Nissan took many by surprise at the end of last month when it announced plans to convert a GT-R from the R32 generation into an electric vehicle. A new walkaround video published on Twitter by the company's Japanese division fully reveals the sports car in its current state, right before losing the oily bits. As with all Skyline models produced during the 1989-1993 era, it's a right-hand-drive example, and this one comes in the two-door body style.
The R32 EV project is still in its infancy and will come to life following an engineer's idea to give the classic Skyline an electric powertrain. The higher-ups at Nissan approved the build, which will involve yanking off the RB26, a twin-turbo inline-six engine that made 276 horsepower (206 kilowatts) and 271 pound-feet (368 Newton-meters) of torque. Well, at least on paper.
【R32EV】 vol.3
— 日産自動車株式会社 (@NissanJP) April 6, 2023
EVコンバージョンするR32型スカイラインGT-Rの現状の姿をお届けします。#GTR #R32EV pic.twitter.com/Myj5mfLnEe
The engine's output was deliberately underrated as per the "gentlemen's agreement" between Japanese automakers about not going above that power threshold. Established back in 1989, the pact was ultimately dissolved in 2005. In reality, the RB26DETT with its 2.6-liter displacement made approximately 330 horsepower before any modifications, which took the engine to over 2,000 hp in some extreme tuner applications.
Nissan has yet to release any details about the Gunmetal Grey R32 EV, but if it wants to retain the all-wheel-drive layout, it'll have to install two electric motors – one for each axle. Perhaps from the Ariya? It'll be interesting to see whether it's going to have one of those simulated manual gearboxes or if the engineers will stick to a regular single- or two-speed transmission as all EVs have.
Don't expect to see the finished project anytime soon since Nissan is only getting started. Time will tell if it'll remain a one-off build or if it's going to preview a future electric crate motor to keep old GT-Rs on the road. As for the long-awaited R36, your guess is as good as ours about when it's slated to arrive.
