Sunday, April 11, 2021
Godzillas wilde party
Nissan GT-R50 – from beast to beast
There are sports cars that are more powerful than Japan and some are faster. But nobody is as reputable as the Nissan GT-R. Since Godzilla is equally feared and in love, he got started on his fiftieth birthday.
No, Nissan fans should wait for the hottest news. Because even if there is indeed something new to report about the GT-R, there is still no new GT-R. Although the current version of what may be the most important, but above all, the tallest sports car from Japan, it is now 14 years old, there is no talk of the late successor. But the Japanese now face another crack in the current chain.
Only 50 copies of the Nissan GT-R50 will be built.
(Photo: Nissan)
Just in time to celebrate Godzilla’s 50th birthday, which is both respected and feared, they launched an impressive anniversary issue with Turin-based design and engineering services provider Italdesign – especially since Italians are only half a century old. Rebuilt in several months, completely re-covered with a carbon body, equipped with a lot of racing technology and designed for – surprisingly – a maximum of 50 copies, the GT-R50 with its base price of 1.2 million euros has become the most expensive Nissan in automobile history. No wonder not all copies have been sold yet.
Designed as a super sports car
The GT-R in Turin looks just like a super sports car: the front becomes more aggressive, the wings get more powerful, the roof curves more flatly and a hydraulically adjustable one sits above the rounded stern with a lower spoiler that could serve as a bar for some owners. Plus, there are LED headlights in the front with a glance like laser cannons and glowing rings of light in the back that seem to literally float – so you’re guaranteed to grab attention.
On the Nissan GT-R50, soft leather covers the shoddy plastic on the inside.
(Photo: Nissan)
But they also helped inside, stitching neat leather or fitting carbon bows wherever plastic was cheaper. You really owe that price. But since the cockpit has not changed and with it the huge touchscreen that contains quite a large number of screens, the GT-R still feels like a driving simulator for the PlayStation. At least until you start the engine, the rumble of the thick exhaust pipes is calling for you to the here and now.
It is true that the big Christmas was three years ago. But first of all, the Italians did a very thorough job, developing the car from scratch and testing it accordingly. Secondly, this cooperation also suffered from Corona and thus took a little longer. But all this is now forgotten, and these days, the first donor vehicles arrive in Moncalieri at the gates of Turin.
Godzilla is serious about the frenzy
The Nissan GT-R50 is extremely powerful and extremely fast.
(Photo: Nissan)
As new cars from Japan are hand-disassembled and reassembled together like a giant PS puzzle with hundreds of new parts, one of the two prototypes awaits in front of the hall for the first exit. Even the regular GT-R is a super sports car that looks amazing, extremely powerful and drives super fast. But while the base model still looks a little like it was born on Playstation and has an almost virtual character, Italdesign proves just how seriously Godzilla took the frenzy: the developers fought for every gram and used a similar amount of carbon, they actually even have the steel chassis tuned in. More compact and the tires optimized, the electronics and trimmings of the car have been reprogrammed for maximum performance with every screw, every bit, and every byte.
The focus is on the well-known 3.8-liter V6 Turbo engine. But since Italdesign sees itself not only as a design studio, but as a comprehensive development service provider, the Italians have also improved the engine a bit, reprogramming the software and the larger charger lip of the GT3 racing car. While the production model in its more powerful version has 600 hp, it has 720 hp in the car’s registry and the maximum torque mounts from 652 to 780 Nm.
A true super athlete at the age of fifty
Even after 14 years, the GT-R can steal corners.
(Photo: Nissan)
It works: When the specially developed Michelin Pilot Super Sport reaches 255mm in the front and 285mm in the rear, the GT-R on its impressive 21-inch wheels can accelerate to 100 km / h in under three seconds – just like That feeling during a short ride on the Alpine highway – enough power for the 315 km / hr over which electronic devices pull the rope. Add to that a new all-wheel-drive setup, more sting of the massive rails and dual-clutch on the staccato, then the GT-R can’t roll back and sweep through the Turin mountains until the snow melts everything in itself, that’s just how hot the drive is. Due to retirees – even at the age of 50, the GT-R is a fast car with which you want to hit the racetrack right away.
While you can literally hear the massive air-sucking cooler, the turbocharger starts singing their hottest song and the exhaust pipes blow their march so loud that the spectators’ trousers are flapping, and the GT-R breaks into the pole site. The tires squeak for only a moment, a minute jerk penetrates the body, as if from a distant earthquake, and it seems that time stands still for a few moments. Then all hell explodes: eyes seek to dominate the horizon, ears hear the soundtrack of Dante’s Inferno Inferno and scorpions firmly cling to the steering wheel as he drives a flat blade as if there is no more tomorrow.
Temporary lustful
In the end, the Nissan GT-R50 is just a temporary appetite hiatus.
(Photo: Nissan)
But the impressive longitudinal acceleration alone would be like salt without pepper. With only the outlet getting the flavor it needed in conjunction with proper lateral acceleration, Italdesign balanced the car well, tuned it tightly and installed an extremely precise steering. Once the ESP’s all-wheel drive, chassis and tolerance range are programmed on the racetrack, the GT-R will have no stopping even in curves. As if walking on the rails, it pierces the edges of the ring with precision and accuracy. You can only steer the car with the accelerator pedal when it gets wet.
When the regular GT-R is a monster, in the Christmas version it becomes a monster that eats corners and competitors without ever hitting an eyelid. At least in theory. However, in practice, no customer will ever try it. As a frantic rarity, the GT-R50 is more likely to be seen in air-conditioned garages than in the highway or even in the pit lane, and only Nissan fans will likely see it at fairs or auctions.
Herein lies a big problem for a retired race tracker. Because it might look amazing and drive that way. But while the GT-R50 has been successful as a birthday present for its most loyal fans, it’s only a temporary hiatus. What Bulletproof Faction actually expects from the Japanese is not uncommon for rich speed drivers. But nearly 15 years after the current GT-R debuted, it was time for a successor.
