When the Nissan GT-R was unleashed upon the world back in 2008, it could be had for about $70,000 or so, making it one of the most potent performance car bargains on the planet. Since then it's only gotten faster, but its price tag has blown up as well. How'd that happen?
Ask our pals over at BBC Autos' Roundabout Blog and they'll tell you. This handy infographic explains all of the various enhancements made to the car over the last six years or so that have caused its price to balloon up to about $100,000.
As we can see here, it's a lot of little things, not the least of which was a bump from 480 horsepower to 545. They've also improved the brakes, equipped it with better tires, added carbon fiber, and increased the number of luxury features that help to justify the extra cost. But is that really worth another $30,000? That probably explains why sales of the GT-R aren't exactly setting new records.
The GT-R definitely isn't as cheap as it used to be (though not many people would consider $70,000 to be "cheap," right?) but even with the increase in price it's still a giant-slayer of the first caliber, still an incredible performance car bargain.
Remember, the current GT-R can do zero to 60 mph in a mere 2.7 seconds. That's obscenely fast. The only things quicker than that are the Bugatti Veyron, light, and... well, I think that's about it, actually.
Graphic credit BBC Autos