Cars & Autos | Wednesday 11 July, 2018 2:26 am |

The Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Chichester, England, on July 12. 

 

The first-ever collaboration between Nissan and Italdesign, the GT-R50 prototype shown at Goodwood could become the blueprint for an extremely limited run of hand-built production vehicles. The vehicle commemorates the 50th anniversaries of both the GT-R, in 2019, and Italdesign, in 2018. 

 

“The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the ideal setting to showcase the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign, which combines power and artistry to celebrate 50 years of inspiring the dreams of our customers,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president of global design.“Just like the prototype itself, Goodwood is a celebration of design, performance, a little indulgence and a lot of love of historic and future automotive creativity. It’s the perfect setting to showcase a unique vehicle that will stir the imagination of people to dream even bigger.” 

 

Pending the GT-R50 by Italdesign’s reception at Goodwood and other global appearances in the coming months, a customer version inspired by the prototype may be created. No more than 50 units would be produced by Italdesign – with each car tailored for each customer – with a price estimated to start at about €900,000. 

Video: Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign to make world debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed

 

Precision + craftsmanship + brute force

The Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign starts with Nissan’s latest GT-R NISMO and re-interprets it with a European-style sensibility – combining brute force with Italian craftsmanship and tailoring. With a special power plant that boasts up to 120PS over the stock engine, as well as chassis and driveline upgrades, performance backs up the new look. 

 

Italdesign developed, engineered and built the car. The distinctive, crisp exterior and interior designs originated from Nissan Design Europe and Nissan Design America. Key design features include a pronounced power bulge on the hood, stretched LED headlights, a lowered roofline, and prominent “samurai blade” cooling outlets behind the front wheels. A large, adjustable rear wing, mounted with two uprights, completes the overall look. The exterior is finished in a Liquid Kinetic Gray color, with distinctive Energetic Sigma Gold anniversary accents.

 

Inside, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign reflects its modern, high-performance pedigree. Two different carbon fiber finishes are extensively used across the center console, instrument panel and door linings. The seats feature black Alcantara®and fine black Italian leather. Gold accents echo the exterior treatment throughout the cockpit. 

 

Underneath its new shape, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is all business. Drawing on Nissan’s extensive GT3 racing experience, the NISMO organization enhanced the hand-assembled 3.8-liter V6 VR38DETT engine to produce an estimated 720PS and 780 Nm of torque. A revised Bilstein suspension damping system and upgraded Brembo braking system help handle the extra power.

 

“At Italdesign, we have a long history of making our customers’ dreams come true. By joining forces now with our partners at Nissan, we brought a true GT-R fantasy to life,” said Joerg Astalosch, CEO of Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p.A. “Together, we have the target that soon this ‘monster’ of a vehicle will change the lives of 50 very select enthusiasts. Their wait will soon be over.”

 

For serious inquiries about obtaining a Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign, 

Please visitwww.gt-r50.nissan

Video: The Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign

 

Additional Info on the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign:

 

Design at its best

Starting at the front, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign features a distinct golden inner element that stretches across almost the full width of the vehicle. The hood has a more pronounced power bulge, and the thin LED headlights stretch from the wheel arch to the lip above the outer cooling intakes.

 

Dominating the side view, the distinctive roofline has been lowered by 54 millimeters and features a lower center section, while the slightly raised outer portions give the roof profile a muscular look.The signature GT-R “samurai blade” cooling outlets behind the front wheels have gained more prominence with a gold inlay and extends from the bottom of the doors to the shoulder line.

 

The rear highlights the car’s wide track with taut, muscular flares around the wheels. The shoulder line tapers around the base of the rear window and draws toward the center of the trunk lid. In a dramatic fashion, the rear window line descends longer and deeper than on the standard car. Combined with more gold elements, it appears as a separate modular element of the rear structure.

 

The GT-R’s twin round taillights have beenreimagined as a separate “floating” feature with thin light rings and hollow centers, mounted so as to join the outer buttress and the central portion of the trunk structure. A large, adjustable rear wing, mounted with two uprights, completes the overall look. Custom wheels – 21 x 10 inches in front and 21 x 10.5 inches at the rear – accentuate the car’s bold stance. The exterior is finished in Liquid Kinetic Gray paint with distinctive Energetic Sigma Gold anniversary accents.

 

Inside, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign reflects its modern, high-performance pedigree. Two different carbon fiber finishes are extensively used across the center console, instrument panel and door linings, along with black Alcantara®and fine black Italian leather on the seats. Gold accents echo the exterior treatment across the instrument panel, doors and the futuristic race car-inspired switchgear. The bespoke steering wheel’s central hub and spokes are made of carbon fiber, while the rim features a flat bottom and matching Alcantara trim.

 

Pure performance plus

Underneath the new shape, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is all business. Drawing on Nissan’s GT3 racing experience, the NISMO organization enhanced the hand-assembled 3.8-liter V6 VR38DETT engine to produce an estimated 720ps and 780 Nm of torque.

 

Changes to the power plant include optimized twin high-flow, large-diameter GT3 competition-spec turbochargers and larger intercoolers; heavy-duty crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods and bearings; high-flow piston oil jets; revised camshaft profiles; higher-flow fuel injectors; and optimized ignition, intake and exhaust systems. A reinforced dual-clutch sequential six-speed rear transaxle and stronger differentials and drive shafts direct the power to the wheels.

 

A revised suspension has been developed, featuring the BILSTEIN DampTronic®I continuously adjustable damping system. For braking, the Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes feature bright red, clearly visible calipers. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, sized 255/35 R21 in the front and 285/30 R21 in the rear,add a level of grip needed to harness the engine’s power.

 

“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,” said Albaisa