The Nissan GT-R50 with a shape by Italdesign debuted in late June and immediately gained fans for its ability to refine the long-lived sports coupe's shape into something both new but still familiar. Now, Italdesign is highlighting the effort necessary to build this fascinating take on the GT-R by interviewing some of team responsible for putting it together.
While the GT-R50 looks futuristic, the team formed its panels by hand. The clip shows off the technicians hammering out the pieces with tools that they make themselves. Some serious technology was still necessary to make the machine because Italdesign first scanned the GT-R's chassis, so they knew how the revised parts would fit.
The GT-R50 celebrated the 50th anniversary of both the GT-R and Italdesign. The revised design lowered the roofline by about 2 inches (54 millimeters), and a heavily revised rear incorporated twin nacelles into the back. There was also lots of gold accents.
Italdesign also 3d-printed the GT-R50's taillights. The method allowed the team to create parts that appeared to have illumination that went on for infinity inside the little enclosures.
Hard work also went into crafting the interior. The designers came up with a combination of matte- and gloss-finish carbon fiber for the dashboard, center console, and door panels. A mix of black leather and Alcantara covered the cabin.
This video doesn't highlight the mechanical changes, but the GT-R50 has a Nismo-upgraded twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6. Pieces like turbos from a GT3 race car, bigger intercoolers, different camshafts, and higher-flow fuel injectors push the output to 710 horsepower (529 kilowatts) and 575 pound-feet (780 Newton-meters) of torque. It still routes through a six-speed transmission, but a reinforced gearbox, stronger differentials, and heavy-duty driveshafts are there to handle the extra power. In addition, Bilstein continuously adjustable dampers aid the suspension. Six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembo brakes help slow down the more powerful GT-R.
Italdesign and Nissan are considering putting the GT-R50 into limited production. However, be prepared to pay 900,000 euros ($1.03 million at current exchange rates) to get one.
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