as well as an acoustically tuned stainless steel exhaust system with quad pipes. The engine now pumps out 340 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque and drives all four wheels through the factory-installed X-Tronic continuously variable transmission. Nissan says this powertrain combination gives the GT-C a top speed of 140 mph and 0-60-mph acceleration in 7.0 seconds.

The company stiffened the springs, fitted Bilstein monotube shocks, recalibrated the steering and lowered the ride height by 25mm. AP Racing brakes were fitted, while the Murano's ABS and electronic stability program were untouched. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ZR performance tires are mounted on 22-inch alloy wheels.

The exterior has been modestly tweaked and painted in Kuro black, and the cabin is outfitted with hand-stitched leather, bespoke luggage and a hand-blown glass gearshift lever and center console tray from the Venetian island of Murano.

Nissan describes the GT-C as "production feasible" and says customer feedback will determine if the vehicle gets the green light for production — at least in Europe.

What this means to you: Let's hope our British cousins cheer long and loud for the Murano GT-C to reach production — on both sides of the pond. To see the Venetian-glass gearshift lever on the production model is probably too much to hope for, though.