GTi-R? nope, it wasn’t a typo, and it’s not a VW Golf. The Nissan Pulsar/Sunny GTi-R was built by Nissan in the early 90’s. The GTi-R was a homologated 2 litre turbo-charged AWD 3-door hatch competing in the WRC Group-A.

The reason why I love this hatch is because of its underdog status.It takes time for someone to get used to it’s 3 door, some kind of un-attractive design and it’s a fairly popular platform compared to the Escorts, WRX and Evo’s. 

Even it was released in low compliance volumes in the US, the GTi-R is “cult-status” popular in other regions like Japan, UK, New Zealand and Australia. Definitely, the Pulsar GTi-R may be under-appreciated but it deserves the credit of being one of the classic hot-hatchbacks of our time.

Quick Specs:

Dimensions, Weight & Performance
Length/Width/Height – 3975/1690/1410 mm
Wheelbase – 2430 mm
Tread front/rear – 1440/1415 mm
Curb weight – 1220kg for GTI-RA (Road Edition), 1190kg for GTI-RB (rally Edition)
Seating capacity – 5 (no, really just 4)
Minimum turning radius – 5.2 m
Maximum speed – 223 kph+
Acceleration – 0-100 kph – 5.4 sec
Acceleration – 0-400 meters – 13.9 sec
Coefficent of drag – 0.39
Ground Clearance – 150 mm

Mechanical Features
Engine model – SR20DET
Engine type – Turbocharged, in line 4 DOHC, 16 valves with intercooler
Displacement – 1998 cc
Max power output – 227/6400 ps/rpm
Max torque – 27.2/4800 kgm/rpm
Bore & stroke – 86 x 86 mm
Compression ratio – 8.3:1
Turbo – Garret TB2804 (T3/T25 combination -> Compressor = 60mm, 60 trim in .60A/R -> Turbine = 53mm, 79 trim in .86A/R)
Control system – Electronic port injection
Transmission – type 5-speed manual

mark@MaydayGarage