Nissan has launched a teaser for an electric Skyline GT-R. No, it’s not speculation for an R36, but a classic R32 GT-R that will be converted to an EV. So far there’s very little about the project, which is commencing on March 28. Oddly, the accompanying video has the soundtrack of an internal combustion R32 GT-R starting and idling.
【R32EV】vol.1
日産はR32型スカイラインGT-RのEV試作車製作に挑戦します。https://t.co/4eNjF3KdiI
この取り組みは、GT-Rに憧れて入社した技術者が「最高に好きなクルマに、今自分が関わる最新の電動化技術を載せて、もっとワクワクするクルマを造りたい」という思いから始まりました。#GTR #R32EV pic.twitter.com/pGBHqgeSBo— 日産自動車株式会社 (@NissanJP) March 28, 2023
Nissan says the project was started by an engineer who joined the company out of admiration for Godzilla. Now they’re going to pour all their technological know-how into this legendary car. Since the GT-R is famously AWD, it would seem that a dual-motor setup driving the front and rear wheels would be likely. In order to keep the body of the classic R32 in tact, the battery pack would have to fit under the hood, in the trunk, or where the rear seats are.
The real test for Nissan will be whether they can retain Skyline GT-R’s handling characteristics when the conversion is complete. Is this a clever way to keep a classic on the road, or is it sacrilege? It’s probably no coincidence that the R32 EV project comes on the heels of Toyota’s electric AE86, which got a lot of press after the Tokyo Auto Salon. We’re quickly approaching a Group A revival, just without the engine sounds.
This is cool, but why not just build a bad ass electric car instead of taking a bad ass car and making it electric? I’m all for electric vehicles, but all I see being built are family sedans and SUV’s. Why not start making electric cars for car enthusiasts?
Borrow two motors from the Formula E car, put them front and rear, stick the battery pack from an Ariya in the middle, throw on a Sakura paint job that’d make an Itasha blush, and intensify the Eurobeat…
Nissan making this as a one-off is whatever, but I really don’t see the value in electrifying an old floppy chassis. The engine is a big part of the experience of those cars, that and the drivetrain. Part of the fun is the “wild horse” feeling because the AWD is slow to react and it’s RWD until that happens. That and the RB26 needing revs to build the boost. Fix all of that with electrification and you’re just left with an EV that is just hilariously awful compared to what you could make today with modern material and design techniques.
If the goal is to make something “closed cycle” with respect to CO2 you’re better off with cellulosic ethanol which Brazil has finally figured out or direct CO2 + H2O to ethanol conversion like what some startups are trying in the US.