National Geographic special examines history of Nissan's GT-R

National Geographic has created a 47 minute documentary about Nissan's famous GT-R family, the latest generation of which, the R35, has recently begun delivery to U.S. buyers. The documentary examines the legendary status of the GT-R in Japan and around the world, and pits it against the Porsche 911 Turbo - the sports car benchmark, according to National Geographic. This is not the first time the GT-R has been compared to a Porsche rival.

Earlier this year, Nissan's lap times around the Nurburgring were so far ahead of any of Porsche's contenders that the Stuttgart manufacturer accused Nissan of not being completely honest about the GT-R's lap time.

The National Geographic documentary also deals with the driving force behind the creation of the GT-R, such as its designers, engineers and the man who saw it through from the drawing board all the way to production reality, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. There is also a segment about Japan's illegal street racing culture, and the status of the GT-R within that tightly knit circle.

You can check out our previous coverage on the GT-R by clicking here.