Nissan green-lights production of GT-R50 in limited numbers

Nissan, particularly its performance sub-brand NISMO, has never failed to wow car lovers. For their latest trick, a fitting tribute to the 50th anniversaries of the GT-R in 2019 and Italdesign in 2018, they have created the Nissan GT-R50, limited to only 50 examples worldwide.

The Nissan GT-R50 prototype first wowed spectators in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Though based on the 2018 Nismo, it stood out owing to its sharp lines and gray and contrasting gold interiors. The Nissan GT-R50 was then spotted at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in the US and Nissan Crossing in Ginza district in Japan, finally going on display at the Nissan Gallery in Yokohama on December 7. And best of all, it’s now officially on sale!

Aesthetically, Nissan has made many changes worthy of this bespoke creation. Gold accents now surround of the grill and the outlets behind the front wheels, with the stock headlight units replaced with stepped, slit-like LEDs. The roofline has been lowered in the middle, giving it a sharper rear window and raised sides. Muscular flares around the custom 21-inch, matte-black finished wheels and a large rear wing completes the look.

The GT-R50 engine is the same 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine as the standard GT-R. However, the turbos have been replaced by two GT3 competition-spec units, along with the combo of larger intercoolers, a high-performance crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods and bearings. All this, Nissans claims, has bumped up power and torque figures to 710bhp and 780nm respectively. Quite a leap from the ‘tame’ 600bhp then.

Alas, this will come at a hefty chunk of change, with each of the 50 units of “the ultimate expression of GT-R” expected to retail at an eye-watering Euro 1 million!

Words by Sudipto Chaudhury