Nismo tunes GT-R, Juke, and Sentra (pictures)

LOS ANGELES -- Nissan's supercar, the GT-R, came out in 2007, building on a performance variant of the Skyline model. The newly developed car had all-wheel drive and a twin turbo 3.8-liter high compression engine making well over 500 horsepower. Although the car seemed tuned to the gills, Nissan's tuner garage, Nismo, takes a crack at the car for 2015, further enhancing performance.

The big news for the GT-R Nismo comes from the power numbers, where Nismo managed to wring an extra 55 horsepower out of the 3.8-liter V-6, bringing the total up to 600. Nissan has not released torque figures for the GT-R Nismo at this time.

Beyond noting that the GT-R Nismo "features extensive engine, suspension, exterior, and interior enhancements," few details are available about the new model's performance upgrades.

The model Nissan showed at the Los Angeles show seemed lower than the stock version, and the aero cladding around the lower edges of the body looks different.

The fixed carbon fiber wing on the rear deck is a nice touch, which will give the car more downforce at speed, aiding traction.

Nismo badges mark the exterior, and the trim incorporates Nismo black and red accents. The gun metal paint job on this show car has an excellent sheen.

The cabin also incorporates the Nismo black and red color scheme. As with the stock version, the shifter controls a rear-mounted six-speed automated manual transaxle. Nissan puts the GT-R Nismo model on sale next year, after the release of the standard 2015 GT-R, and two special editions, the GT-R Black and the GT-R Track.

There seems to be no end to Nissan's variants on its funky little compact SUV, the Juke. Besides the standard version with its three different trim levels, we've seen a Nismo-tuned Juke, and the somewhat insane Juke-R. At the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan rolled out the latest iteration, the Juke Nismo RS.

The Juke Nismo came out in three colors: Black, white, and silver, all with red mirror caps. The RS version continues the Nismo styling, although Nissan hasn't said which colors will be available. RS badges and graphics add to the look.

Where the Juke Nismo got a 9 horsepower increase over the standard Juke, the Nismo RS version gets a more significant 27 horsepower increase. The output from its turbocharged direct injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder is up to 215 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque.

This photo shows the red mirror cap and the RS graphic on the side of the car.

Similar to all other Juke models, the NISMO RS can be had in front-wheel-drive form with a six-speed manual transmission, or all-wheel-drive with a continuously variable transmission. It would be nice if Nissan could also make the manual transmission available with the all-wheel drive system, but the company is not there yet. The manual transmission in the front-wheel drive version uses closer gear ratios from first through third than in the standard Juke or the Juke NISMO.

Nissan notes that it revised the exhaust system for the Juke NISMO RS, creating a more aggressive sound.

The Juke's engine is one of the most advanced among Nissan vehicles, yet the company only uses it in this one model.

The interior of the Juke NISMO RS shows many of the details of the Juke NISMO, such as the sport steering wheel with a red hash mark to show center position. Like all Juke models, the driver can choose a sport mode with a dial on the dashboard, affecting throttle sensitivity and steering.

Fans of the old Sentra SE-R would have something to rejoice about with the NISMO treatment of the Sentra, if it weren't a concept car. Nissan brought out this Sentra NISMO concept to not only show what a performance variant of the standard Sentra model could look like, but also to indicate that it is giving the NISMO brand more breadth.

Rather than just a tuned up Sentra engine, Nissan fits this concept with a direct injection turbocharged 1.8-liter four cylinder, making 240 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. The frumpy Sentra wouldn't handle this power well in its base form, so NISMO tightened the suspension and fitted a limited slip differential to the front axle.

NISMO improved the aerodynamics of the car and added stylish accents, which give the car a far more interesting look than the model on which it is based. Rather than the red mirror caps of the Juke NISMO, this Sentra NISMO concept gets black caps.

A diffusor adorns the rear underbody of the car, and includes thin, red accent lines. Dual exhaust tips come out from the left side of the car.

The cabin gets a similar steering wheel as the Juke NISMO, with a red hash mark to indicate center. The shifter controls a six-speed manual transmission, geared for performance.