The Nissan GT-R and the GTR-Drone at Silverstone Circuit in the UK.
Nissan has unveiled the GT-R Drone — one of the fastest accelerating FPV (first person view) racing drones in the world.
Built to be able to keep up with the new 2017 Nissan GT-R while filming on the track, the drone features the latest in performance-enhancing technology — just like its four wheeled namesake.
Custom designed by World Drone Prix Champions, Tornado XBlades Racing, the GT-R Drone uses a special race tuned configuration and low-drag canopy to reach 100km/h from a standstill in just 1.3 seconds.
To show off the talents of both machines, the GT-R Drone took on Nissan’s road-going supercar around the challenging Silverstone circuit. Both machines use incredible technology and mind-boggling engineering to extract the maximum performance, in a straight line and through corners. The terrestrial GT-R transfers power from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre 24-valve V6 to all four wheels; while the GT-R Drone delivers its incredible acceleration via four propellers mated with 2000kV XNova motors and race specification Sky-Hero quadcopter frame.
The race saw Nissan NISMO driver Ricardo Sanchez take the wheel of the new GT-R with James Bowles, the 2015 British National Drone Racing champion, piloting the GT-R Drone around a purpose-built 3.1km course at Silverstone.
The new 2017 GT-R represents the most significant changes to the car since the R35 model was first introduced in 2007.
While the drone can out-accelerate the car, wheels soon catch up with rotors: the GT-R Drone has a top speed of approximately 185km/h, versus 315km/h for the car.
Even the incredible four-wheel-drive system of the GT-R can’t match the ultimate agility of the drone though, which is has a turning circle of just 0.3m.