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Who knew a 1,200-hp GT-R could be so lovely?

The proliferation of 4K cameras and displays is bringing the world some utterly fantastic automotive videos. If you like seeing Jeff Zwart powering up the Pikes Peak course in high-def glory but wish for some hugely powered Nissan GT-Rs in place of the turbocharged Porsche, then this clip shouldn't be missed. Japanese magazine Motorhead brought together a 1,200-horsepower, HKS-tuned R35 GT1000 and an earlier R32 GT-R Group A racer to send them through a tight, mountain road. The clip uses an augmented reality aesthetic to place little pieces of info about the car, driver, and emotions over the scenes, while the coupes are blasting through the forest. The real highlight here is the cinematography and sound. Turn up your speakers to get an earful of the GT-R's gasoline-fueled heart. The cameras mounted on driver Nobuteru Taniguchi turn the world outside the car into an impressionistic blur of green as the trees smear together at such high speeds. The combination of sight and sound offers a fantastic sense of speed. The only, tiny problem with this clip is that the preamble before the coupes thunder off is just a bit too long. If you need an extra minute in your day, skip straight to 1:15 to get immediately to the action. Although, missing the beginning means not seeing an inky black GT-R driving through the Japanese night. According to Speedhunters, the video is meant to promote the theme for Motorhead's latest issue – Japan Tuned. The magazine apparently comes even more video of the two cars playing on the mountain.

New Nissan Nismo model coming to Chicago

Nismo has been steadily growing from a niche label for JDM aficionados to a bona fide performance sub-brand for Nissan. And it will grow by one more model next week when the doors open at the Chicago Auto Show. Nissan hasn't revealed exactly what it has in store just yet, but whatever it is, it'll be an all-new model we haven't seen before. The Datsun performance studio has already given us amped-up versions of the Juke, 370Z and GT-R, offers several more versions in markets overseas and has displayed concept versions of other Nissan models as well. We're hoping that whatever Nismo has lined up for Chicago will be ready for production and available Stateside, but we'll have to wait a little while longer to say for sure.

'Gran Turismo' movie trailer: No surprises, but more cars onscreen is a good thing

More movies about cars and racing is always a good thing in our book. The first trailer for the "Gran Turismo" movie dropped today, and while it focuses a lot on the gaming backstory, it looks like there will be a decent amount of actual wheel-to-wheel action as well. The movie is, of course, based on the hugely popular PlayStation series of video games. Now in its seventh installation, it revolutionized the racing game world with its massive library of playable cars, digitization of real tracks, and sound effects recorded from actual exhaust notes. Unlike other recent video games that have been adapted into blockbuster movies or TV shows with actual depth, "Gran Turismo" the game doesn't have a plot.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The movie follows the real-life story of Jann Mardenborough, a British "Gran Turismo" player who in 2011 became the youngest winner of the Nissan GT Academy. The program funnels gamers into real driver's seats, and Mardenborough beat out 90,000 global contestants. He's gone on to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the British GT Championships, and Formula E.  In the trailer we see what is likely a heavily dramatized version of the events. Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) faces skeptical parents, skeptical driving instructor Jack Salter (David Harbour of "Stranger Things''), and a skeptical rival who doesn't believe gamers can really race (Josha Stradowski). About the only one who does believe in him is Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), a marketing exec based on GT Academy head honcho Darren Cox. An obligatory love story is also wedged in there.  Since the real GT Academy was sponsored by Nissan, when Mardenborough graduates to real cars we see plenty of R35 GT-Rs, a 370Z NISMO, and a Ligier-Nissan LMP racer. Mardenborough's rival's car is perfectly cast as a chrome gold-wrapped Lamborghini Huracan. Background cars include an Audi R8, Porsche 911, Ferrari 458, and more. Surprisingly, there's no new Nissan Z, even though it seems like it would be the perfect car to include in a movie like this. The trailer reveals almost entirely how Mardenborough will overcome the odds, not that the end would have taken a genius to guess. At the same time, motor racing is an inaccessible sport for the average consumer.