Nissan GT-R50: Godzilla in an Italian Suit…

To celebrate the GT-R’s 50th birthday Nissan and Italdesign have spared no expense in producing an extreme GT-R, this is the GT-R50, Godzilla adorned in a spectacular Italian suit. With only 50 of the GT-R50’s to be produced and starting at $1.4 million dollars this is the fantasy GT-R brought to life.

The birth of the GT-R legend began in 1969 with the first Skyline GT-R, a car that quickly became a racing legend. Not only was the GT-R a legend on the track but it was a supercar that you could live with, a daily driver that combined Japanese reliability, comfort and affordability with levels of performance that could take on any challenger.



With a reputation built during its introduction to the Touring Car races of Japan in the 70’s it quickly became a central figure in pop culture; anime, Hollywood films and even video games all embraced the GT-R, helping to cement this four wheeled monster in the hearts of car enthusiasts around the world.

Nissan has pulled no punches in celebrating the incredible history of the GT-R, inside and out this this is an extreme interpretation of an already extreme legend. Developed, engineered and built by the Italian automobile design house Italdesign, a company famous for putting the flair back in to the Lamborghini, have prepared the new birthday suit for the GT-R50. Nissan’s American and European design centres put their best design minds to work on the interior.

An essential part to the GT-R legend has been the technology under the hood, from the start it was a technology tour de force. The GT-R50 continues this tradition by taking it to the extreme. Beating at the heart of the GT-R50 is a tweaked re-interpretation of the twin turbo V6 that borrows many parts from the Nissan racing team to up the output to 711 bhp and 780Nm of torque, true supercar numbers. Getting all of this power safely to the tarmac are re-enforced dual-clutch and six speed transmission, hardened drive shafts and differential along with adaptive dampers and the stopping power comes from monster Brembo brakes.

Design highlights include a lowered roof line that gives the GT-R50 a chopped look, adding to the mean. An active rear wing and slick aero package make this Godzilla stand out from its younger brethren.

While an important part of the GT-R legend was the fact that it was a super car that the everyday car enthusiast could afford this is a fantasy work of art, a celebration of a legend and as such the it seems only fitting that the unlimited approach was taken. Happy birthday Godzilla.

Source: motoring.com.au
Source: carsguide.com.au
Source: newatlas.com

Author: Athol Courtenay

Writer, programmer, photographer and ponderer of sorts. Keeping IT interesting with a dry cool wit, this is tech but not as you know it. Technology, Science, Space, Humor, Computers, Consumer Electronics and more.