Late in June 2018, Nissan and Italdesign revealed the aptly named Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign prototype, which was conceived to commemorate the 50th anniversaries of both the GT-R and the Italian design and engineering company. And now the firms have confirmed that the prototype “could become the blueprint for an extremely limited run of hand-built production vehicles”.
The GT-R50 is set to make its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12. Pending its reception at this event and after “other global appearances in the coming months”, the companies say that a “customer version inspired by the prototype” could be created. From where we’re standing though, it seems almost certain.
No more than 50 units would be produced by Italdesign (with each car tailored for its buyer) with a price “estimated to start at about €900 000”. A quick visit to your favourite currency converter website will reveal that this (currently) equates to a whopping R14,2-million. For reference, the Nissan GT-R (in Premium Edition guise) is priced from R2 191 500 in South Africa.
As a reminder, the GT-R50 by Italdesign is based on a GT-R Nismo (but some 94 mm longer at 4 784 mm), with its 3,8-litre V6 engine tweaked to deliver an “estimated” 530 kW and 780 N.m.
“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 Jörg Astalosch, CEO of Italdesign.
“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,” he added.
