For anyone with a couple of million spare and looking for an early ‘Xmas present to Self’, the Nissan GT-R 50^th Anniversary Edition is now available in South Africa, having made its debut at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year.

“A GT-R is about total balance management,” says Hiroshi Tamura, chief product specialist for the GT-R. “It is not about chasing a power figures, but creating a new GT-R, where no aspect has been overlooked. This is appropriate to celebrate the GT-R 50th anniversary.”

The 2020 Nissan GT-R will come in two trim levels in the South African market: GT-R Premium and GT-R Black Edition. In select regions, there will also be the Pure, Prestige and NISMO models, but it is the 50^th  Anniversary Edition that truly celebrates the GT-R’s rich heritage.

The special edition car will come in three heritage-era, two-tone exterior colour combinations meant to represent the GT-R’s liveries from the Japan GP series – of which the original GT-R was born to dominate in.

Retired since the GT-R ‘R34’ model, Bayside (Wangan) Blue makes a return, complete with white racing stripes. A four-coat, double-heat treatment process ensures a vivid blue with striking highlights and deep shadows. Blue accents on the wheel spokes are among several fine touches made to celebrate the GT-R’s milestone. Pearl White with red stripes and Super Silver with white stripes round out the 50^th Anniversary liveries.

Inside the 50^th Anniversary Edition is a special grey interior colour scheme, which gives the cabin a sense of luxury, reminiscent of the atmosphere of the night sky after the twilight hour. Additional 50^th anniversary features include unique steering wheel and shift knob trim, special seat embossing, an Alcantara headliner with unique stitching, Alcantara-wrapped sunvisors, and more.

“The Nissan GT-R has been the icon of our company’s driving performance for the past half century,” says Shinichiro Irie, program design director for the GT-R. “We were highly motivated to ensure the GT-R 50^th  Anniversary Edition stands out. While the exterior and interior changes may seem subtle at first glance,  they are still impactful, especially with the new paint schemes, keeping the car’s lines and overall presence modern and edgy.”

 The refinement and performance of the GT-R’s 410 kW 3,8-litre V6 24-valve twin turbo-charged engine has a few new tricksincluding new turbo-chargers, which help increase the engine’s low rpm response due to an abradable seal, providing tighter clearances and a 5% increase in efficiency.

Overall, they provide even sharper engine response in and out of corners, making the driving experience more rewarding and richer than ever before. The exhaust manifolds, inspired by racing technology, have optimised turbo flange attachment points, which allow for easier servicing and potential tuning, without touching the exhaust manifold.

‘GT-R features a revised 6-speed dual-clutch transmission with a refined ‘R mode,” made for both road and track. It features more aggressive downshifts to better anticipate swift cornering exits, with gear selection happening during ABS engagement, resulting in reduced understeer and a more driver-intuitive feeling.

The adaptive shift control is programmed to change shift schedules to fit the user’s driving style, making it possible to drive according to the law on public roads, with full brute force available on the racetrack, without needing to manually change shift modes.

The GT-R’s signature exhaust note is the product of a new titanium muffler, featuring titanium finishers with burnished blue tips.

The electronically controlled suspension has been tuned to provide better cornering stability and a smoother ride. The steering is more linear and precise than ever, requiring minimal corrections at speeds of up to 300 km/h. A new brake booster increases the initial braking response by engaging with less pedal stroke, resulting in enhanced stopping power and feel.

 The driver-oriented cockpit has comfortable yet supportive seats for both front and rear passengers and the dashboard is designed to convey a ‘horizontal flow’, delivering a sense of high stability for front seat occupants.

The centre dashboard integrates navigation and audio controls and an 8-inch capacitive touch-panel monitor. The large icons on the display screen inform the driving experience without distracting from it.

Mounted to the sporty steering wheel are shift paddles that allow drivers to change gears in mid-turn without taking their hands off the wheel.

 2020 GT-R specifications

Engine                                                 VR38DETT, V6 Twin-Turbo charged DOHC

Displacement                                        3.8L

Horsepower                                          550hp or 410kW

Torque                                                632Nm @ 3300-5800 rpm

Overall length                                       4710 mm

Overall width                                        1895 mm

Overall height                                       1370 mm

Wheelbase                                           2780 mm

 Pricing:

Premium Edition: R 2 250 000

Black Edition: R 2 360 000

GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition

• Pearl White with Red Decals: R 2 405 000
• Ultimate Silver with White Decals: R 2 405 000
• Bayside Blue with White Decals: R 2 415 000