The Italdesign Nismo GT-R50 is here

By Brent vd Schyff

The first production car is here and for a car that’s as Gran Tourismo as Gran Tourismo can get, the world is a better place for it. It’s aggressive proportions and styling cues have stirred the responses as a bold design should. Some fans are drawn closer, others distanced but whatever side you’re on, the first production car is here and we think it looks strikingly assertive.

Not cheap. If you have a cool R19 milli stashed away in your rainy-day fund and want to add one to the collection as I assume this isn’t going to be a first car purchase, good news is that you still can. Of the 50 limited production cars, Italdesign has confirmed that there are still units available so best you get in contact with your banker.

It is powered by a Nismo tuned 3.8 litre V6 engine with twin turbochargers, packing a monstrous 530kW which should ensure low-level flight and a less than savoury relationship with your local law enforcement officials.

The GT-R50 was meant to be showcased at the Geneva Motorshow this year but thanks to the exploits of Coronavirus and the show being cancelled, Italdesign and Nissan had to opt for a less than conventional roll out, holding back but eventually drawing the curtains, unleashing this creation in a peak show extraordinaire.

As part of the package purchasers of the GT-R50 get to adorn their cars in a GTR inspired livery from the past 50 years. Be it the R32 Calsonic livery, the R34 Pennzoil livery or the Group C R90 liveries of the 90s, you won’t be short of iconic options, friends.

History of the GTR

50 years of celebrating GTR history is as much a spectacle as a 50th celebration should be. A car that has symbolised the Japanese fight in the supercar eternal battle, always the unlikely underdog and that’s why we find it a big deal. From the mythical hyperloops of Tokyo’s street racing scene to the screens in your living room thanks to the Fast and Furious franchise, the GTR name is embedded in car culture and only fitting that the moment is celebrated in such grandure fashion.

The dramatic shift up in styling may have caught some off guard, but bear in mind here that this is the first update to the design in 12 years since the R35 debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007 so some say the GTR rebrand was long overdue.

With production officially in gear, Nissan commits that the final GT-R50 will be delivered early in 2021.