Nissan previews R32 Skyline GT-R EV
You read that right - electrified Godzilla is coming
We all know by now that nothing is sacred (or safe) when it comes to electrification. When Jaguar Classic are making zero emissions E-Types and the aftermarket will do everything from Tesla powered Ferraris to battery BMWs, it feels a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ for your favourite ICE sports car to get an EV swap.
But this one is still a surprise. Buried away in the unlisted part of Nissan’s YouTube and with a small announcement on Twitter is something called ‘R32 EV’. And while our optimistic side saw ‘R32 Evolution’, maybe a factory sanctioned restomod for one of Japan’s most legendary automotive exports, it most definitely is EV as in Electric Vehicle. Heavens above.
There’s still some sound, however. This 20-second video features that iconic rear light signature with a start up; it’s unclear whether it’s the fabled RB26 straight six, but there’s definitely an engine in there. So it’s a Skyline hybrid rather than full EV, it would seem, though presumably there will be some zero emissions running possible if they’re using that name. This surely isn’t a mild hybrid situation. Note the exhaust you could fit your head in, too.
If you’re also wondering why, then Nissan has an answer. And Google Translate has made it English: ‘This initiative began with the desire of an engineer who joined the company because he admired the GT-R, saying, "I want to build a more exciting car by adding the latest electrification technology that I am involved with to my favourite car."’ Which is exactly the kind of passion we like to see in projects like this. And it can be easy to forget how pioneering Nissan was in electrification, with cars like the Leaf proving it was a viable solution years ahead of many others. Here’s hoping there’s another big step forward coming for whatever this R32 prototype becomes. This video is titled ‘Vol 1’ - expect plenty more where this came from in the near future. As well as quite a lot of interest, we’d imagine…
The nice bit about the R32 is that it's still a very analogue, manual car. You see tonnes of classic EV conversion specialists every year at Goodwood and nobody ever seems that interested and they never seem to make logical sense.
It seems like the best way for Ford or Nissan to get publicity for an EV. Is to simply stick a “Mustang” or “Skyline” badge on it.
I wonder how many parts it shares with the Nissan Leaf?
The only exception is VW, who have stopped selling the Golf GTE, for their ID3.
The R32 GT-R is a legend for Japnese car enthusiasts, and will remain so for the purists )The R32 was the rawest of the trio).
Anybody turning up to a Nissan festival at Fuji Raceway in an EV R32 would be laughed at when opening the bonnet.
The only car it makes sense for is the Citroen DS, in my opinion, as it was a brilliant car with a stop gap donkey engine.
And on top of that, Classic EV conversions do not make any ecological sense either: classic cars do tiny mileages anyway, so you would never recover the CO2 impact of the conversion itself.
Also, why the hell build modern EVs on classic shapes? It's totally stupid, as if the cars of the early 20th century would carry fake horses in the front in the name of "retro-cool".
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