It sounds like a chance in a lifetime. This is the rarest and most expensive Nissan GT-R ever produced. The Japanese carmaker rolled out the GT-R50 out to celebrate the nameplate’s 50th anniversary. Only the tailwing costs as much as a premium German sedan.
This is the 11th example of only 18 Nissan GT-R50 production cars that were to be built. Nissan teamed up with Italdesign to make it look like a beast on wheels. And it seems that they nailed it. It is one more confirmation that the GT-R is aging gracefully.
They unveiled the car back in 2019, also an anniversary year for Italdesign. They were planning to build 50 such cars. But the pandemic hit, followed by the chip crisis, the financial crisis, and the everything-goes-wrong crisis. So, Nissan and Italdesign stopped at 18 examples.
Each of them cost 990,000 euros, the equivalent of $1,083,134 at the current exchange rates. It is definitely not an encouraging price, even for the die-hard fans of the iconic nameplate.
The GT-R50 came with the ultra-exclusive bespoke coach-built body, with a roofline lowered by 54 millimeters (2 inches), a larger power bulge on the hood, and thinner, more aggressively-looking LED headlights. From the side, the prominent "samurai blade" cooling ducts, positioned behind the front wheels, get all the attention.
However, the rear end of this car is where all the drama happens. Finished in Liquid Silver Metallic with Nismo Red accents, the model right here sports the optional hydraulic rear wing, mounted with two uprights, which adds – are you sitting down? – 60,000 euros ($65,668 at the current exchange rates) to the final price.
That is how much you would pay to drive home a Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan and have money left for a trip to Santa Monica, for instance. So, we are dealing with a rear wing that costs as much as a premium business sedan.
Photo: RM Sotheby's
There are also the model's signature three-dimensional taillights, which give the impression that they sit suspended in mid-air, while the rear window adds more theatrical personality to the car that fans have adoringly been calling it Godzilla. Practically, Italdesign reworked every single panel on this car without compromising its DNA.
This car is mostly made of aluminum and carbon fiber, a solution which helps keeping the weight under control. Carbon fiber also covers the center console, instrument panel, and door linings. Meanwhile, the seats are wrapped in black Alcantara and fine black Italian leather with contrasting red stitching and accents in the same Nismo Red.
Based on the R35 generation, the GT-R50 is powered by the hand-assembled 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which received new fuel injectors and upgraded pistons. Nissan also came up with a new exhaust system and larger GT3-specification turbochargers and intercoolers.
It sounded like the perfect recipe for 710 horsepower (720 PS) and 575 pound-feet (780 Nm) of torque. Thank you very much, Nismo! That is a hell of an upgrade from the standard 562 horsepower (570 PS) of the standard GT-R, which already screams "fun."
Power went straight to the rear wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch paddle-shift gearbox, differentials, and driveshafts.
Furthermore, the Japanese equipped this machinery with Bilstein DamTronic adjustable dampers. It rides on custom 19-inch alloy wheels with six- and four-piston Brembo Brake red calipers at the front and rear, respectively.
Photo: RM Sotheby's
This car has lived its two years since rolling off the production line in a climate-control storage at the factory and, afterward, at a state-of-the-art storage facility. So, it was kept away from the elements and never driven, so it is in brand-new showroom condition.
The GT-R has never been registered and is offered with a certificate of conformity only. The odometer only shows the delivery mileage: 119 miles (192 kilometers).
In July 2022, Nissan stopped taking orders for the model, which never seemed profitable for the brand, considering that the original planned run of 50 examples actually stopped at 18, with this car right here never sold.
Set to become a genuine modern-day collectible, the Nissan GT-R50 is probably one of the last mohicans. Nissan is planning the end of the GT-R as we know it. The carmaker is working on the electric next-generation, previewed by the Hyper Force concept car with stunning figures: 1,341 horsepower (1,360 PS), which make Godzilla sit back and watch in awe while its price skyrockets.
Photo: RM Sotheby's
The Nissan GT-R50 is auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s on November 25 in Munich, Germany, and is the first of its kind to be offered at public auction. The auction house estimates the model should fetch an exhilarating amount of money: anywhere between 950,000 and 1,150,000 euros, which translates to $1,039,889 - $1,258,812.
Whoever drives it home will have a tough choice to make: go for a joyride every now and then and enjoy the pedigree of this car, or keep it in storage, without adding too many miles to that odometer just to make sure they are not bringing down its value?
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