Dubai, United Arab Emirates – The Dubai Autodrome has become the latest venue on the stunning Nissan GT-R50's world tour as the ultimate expression of the famous GT‑R nameplate made its Middle East debut.
The GT-R50 prototype made its first appearence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, before embarking on a global tour that encompassed Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Monterey Motorsports Reunion in the U.S and Nissan Crossing in Japan. Following the success of this tour, a unique and exclusive limited edition inspired by the prototype is being produced for enthusiast customers, with no more than 50 vehicles being built in the world.
Nissan collaborated with Turin, Italy-based Italdesign to create the model, based on the latest Nissan GT‑R NISMO. The GT-R50 celebrates the convergence of two key anniversaries; 50 years of Italdesign shaping the automotive world, and 50 years of Nissan generating excitement through the iconic GT‑R.
The 50 GT-R50s set to be produced celebrate half a century of engineering leadership; the cars pay tribute to Nissan's legendary takumis – craftsmen who have hand-built every GT‑R engine for the past 50 years. While the prototype vehicle was finished in a special gray with gold accents, customers will be able to specify their preferred color combinations for the production version. They also will be able to choose interior colors and packages.1
Commenting during the launch, Kalyana Sivagnanam, Regional Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Nissan AMI and President of Nissan Middle East: "Continuing our long and proud motorsport heritage in the Middle East, we are thrilled to bring the all-exclusive GT-R50 to customers and fans in the region. The Nissan GT‑R is one of the world's most iconic supercars, and the GT-R50 by Italdesign is the GT‑R taken to the next level, with no compromise in performance, styling or craftsmanship. The GT-R50 is the perfect embodiment of the Nissan brand and an ultra-limited collector's edition for true enthusiasts who want to own the very best Nissan has to offer."
The Nissan GT‑R in the Middle East
The Nissan GT‑R, whether on the road or on the track, has been a strong symbol of what Nissan is capable of for the last half a century. It has also held a special place in the hearts of Middle East consumers, and its popularity is continuing to grow. Between the 2016 and 2018 financial year, Nissan Middle East's share of the premium sports is projected to more than double, making the Gulf one of the largest markets for GT‑R anywhere in the world.
The Middle East is also the location where the GT‑R broke a Guinness World record in 2016, for the fastest ever vehicle drift. Driver Masato Kawabata (Japan) reached staggering 304.96 km/h (189.49 mi/h) while driving a Nissan GT‑R NISMO at Fujairah International Airport.
"It is fitting GT-R50 is making its regional debut here as the GT‑R nameplate has a special connection with customers in the Middle East," added Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East. "GT‑R, like Nissan, offers something genuinely different from anything, or anyone, else and is an important differentiator for Nissan in the Middle East. GT‑R is the perfect mirror of our brand, reflecting the boldness that defines Nissan. This exclusive 50th Anniversary Edition is further proof of Nissan engineering and advanced technology."
1. Subject to homologation rules in the intended country of operation.
Precision + craftsmanship + brute force
The Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign starts with Nissan's latest GT‑R NISMO and re-interprets it with a European-style sensibility – combining brute force with Italian craftsmanship and tailoring. With a special power plant that boasts up to 120PS over the stock engine, as well as chassis and driveline upgrades, performance backs up the new look.
Italdesign developed, engineered and built the car. The distinctive, crisp exterior and interior designs originated from Nissan Design Europe and Nissan Design America. Key design features include a pronounced power bulge on the hood, stretched LED headlights, a lowered roofline, and prominent "samurai blade" cooling outlets behind the front wheels. A large, adjustable rear wing, mounted with two uprights, completes the overall look. The exterior is finished in a Liquid Kinetic Gray color, with distinctive Energetic Sigma Gold anniversary accents.
Inside, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign reflects its modern, high-performance pedigree. Two different carbon fiber finishes are extensively used across the center console, instrument panel and door linings. The seats feature black Alcantara® and fine black Italian leather. Gold accents echo the exterior treatment throughout the cockpit.
Underneath its new shape, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is all business. Drawing on Nissan's extensive GT3 racing experience, the NISMO organization enhanced the hand-assembled 3.8-liter V6 VR38DETT engine to produce an estimated 720PS and 780 Nm of torque. A revised Bilstein suspension damping system and upgraded Brembo braking system help handle the extra power.
