NISSAN GT-R50

Italdesign takes the R35 to the next level

- THOMAS GEIGER

AGE DOESN’T ALWAYS bring wisdom. This not only applies to men in the throes of a mid-life crisis, but apparently also to sports cars. Especially when they are famous. And, in Japan at least, none is as famous as the Nissan GT-R.

Instead of taking things a little slower after 50 years, Godzilla, as the Asian answer to the Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette, has been re-imagined. The R35 is taking on a second life. With Giorgetto Giugiaro’s renowned Italdesign, also celebrating 50 years, the design house proposed the GT-R50 to the Japanese giant as a joint project. It said yes.

A small series of a maximum – surprise, surprise – of 50 examples has been commissioned with an eye-watering price tag. Completely draped in carbon fibre, with razor-sharp styling and plenty of racing technology the GT-R50 aims to take the glory of the iconic nameplate to new heights. And that’s also because it costs upwards of 990,000 Euros (AUD$1.5m), which means it’s now the most expensive Nissan ever sold, surpassing even the roadgoing version of the R390.

The two anniversaries actually happened a while ago: Italdesign was first in 2018 (when the first GT-R50 concept was released), followed by the GT-R in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the release significantly, but now they are ready to be shown off – and driven – in Turin. Customers will also start to receive their cars from late autumn this year.