Nissan-Italdesign GT-R50 to debut next month in Europe

KUALA LUMPUR: Nissan, the multinational Japanese automobile manufacturing company, collaborates with Italdesign - the design and engineering company based out of Italy, on a special project called the GT-R50. This is the first time that the two parties have collaborated. The project is set to see the light of day due to two very special occasions, Nissan GT-R completes 50 years while Italdesign also celebrates the silver jubilee.

To make it clear, this is not the next-gen R36 GT-R instead a ‘GT-R without limits’ as described by the Japanese automaker. The GT-R50 is based on the 2018 GT-R Nismo though it resembles with Nissan’s 2020 Vision Gran Turismo Concept quite a bit. The iconic styling of the GT-R has been kept intact with the four round tail lights and the slanting roofline.

Rest design facets have been taken care of by Italdesign. The GT-R50 looks futuristic with amazing LED headlamps and design stretches from the wheel arches to the lower air inlets. The power bulge in the bonnet holds up for an aggressive front. The roof the car has been lowered by 54 mm to make it look sleeker than the GT-R Nismo.

The rear section gets an adjustable spoiler in place of the Nismo’s fixed rear wing. Completing the exterior profile are the 21-inch alloys wrapped inside Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres and the new rear windows.

Alfonso Albaisa, the senior vice president for global design at Nissan said, "Although this is not the next-generation GT-R, it is an exciting celebration of two anniversaries in a provocative and creative way – wrapping one of Nissan's best engineering platforms and Japanese design with Italian coachbuilding.”

Open up the doors of the GT-R50 to find a touch of elegance translated by the use of two different carbon fibres across the door linings, instrument panel and the centre console. The comfy seats are tightly lined with Black Alcantara and Black Italian leather. The standard GT-R unit has been ditched for a digital gauge console.

Powering the GT-R50 is the upgraded version of the Nismo’s 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 engine that generates 710PS of peak power and 780 Nm of peak torque. The modifications done to its core include revised internals, bigger intercoolers and the GT3-spec turbo units.

The Nissan-Italdesign GT-R50 is set for an official public debut next month in Europe.