The world of performance vehicles is once again dominated by Italian players. It’s thus the perfect time for Godzilla’s return, and that’s exactly what Carwow talks about in its latest video: an R36 Nissan GT-R.
Rumors like this have been along for a really long time. Launched in 2007, the R35 was already an old car last decade, so there have been numerous reports about a successor. And even before the new Acura NSX or the SF90, the R36 was supposed to go hybrid.
To put it simply, we think Nissan had plans to make the new GT-R years ago. It just went through a lot of crazy stuff: massive recalls, dropping sales, EV demand, a bit of diesel cheating and the Carlos Ghosn scandal.
What makes this rumor special is that it’s going to stick. Many auto magazines published made-up stories about the all-new R36 Nissan GT-R. However, Carwow has nearly 7 million followers on YouTube; it’s one of the biggest names in the business. This is not to say their report is that credible.
Is the R36 Nissan GT-R really coming?
There’s only one piece of tangible info here. Because the old R35 doesn’t meet crash test requirements it’s been pulled from the Australian market. But a local official made a vague statement not about it not being the end of the GT-R story in the country.
Amusingly, we found stories and statements that say the opposite. In November 2021, Australia’s boss Adam Paterson told Top Gear: “The GT-R is Nissan’s most celebrated vehicle, and while this isn’t goodbye forever, the T-Spec and Nismo SV models do act as the closing of this chapter of the GT-R story in Australia.”
Even if we don’t know when it’s coming, we apparently know what it looks like. According to Carwow, the R36 is going to be inspired by the Vision Gran Turismo Concept at the front, though the rear also resembles the GT-R50, a limited-edition model styled by Italdesign and costing $1 million each.
That rarity packs a Lamborghini Aventador levels of output from the familiar 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6. However, this report suggests it will instead be combined with the electric motor from the Ariya to make about 700 hp. Motor at the front, V6 power for the rear, so there’s no need for complex AWD – sounds simple, right? Well, that would mean the GT-R is mid-engined, and that’s quite the tall order for Nissan’s engineers.
