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Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign Begins Delivery, Special Edition Starts at $1.1 Million

How many years ago did Nissan reveal the GT-R50 by Italdesign? June 29th, 2018, is when the veils were pulled off the concept, and not long after the unveiling, Nissan decided to offer 50 production vehicles.
Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign 20 photos
Photo: Italdesign
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As the name implies, the Italdesign-penned special edition celebrates 50 years of the automotive design company and the GT-R nameplate. Publicly revealed at the 1968 Tokyo Motor Show, the first-generation Skyline GT-R is a very different breed from the R35 generation in more than one way.

For starters, the newcomer costs $1.1 million, and each GT-R50 by Italdesign features a unique spec. The force-fed V6 engine, dual-clutch transmission, and the all-wheel-drive system also need to be mentioned, even though all of them are badly outdated by current standards. Take, for instance, the 2023 model year Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that hits 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 2.6 seconds with a free-breathing V8 powerplant.

The special edition is based on the track-focused NISMO variant, which needs 2.9 seconds. Further improved by NISMO to 710 horsepower and 575 pound-feet (780 Nm) of torque, the GT-R50 by Italdesign clearly isn’t on the same level as the Corvette Z06, which is estimated to cost under $90k.

In addition to being outdated, the GT-R50 by Italdesign has just started customer deliveries more than three years since it’s been presented at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. This reminds me of Mercedes-AMG with their One hypercar, which is going to start deliveries in early 2022.

What grinds my gears the most about the GT-R50 by Italdesign is actually Nissan, which needed to replace the R35 quite a few years ago. Lest we forget, the sports grand tourer with 2+2 seating and one too many fanboys was presented in production form at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

Feeling old yet?

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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