A lot has happened since the R35 Nissan GT-R stepped onto the scene back in 2007 and, in all these years, Godzilla has become an aftermarket monster, easily one-upping its already-tuner-popular predecessors. From 6s quarter-mile builds with 3,500 HP to the $1M GT-R50 reimagined by Italian styling house Italdesign, the Nissan halo car has taken countless forms. And it seems that this GT-R50 rendering, which brings a bit of a Gundam take on the almost-mandatory widebody aftermarket approach.
When Nissan and Italdesign, a company founded by styling icon Giorgetto Giugiaro and now owned by the VW Group via Audi, released the GT-R50 in 2018, this celebrated the 50th anniversary of the supercar (actually in 2019) and the design house. With a completely remastered exterior and a less impactful interior makeover, the beast is based on the GT-R NISMO. However, the limited model also sports tech upgrades including new engine components that boost the power to 720 hp.
And while the first batch of these highly customizable toys was supposed to reach customers in late 2020, delays caused in part by the health crisis, meant these only landed in November 2021, so there aren’t too many of them on the streets. Even so, this digital creations takes things to the next level, as the pixel one-off further tweaks the look of the GT-R50—for the sake of comparison, the last photo in the gallery showcases the original.
The “Gundam” Nissan GT-R50
The unofficial Nissan GT-R concept gracing our screens is the result of a collaboration between two digital artists. As such, Pedro Guerreiro (aka Typerulez) created this 3D model as his first step into the realm back in February 2020, and Hugo Silva (aka hugosilvadesigns) rendered it into the current form.
At least to these eyes, the proposal brings powerful Gundam vibz, which is why we decided to use the nickname in the title. We’re referring to a Japanese mecha series manifested in manga, anime, videogame, and Gunpla (model kits) form.
For the record, mechas are humanoid-style contraptions controlled by humans sitting inside a cockpit, which is why we shouldn’t label them as robots.
Mobile Suit Gundam, the 1979-launched TV series that kickstarted the franchise, was directed by animator Yoshiyuki Tomino. And this is credited for introducing the “real” subgenre of mecha anime, which involves more realistic designs and features related to scientific processes used in the real world.
It was always about Gundam
Returning to the time when Nissan presented the R35 GT-R in 2007, its designers didn’t hide the fact that the styling of the supercar was inspired by the Gundam universe. So, with this rendering, the story seems to have come full circle.
The upper section of the Gundam Nissan GT-R50 seems to be unchanged, save perhaps for the rear windows (we only have one view of the car for now). However, the new widebody is integrated into the design, meaning that instead of packing overfenders that stand out like a Liberty Walk kit would, the upper sections of the fenders seem to fall in line with the hood/rear deck.
And the Z-style vertical line we notice as our eyes move towards the lower side of the car adds plenty of character. This is augmented by aero elements such as the sides of the carbon front splitter or the “pods” sitting just before the rear wheels.
And while the slimmer, racing-grade door mirrors do quite a lot for the car, the active wing of the “standard” GT-R50 is replaced by a more generous unit that appears to use a fixed construction.
The Turbofan-style BBS wheels, with their centerlock mechanism, add to the character of the digital project, which you can enjoy in either a studio or a street setup. Talk about a proper way to pass the time until the Japanese automaker decides to drop some details next-gen GT-R, which has simply been confirmed so far.
Update [February 17, 2022]: The “Gundam” Nissan GT-R50 returns, revealing its posterior. And while the headliner is the rear bumper delete, this was neatly integrated into the whole aero take on the vehicle. And there’s a high-positioned exhaust that allows the massive diffuser below to add downforce while keeping the drag in check.
You can feast your eyes the fresh images in the gallery, with these portraying the vehicle in a striking shade of orange.
