VIDEO: Nissan GT-R’s 3.8 litre twin-turbo V6 engine – still a handmade masterpiece, nine years and counting

When the Nissan GT-R first made its debut back in 2007, the company was immensely proud of the fact that its 3.8 litre VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 engine is entirely handcrafted by only five Takumi, or master craftsmen.

These highly trained Takumi, of which there are only five in the entire company, are the only certified personnel eligible to build a GT-R powerplant. Therefore, every single GT-R engine in existence is the work of these master craftsmen.

With the introduction of the MY2017 Nissan GT-R, the company has decided to showcase the talents of its engine builders with this video. We won’t give anything away but watching team leader Takumi Kurosawa describe the process and amount of handiwork that goes into each GT-R engine is truly a showcase of dedication, skill and passion.

Nissan GT-R Takumi

For the latest iteration of the GT-R, the VR38DETT now churns out 565 hp at 6,800 rpm and 633 Nm from 3,300 to 5,800 rpm. That’s an increase of 15 hp and 3 Nm over the 2016 model – and nearly 90 hp more than what the GT-R was originally launched with back in 2007. As before, each completed engine has a plaque mounted on it, bearing its Takumi’s name.

Couple that to revised dynamics, improved aero performance and stunning new looks, and you’ve got an evolved Godzilla that’s ready to give more expensive supercars a run for their money.

Though the sub five-minute video doesn’t show the entire process of building a GT-R engine (said to take about six to nine hours), it certainly is impressive to see Nissan continue to implement the human element in the creation of its iconic sports car. Impressed?




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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • MikeWong on Mar 28, 2016 at 9:55 am

    Godzilla all day everyday baby!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 1
  • No breakthrough. So could be just Nissan’s last greatest creation.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 8
  • nissniss on Mar 28, 2016 at 10:02 am

    the best in the world

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
  • Proton better.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 8
  • yipimahass on Mar 28, 2016 at 10:56 am

    i don’t understand why the need of extra DRL when the headlight already has it. i love the new design steering wheel, it would look nicer with flatt bottom steering wheel. handbrake should be electronic as it would save more space imo

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 9
    • 4G63T DSM on Mar 28, 2016 at 11:02 am

      Ever tried to do a handbrake turn with an electronic parking brake?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
      • yipimahass on Mar 28, 2016 at 2:29 pm

        you got your point but i assume that you are not very familiar with the gtr35. there are several weak point about the gtr. particularly, there is a golden rule known to every gtr owner. you can’t drift with a gtr. drifting a gtr35 will give you some good vibes but at the same time it will kill the all-wheel-drive couplings which will ended up costing you a bomb. is it worth it ? that’s why i said, electronic parking brake would be nice “imo”.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
        • hailthepurist on Mar 28, 2016 at 3:43 pm

          amateur..

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
        • karam singh on Mar 29, 2016 at 1:43 am

          please don’t Ruin the GTR ..
          yes its hard to drift with the GTR, but in the track, car sometimes feel understeer then u need some handbrake (rear brake) to make a sharper turn.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Maverick2091 on Mar 28, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    I can’t tell if this is some marketing gibberish or genuine skill.

    I work in a semicon manufacturing plant, and this video doesn’t really make sense to me.

    If you program a machine to build it once perfectly, it will repeat the same thing flawlessly. Don’t try to justify that handmade is superior to machine built.

    Handmade engines are unique in their own right, but talking about clearance, dust prevention, and vibrations is not doing justice to what handmade engines are about.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 8
    • nabill (Member) on Mar 28, 2016 at 12:31 pm

      Thy probably screw the main block to other parts by hand using scredrivers and wrenches… Thats hand made!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
      • funky dori on Mar 28, 2016 at 7:03 pm

        the brakfast karipap I bought from roadside makcik oso hand-made….

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • maverick retarded on Mar 29, 2016 at 12:36 am

      Are you serious, dude?
      What a joke.

      They already had a masterpiece GTR and what your experience in semicon plant got? Just a bunch of 3 yrs non skill worker talk right? Yes, only talk.

      I studied engineering in Japan University, eventhough just a degree, but being worked in lab with jap fellows, I can tell you that Japan does the right thing, they’ve got the best machine yet they value human skills, can human is the greatest machine. Machine may produce accurate data, but limited. Human make mistake, but a skillful human is more precise and have a best solution.

      Once you realize how great human brain is, you will realize your comment is nonsense.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
 

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