Much to the dismay of basketball fans everywhere, the 2017 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors have been a dud so far. Fortunately, the same can’t be said for the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The best-of-7 series is knotted at two games apiece and with the way the series is looking, we’re going to get a Game 7 between these two teams. Nissan North America, which is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, is understandably getting swept up in the Stanley Cup with a hometown team to root for. As such, the automaker has released a one-off Nissan GT-R that it affectionately calls “Predzilla.”

Predzilla. That’s as catchy a name as we’ve heard for the Nissan GT-R, and it’s a pretty fitting one, too, since Nissan is donating the proceeds from the one-off GT-R’s auction to the Nashville Predators Foundation. If you’re interested in the car, you might get a chance to own it if you have deep pockets. Bidding has already reached $61,250 as of 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on June 5, and there’s still five months to go before the auction closes on the Predators’ home opener for the 2017-2018 season in October. Considering that it’s based on the $109,900 GT-R Premium, you can expect the one-off Predzilla GT-R to eclipse that amount in no time, especially if the Predators beat the Penguins to win Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Familiar ties led to creating the one-off Predzilla GT-R

The first question here is obvious: why did the Nashville Predators get a one-off GT-R and the Pittsburgh Penguin didn’t? The answer, of course, is pretty simple too. Nissan North America is headquartered in Nashville and has a production facility just south in Smyrna, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1983 and currently builds the Nissan Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, Leaf, Rogue, and the Infiniti QX60. And as the video clearly shows us, there are a lot of employees at Nissan who count themselves as residents of "Smashville, USA."

Now about Predzilla. I already mentioned that it’s based on the GT-R Premium, so the one-off supercar gets all the standard equipment included in that trim. Likewise, it’s also powered by the standard 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that produces 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels courtesy of a six-speed dual clutch transmission, allowing the Predzilla hit 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds before peaking at a top speed of 196 mph. There’s nothing unique about the technical and mechanical features of Predzilla, not that anyone would complain.

Where it separates itself though is in its outward appearance, and as you can expect, a car built to celebrate the Nashville Predators’ Stanley Cup run is dressed from nose to tail with Preds-inspired regalia. The most obvious nod to the team is the GT-R’s custom yellow exterior that resembles the gold colors of the team. The Predators’ logo is prominently displayed on the hood with the team’s “Stand with US” playoff mantra just above. Close up liveries of the angry sabre-tooth tiger dominate the side profile of the car with the word “Smashville” getting its own prime real estate space just above the front fenders. The rear section also gets the team’s logo, too, with the team’s official name. The other significant addition to the one-off Predzilla is the use of the team’s other color (navy blue) on the wheels and rear spoiler.

The finished product is what can be best described as an overload of rooting sentiment towards the Nashville Predators. That’s actually a good thing since the franchise is playing in its first-ever Stanley Cup Finals and is two wins away from winning its first title. Any sort of support they get from wherever they can get it is going to play a big role over the next three games. Nissan has made it known where it’s allegiance lies, and if the Preds do end up beating the Penguins, you can be sure that Predzilla’s value is going to go through the roof. Oh, and whoever ends up winning Predzilla will also get a pair of season tickets to the Preds' 2017-2018 season. To place your own bid, click here or text "Nissan" to 52182.

Read our full review on the 2017 Nissan GT-R here.