Remember the Not Geneva motor show of March 2020? Seems a lifetime ago now. Among the heap of stuff that was revealed regardless of whether it was in Switzerland or not, there was one very important debut that didn't happen: the Nissan GT-R 50 by Italdesign.
As a reminder, the GT-R 50 was a concept first seen in the summer of 2018. It was created to to mark half a century of both Italdesign and the GT-R (or at least the idea of the latter, the official anniversary being from '69 - but that wasn't going to spoil a good idea). More than just a mutual pat on the back, the GT-R 50 purported to be a pretty serious concept, with 720hp thanks to GT3-spec turbos on the V6 and the dramatic Italdesign styling overhaul.
Much speculation followed, about whether the concept would be built and if so how many, with Nissan finally confirming a limited run of the "ultimate expression of the GT-R" back in December. No prizes for guessing how many GT-R 50s were to be made.
Now we have the production car itself, revealed at the Plan B location of the Tazio Nuvolari circuit outside of Milan. And, credit where credit is due, the GT-R 50 doesn't appear to have been softened off a great deal from concept to reality, still boasting the slightly mad (yet not unappealing) aesthetic of the prototype. The 720hp remains, too, and buyers are apparently set to receive their cars later this year or early next, with testing very nearly complete.
There's also confirmation that customers will be able to deck their Italdesign 50 out in some iconic GT-R liveries. Nissan's Michael Carcamo said that customers have "relished the personalised experience provided by Italdesign"; he also stated that "each car will certainly be a standalone masterpiece." We'll have to take his word for it; given how incongruous the Calsonic livery - made famous on the R32 - looked when we drove Nissan UK's wrapped R34 it's hard to be too optimistic about the 50 receiving similar treatment. Presumably one or two will abstain, however alluring the heritage catalogue may seem.
Somewhat surprisingly, Nissan says that a "limited number of reservations" are still available for the GT-R 50; given the production run was so small, and the car now so well known, that could well be a concern for the people making it. Anyone intrigued can find more details on the GT-R 50 site www.GT-R50.nissan, and start thinking about the heritage liveries - Nissan and Italdesign will presumably be very pleased to hear from you.
1 / 10