Few things are more representative of Japan than Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms, jade, sumo, rising suns, sake, and samurais. But wait, I thought we were here to talk cars.
Well, I’m a big Shogun fan, so I might have gotten carried away toward something that would allow me to express my gratitude for ninjas, Initial D, manga, Sailor Moon, and the lot. Here I go off the rails again, but there is a TV miniseries in the making with the great Tadanobu Asano and legendary Hiroyuki Sanada, plus Cosmo Jarvis (John Blackthorne) and Anna Sawai (Lady Mariko), among others, and I cannot wait to see them fall in love amidst political intrigue and great adventures.
Speaking of wild ventures, let us get back on the automotive track and remember that some stuff from the four-wheeled world is equally representative of the JDM culture. And no matter how hard Nissan tries to make the new Aryia a potential icon – even going as far as modifying the EV crossover SUV to withstand a 17,000-mile (27,359 km) trip from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole – I am thinking about the legendary GT-R high-performance grand tourer.
Me and a lot of other people, frankly. Both in the real world as well as the fantasy land of digital car content creators, as it turns out. As far as the former realm is concerned, everyone is on their toes about the impending arrival of the freshly announced 2024 Nissan GT-R with lots of visual and aerodynamic upgrades, plus additional goodies, that again take the R35 one step further into car senescence. After all, following those five glorious Skyline GT-R iterations, the standalone GT-R was launched in production in late 2007 and is still going strong.
Now, turning the digital page to the parallel universe of virtual automotive artists, of course, everyone is thinking about what comes next. Many pixel masters have imagined just the potential R36 next generation but some seek to take things a couple of steps forward. At least, from their perspective, as Nissan might try to get us to 2030 (and beyond) with another update or two for the current R35 generation…
Well, Ulises Morales, a visual communication artist based in Torino, Italy (aka ulisesmoralesmendoza on social media) has a fresh CGI project to share, and it’s a great one to take your mind from that horrific thought of the Japanese automaker turning the R35 GT-R into some sort of automotive zombie. As we try to fight off the mental picture of an undead grand tourer, here is something a lot brighter and more spiritual (plus, it’s electrified AWD, so performance will not be an issue).
Photo: ulisesmoralesmendoza / Behance
Thus, meet the imagined 2030 Nissan GT-R, a high-performance grand tourer for the successful young entrepreneur that wants to go to the office during the week and to classic mountain races during the weekend. For that, the CGI expert has prepared this project – which is sharply inspired by the latest generation of stealth jet fighters (like the F-22 Raptor), is powered by a hybrid mill for eAWD (much like the first-ever C8 Chevy Corvette E-Ray, for example), and keeps the design connected with the past while also featuring lots of fresh technology advancements.
Inspiration also came directly from general Japanese culture. For example, the new facial treatment is an homage to the Torii motif – the traditional gate usually encountered at Shinto shrines that is also a symbol of “good fortune and prosperity” for the author. Secondly, the design whim also toys with the idea that Nissan would allow the GT-R to drop its cover, “open the roof (and let people) feel more connected with their environment.” With turn signals that double as rear-view cameras, “parametric” taillights, a two-passenger cabin still with lots of rear storage, and a clean-style cockpit infused with forged carbon fiber, mechanical switches, and OLED buttons, this project sure keeps things tidy and connects the dots between the past and future of the GT-R series.
Unfortunately, the artist shared no specific thoughts on the electrified AWD powertrain, but it would be easy to presume it would churn out a bit more than the 600 ponies of the current 2024 Nissan GT-R Nismo version. So, there is just one question left, or two. First, do we give this unofficial design our CGI hall pass, or not? And secondly, when is Nissan going to take its proverbial head out of the sands of the R35 present and start thinking about the electrified R36 (and beyond) future?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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