Pricing of the NISMO-tuned 720PS GT-R50 by Italdesign will start at $1,122,958 before taxes and options
For serious inquiries about obtaining a Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign,
Please visit www.gt-r50.nissan
Additional Details on the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign:
Design at its best
Starting at the front, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign features a distinct golden inner element that stretches across almost the full width of the vehicleThe hood has a more pronounced power bulge, and the thin LED headlights stretch from the wheel arch to the lip above the outer cooling intakes
Dominating the side view, the distinctive roofline has been lowered by 54 The signature GT‑R "samurai blade" cooling outlets behind the front wheels have gained more prominence with a gold inlay and extends from the bottom of the doors to the shoulder line.
The rear highlights the car's wide track with taut, muscular flares around the wheels. The shoulder line tapers around the base of the rear window and draws toward the center of the trunk lid. In a dramatic fashion, the rear window line descends longer and deeper than on the standard car. Combined with more gold elements, it appears as a separate modular element of the rear structure.
The GT‑R's twin round taillights have been imagined as a separate "floating" feature with thin light rings and hollow centers, mounted so as to join the outer buttress and the central portion of the trunk structure. A large, adjustable rear wing, mounted with two uprights, completes the overall look. Custom wheels – 21 x 10 inches in front and 21 x 10.5 inches at the rear – accentuate the car's bold stance. The exterior is finished in Liquid Kinetic Gray paint with distinctive Energetic Sigma Gold anniversary accents.
Inside, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign reflects its modern, high-performance pedigree. Two different carbon fiber finishes are extensively used across the center console, instrument panel and door linings, along with black Alcantara® and fine black Italian leather on the seats. Gold accents echo the exterior treatment across the instrument panel, doors and the futuristic race car-inspired switchgear. The bespoke steering wheel's central hub and spokes are made of carbon fiber, while the rim features a flat bottom and matching Alcantara trim.
Pure performance plus
Underneath the new shape, the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is all business. Drawing on Nissan's GT3 racing experience, the NISMO organization enhanced the hand-assembled 3.8-liter V6 VR38DETT engine to produce an estimated 720ps and 780 Nm of torque.
Changes to the power plant include optimized twin high-flow, large-diameter GT3 competition-spec turbochargers and larger intercoolers; heavy-duty crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods and bearings; high-flow piston oil jets; revised camshaft profiles; higher-flow fuel injectors; and optimized ignition, intake and exhaust systems. A reinforced dual-clutch sequential six-speed rear transaxle and stronger differentials and drive shafts direct the power to the wheels.
A revised suspension has been developed, featuring the BILSTEIN DampTronic® I continuously adjustable damping system. For braking, the Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes feature bright red, clearly visible calipers. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, sized 255/35 R21 in the front and 285/30 R21 in the rear, add a level of grip needed to harness the engine's power.
"Although this is not the next-generation GT‑R, it is an exciting celebration of two anniversaries in a provocative and creative way – wrapping one of Nissan's best engineering platforms and Japanese design with Italian coachbuilding," said Albaisa
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About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2017, the company sold 5.77 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.9 trillion yen. On April 1, 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30% increase in annualized revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolized by the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world's largest automotive partnership, with combined sales of more than 10.6 million vehicles in calendar year 2017.
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube
About Italdesign
2018 marks Italdesign's 50th anniversary since its foundation, on February 13, 1968.
Italdesign is one of the world's leading companies in the provision of development services for the automotive industry. A HQs covering over 50.000 sq. m., 1000 workforce in Italy and abroad, since its inception, the mission of the company has been providing a wide range of services dedicated to the development of new vehicles. With its fifty-year experience, Italdesign works closely with car makers starting from the first product definition to the start of production and companies in the sector can benefit from the company's consultancy services for turnkey projects, covering all the phases through the development of styling, concept and vehicle architecture, series engineering, simulation, prototyping, testing and final production tuning. In addition, Italdesign can provide services for shorter projects covering only a part of the overall vehicle development cycle. Italdesign has been a part of the Volkswagen Group since 2010.
In 2017 Italdesign launches "Italdesign Automobili Speciali", the new brand distinguishing all the cars produced in ultra-limited series by the company only for selected collectors.In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Italdesign awarded Top Employer in Italy. Further information is available at www.italdesign.it
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Mohammed Al Tawil
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Danielle Ferns
Edelman Middle East
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