Original Spy thread here: http://forums.son240sx.ca/showthread.php?t=23867
Should be interesteing to see more engine spy shots coming in the upcoming days 
After weeks of chasing the 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R, from the streets of Los Angeles to one test facility and another, it looks like we’ve hit the end of the road for this GT-R’s stint in America.
Following a day of hot-lapping at Sears Point, the Nissan engineering team headed south to Laguna Seca raceway to see how the Skyline GT-R would handle the 2.2-mile road course and its world-famous Corkscrew. The day wrapped up with the Nissan engineers mugging for an official Nissan camera crew, while our unofficial shooters snagged plenty of new spy photos and video.
Although the prototype never shed its front and rear camouflage, we caught the Nissan Skyline with its hood open, giving us the first-ever look at the GT-R’s power plant. Close inspection reveals a few notable details about the engine that’s expected to generate roughly 450 horsepower. Two short intake plenums with three barely visible runners on each side suggest a V6, as we expected. There’s no conclusive evidence that it’s Nissan’s recently redesigned VQ35HR V6, but the front cover just behind the oil dipstick is consistent with current VQ design.
The placement of the dipstick itself is another tip to this GT-R’s configuration. Previous Skylines have integrated the front differential of the all-wheel-drive system into the engine’s oil sump. With the dipstick so far forward in the engine compartment, we expect this GT-R will continue to use this configuration.
Any doubts about a twin-turbo setup can be laid to rest as there’s plenty of visible plumbing. And those vents in the hood are clearly not there for show. The gold-colored caps of the twin compressor bypass valves are visible on the cast-aluminum intake plumbing. With plumbing running toward the front of the car, it’s a safe bet that there’s a monster air-to-air intercooler buried in the nose, or maybe even two smaller ones.
We’re not sure how it all works, but it does work, as the GT-R consistently lapped quicker around Laguna Seca than its Porsche 911 Turbo companion. According to our hand-timed data, the GT-R’s fastest lap proved to be a 1:39.62, while the 911 recorded a 1:39.89. Put Walter Rohl behind the wheel of the 911 and it might be a different story, but the GT-R clearly has the kind of power and grip to match up against the best sports cars in the world.
As the day wrapped up, it was clear that Nissan’s team was headed home for good. The engineers (including Chief Engineer Kazutoshi Muzuno in the snappy salmon-colored shirt) were posing for team pictures and having fun, so the serious work was clearly over. Of course, back in Japan there’s still plenty of development work left as the official introduction is slated for the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, with U.S. sales expected early next year.
