To celebrate 50 years of Italdesign creations and the Nissan GT-R nameplate, the coachbuilder and automaker have teamed up to create a one-off prototype called the GT-R50. Considered to be a GT-R without limits, and based on the 2018 GT-R Nismo, this custom Nissan is scheduled to debut next month with heavy modifications – exactly what you would expect from something created by Italdesign.

In making the prototype, Italdesign pulled out all the stops, including adding a more pronounced hood, wider LED headlights, a lowered roof with a lower center section, more prominent air intakes, and revised rear lights that are just out of this world. The rear window is even longer and deeper, while the rear wing is adjustable. It sits atop 21-inch wheels and is finished in a Liquid Kinetic Gray paint with Energetic Sigma Gold accents.

Italdesign couldn’t leave the interior alone, either, so the center console got a healthy dose of carbon fiber in two different finishes as did the dashboard and door linings. There are healthy doses of Alcantara too because why not, and black Italian leather adorns the seats. The interior also gets plenty of gold accents to link the interior and exterior together while a futuristic race-inspired switchgear nods toward the future. There’s a bespoke steering wheel with carbon fiber spokes and plenty of Alcantara.

Under the metal it’s a completely different story. The car’s 3.8-liter V-6 has been massaged to deliver nearly 720 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque. It wasn’t easy, and upgrades include new turbos, larger intercoolers, and revised internals. We’re talking about new pistons, connecting rods, oil jets, and the like. Nissan and Italdesign even revised and upgraded the sequential six-speed automatic transmission. There’s a new suspension system featuring Bilstein’s DampTronic I adjustable damping system and Brembo brake calipers.

"Although this is not the next-generation GT-R, it is an exciting celebration of two anniversaries in a provocative and creative way – wrapping one of Nissan’s best engineering platforms and Japanese design with Italian coachbuilding," said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president for global design. This is a rare window in time when two big moments intersect: 50 years of Italdesign shaping the automotive world and 50 years of Nissan generating excitement through our iconic GT-R. So to celebrate this convergence, Nissan and Italdesign created this custom GT-R to mark 50 years of engineering leadership.

Nissan GT-R 50 by Italdesign prototype key specifications

Further Reading

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

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

Read more Nissan news.