This ‘Brand New’ Italdesign Nissan GT-R Could Be The Ultimate R35

A delivery mileage Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign is up for sale and is just one of 18 built

09 Nov 2023

With the end of the combustion-powered Nissan GT-R very much on the horizon, now could well be the best time to scoop up a desirable version of the R35. We’ve already seen Skyline prices begin to skyrocket, and it only feels like a matter of time before the same happens to the most recent incarnation of Godzilla. With that in mind, this Italdesign creation could be one hell of an investment.

Set to be auctioned in Munich by RM Sotheby’s on 25 November, this Nissan GT-R R50 by Italdesign is one of just 18 ever made. It’s arguably the perfect combination - Japanese sports car engineering wrapped in dramatic Italian bodywork.

This GT-R50 was never delivered to a customer

Almost like a caricature of the R35, every panel on the Italdesign take had been reworked - yet still managed to keep the overall essence of the car it’s based on. We’re particularly fans of the floating rear taillights.

While Italdesign re-bodied the car, Nismo did its share of graft by upping the performance of the R50. Based on its own version of the R35 (complete with GT3-spec turbos), the VR38 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 received new fuel injectors, uprated pistons and a new exhaust system for a total of 710bhp and 575lb ft of torque. Additionally, the car also had Bilstein adjustable dampers added along with a set of bespoke 19-inch alloy wheels.

Only 18 of a planned 50 production run were built

This particular 2021 example was the eleventh made and has remained in the hands of a dealer - having never found a buyer and retaining just 119 miles on the clock. It's a pretty subdued spec too - painted Liquid Silver Metallic and with subtle Nismo-style accents, plus an optional active rear wing.

Italdesign had planned to make 50 examples of the GT-R50 (to celebrate a half-century of the model), but as the Covid-19 pandemic hit just as production was starting, demand dropped leaving it some way short of its full run.

For all the new bodywork, little was done to the interior

That makes it rarer than the R33-based Nismo 400R, one of which sold recently for £701,000. With an estimate of up to €1,15m (approx. £1m) - not a huge increase over its €990,000 list price - this could be the R35 to invest in.

Ryan is Car Throttle's News and Features Editor, landing here in 2023. When he’s not writing cars, you’ll find Ryan pretending to drive them on Gran Turismo or playing with radio-controlled ones.