Ohio. It’s where political careers are made or broken. The state animal is the white-tailed deer, the state bug (whose job was it to decide on that?) is the ladybug. Aw. It should be replaced with, “Godzilla.” It’s only fitting that Ohio’s biggest export is transportation equipment, because the guys at Ohio-based Switzer Performance are sending an army of well-tuned, fire-breathing GTRs out into the world to wreak havoc.
Up until the GTR, Switzer has been known for tweaking and tuning Porsches until they leave Ferrari Enzos in their wake. But I think their work on the new Nissan GTR will give Switzer some serious nods of approval from all sides. Anyone whose base package is good for 700HP on pump gas is a friend of mine. And that’s just what Switzer does. For just under $17,000 Switzer will install their “P700” package and give your car back with 700 emissions compliant horsepower.
They accomplish this by raising the boost, installing their own custom-made “Monster” Intercooler, piping, bigger MAF, and of course bigger turbos. Stronger wastegates keep the air going where it needs to, and a COBB AccessPort is used to make sure all the pieces work in harmony. “P” stands for pump-gas, as Switzer wanted to build a car for people who drive these cars TO the track and AT the track. It’s also not bad if you have 5 minutes to drop off a DVD before the late fees kick in, and the store is in the next county.
But for some people 700HP is just a good start. There were those who wanted to see what the Nissan GTR was capable of on pump gas, not just what was good enough to recede your hairline via WOT. So Switzer came up with their “P800” Package. It’s everything in the P700, but with off-road only (riiiiight) cat-less test pipes and a more aggressive tune. The great part is, for the extra 100hp it will only cost you another $1,900. To me, that’s like Megan Fox saying she will go home with me if I can juggle for 20 seconds straight BUT if I can do it for 21.6 seconds, her friend Scarlett will join us. It’s a no-brainer.
It’s not just the numbers the car puts down that wowed me, it was how quickly the power came on. It makes over 300ft. lbs of torque under 4000 RPMs, and from the video below, it almost seems lower than that. And once the power hits, it never stops. There isn’t any turbo lag once it’s in motion, so the acceleration just continues to throw you down the tarmac relentlessly. This is exactly what Switzer wanted, a car that would work in any situation. They didn’t set out to build ¼ mile cars, they were building cars for road course enthusiasts. It just so happens they ended up with a car that runs mid 10s. Not a bad bonus.
To see what the Switzer Performance P800 Package for the Nissan GT-R can do, check out the videos below of the first customer to take delivery. As a lifelong fan of Audi RS6s, it was a little sad to watch. But the reason I love those cars is their everyday practicality. 4 adults with their luggage can go bombing down the Autobahn in comfort at 200mph. But the GTR accomplishes the same, and if both cars went to the ‘Ring, it would make sashimi out of its German competitors. Switzer has built a car that was intended to curl the tarmac on a road course, and I have no doubt it would. Whether you like drag strips or road courses, having your GTR built by Switzer will have you cruising by Ferrari club lunches. As if Godzilla wasn’t already powerful enough…
-Zack
P800 GTR Dyno Pull:
1/4 mile vs Evotech RS6 and MTM RS6
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