Back in the 1960s, just before Nissan sold the Skyline under the Nissan badge, they had no idea that they were about to launch a whole lineage of iconic cars that still get praise to this day, to the point where one might consider them overrated. The first homologation special Skyline was the original, extremely valuable 2000GT-R, which dominated the world circuit back in its day. By its retirement, the original racked up over 1,000 victories. Ever since then, there have been a fair few Skyline GT-R models, including the original C10, affectionately known as the Hakosuka, the R32, the R33, and of course, the R34.
The 2007 revival was the first ever GT-R to go global, which also meant dropping the Skyline name, so Nissan Japan could use it on the regular Skyline model, which carried on in that market. When the R35 GT-R first debuted, many people considered it to be a supercar killer. It was much cheaper than most supercars, but thanks to the incredible engineering under the bodywork, it could hang with the big boys. Nowadays, the GT-R is pretty outdated, and it pretty much only serves to make YouTube drag racing videos interesting. Rumors of the next generation GT-R have been going around for as long as we can remember, so with the help of digital artist Bimble Designs, HotCars has decided to imagine what that car might look like.
What Would A New Nissan GT-R Look Like?
From the R32 GT-R onwards, the GT-R family has retained a similar shape, as well as some signature design touches. Bimble Designs seems to agree, which is why their vision bears a resemblance to the current (sold out) R35 GT-R, but with some welcome changes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Nissan based the new Z on the previous generation car's platform. That was a pretty necessary move, as in today's automotive climate, it doesn't really make economic sense to engineer a brand-new platform for a sports car that won't be a volume seller. Just ask Toyota. It's safe to assume that this is the route Nissan will take with the next GT-R as well.
The front end has a much bigger grille opening, as well as slimmer headlights. There are also vents above the front fenders, not unlike the rather special Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The matte black section on the hood reminds us of the forgotten Nissan Fairlady Z 432. The side profile is similar to the current R35, but it now gets shaved door handles. The rear end retains the iconic four-circle taillight units, except they are now full LED items, and don't have any additional lights inside of them. A set of rectangular quad exhausts, as well as a sizable rear spoiler round out the rear end. The light primer gray paint scheme looks pretty good, and so do the gloss black alloy wheels. We imagine it'll also look great in the iconic Bayside Blue.
What Would Power A New GT-R?
There are multiple directions that Nissan could go when it comes to the powertrain. The most likely scenarios are injecting some electrification into the GT-R, likely with a hybrid powertrain. The hybrid powertrain would include an electric motor and a smaller battery pack, and both would drive all four wheels, as is customary, giving better traction and performance, with a marginal improvement in economy and emissions. The latter is quite necessary with regulations today. Nissan could just re-purpose the current car's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6. As a refresher, that unit makes 565 hp, and up to 600 hp on the Nismo and Track Edition. The other option would be the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that's under the hood of the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400, and of course, the new Z, which we have reviewed. With a hybrid powertrain, the GT-R could pick up the ball that the Acura NSX dropped. According to some rumors, the R36 will retain the current VR38DETT engine, but supplement it with a mild hybrid component.
The smaller V6 would make a bit more sense, because it's more modern and better prepared for tougher emissions regulations. Plus, Nissan likely will be able to put their engineering know-how to good use and coax some more power out of the V6, before you could factor in the performance boost from the electric component. The other option would be for the GT-R to go fully electric. Nissan hasn't really dabbled in performance EVs as yet, but it's safe to assume that an electric GT-R would use some sort of dual motor setup with over 800 hp, maybe even 1,000 hp. Even with an electric powertrain, we'd trust Nissan to make a fantastic heir to the GT-R throne, because 15 years ago, when the R35 first debuted, there was very little reason to buy most other supercars. If there's anything Nissan needs to get right with the R36, it's making the GT-R a supercar killer for sports car money once again. In any case, electrification has serious potential to save the GT-R.
Would A New GT-R Ever Happen?
Most likely, but not for a while. Nissan is currently amidst a renaissance, with their latest model finally being up to snuff in their respective segments. The new Z has also knocked it out of the park, but with the uncertainty of future emissions regulations and consumer tastes, Nissan has asked everyone to be patient. We likely won't see the new GT-R for a few more years, but if their words are anything to go by, it'll definitely be worth the wait. If it looks anything like this, we're down for it.