You’d be forgiven for thinking that the standard 2014 Nissan GT-R can handle its own on a race track just fine, and yet the Japanese manufacturer disagrees with you with the optional Track Pack, which slightly alters the car, making it a tiny bit more track-focused.

Tested by MotorTrend, there are absolutely no surprises, from the 2.7 seconds it takes to reach 60 mph (96 km/h), to the amazing numbers it records in the rest of the tests (grip, handling and especially braking), the GT-R proves as capable as ever. The Track Pack doesn’t add a whole deal more.

You get the rims from the Black Edition, which come coated in sticky rubber, as well as a carbon fiber front splitter (with cooling ducts for the brakes) and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. Also, the shocks are retuned for better on-track performance, with stiffer springs complimenting the revised setup.

The reviewer’s conclusions are predictably positive, but they do beg a question: some have complained that the GT-R needs to be driven close to the limit in order to be fun. That is quite hard in the normal variant of the car, which is softer and more compliant. With the changes the Track Pack brings about, doesn’t that mean the car’s limits are pushed even further away, and thus you have to work harder to achieve the same level of enjoyment?

It all comes down to what you want from your vehicle, but if it was my money and I was looking to buy a GT-R, I’d just get the standard one, pocket the difference and still have an unbeatable car on the road, which is also not bad on a long journey, and still has the same 545 hp output as the Track Pack.

By Andrei Nedelea

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