Painstaking work

* GT-R engine hand built * Nissan's best engineers assemble unit * We witness process...

Painstaking work

All this painstaking work inevitably means building a GT-R engine is a labour of love.

From start to finish there are more than 400 jobs to do, and it takes 260 minutes for each engine to be assembled and tested.

That means just 24 engines a day and 1000 a month are completed for sale which explains why British customers have had to wait more than a year longer than the Japanese on-sale date before any cars arrive in the country.

Of course, Nissan could appoint more Takumi and step up production, but long waiting lists do have their benefits the GT-R is designed as a niche, aspirational car, and selling them in huge numbers would only serve to undermine that exclusivity.

'The GT-R is a special car, and we must work hard to maintain that,' said one company insider.

'At the core of the car's values are its technical expertise, and nothing must compromise that. Waiting lists are inevitable as a result, but they are also great for creating a buzz, so nobody minds.'

Also consider