It was meant to be the...

It was meant to be the big surprise of next week’s Tokyo Motor Show – but we can now reveal Nissan"s big secret!

After months of spy shots, a raft of teaser images and plenty of high performance promises, these are the first official pictures of Nissan’s new GT-R supercar.

While the firm hoped to release images to coincide with the car’s unveiling in Japan, an American publication has broken the agreed picture embargo and published the shots early.

As you can see, the final production model has remained close to the original concept, with sharp angles and a distinctive front-end. At the rear the new model retains the GT-R’s trademark round lamps, while the tapered window line also helps the Japanese model to stand out.

Inside, the design is less modern, with round air vents and a prominent centre console surrounding the race-inspired dials. These pictures also reveal the Nissan’s hi-tech dashboard mounted switches for controlling the suspension, four-wheel drive system and traction control systems.

The two-door model has two compact rear seats and a conventional boot.

When the new flagship goes on sale next year, it will be powered by a front mounted V6 engine developing around 470bhp. All wheel drive and the latest differential technology will help to give the GT-R the grip it needs to provide supercar performance. Early indications are that the 0-60mph sprint takes only 3.5 seconds!

Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn explains: “Today’s technology allows us to make a high performance car, a flagship car for Nissan that can be adapted to all the driving conditions across the globe.”

For the full story, more pictures and complete specifications pick up your copy of the 24th October issue of Auto Express magazine.