After nearly two years of work, Nissan has finished restoring a GT-R R32 and converting it to electric duty. Although it looks like it just rolled off the assembly line, there are some major changes underneath the familiar skin. The iconic RB26DETT is no more, having been replaced by a pair of electric motors. Naturally, the five-speed manual transmission is gone as well, but there are paddle shifters mimicking the sensation of changing gears.
Each motor delivers 215 horsepower and 251 pound-feet (340 Newton meters) of torque. Nissan aims for the GT-R to match the performance of the standard car fitted with the twin-turbo 2.6-liter engine. The 1989 R32 had 276 hp and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm). However, those numbers were a white lie to comply with the "gentlemen's agreement" between Japanese brands. In reality, the six-cylinder engine made more than 300 hp.
The R32 EV is much chunkier than the donor car. It has gained around 816 pounds (370 kilograms), weighing a hefty 3,961 pounds (1,797 kg)—roughly as much as the outgoing R35. The major weight penalty is caused by a 62-kWh battery pack taken from the Leaf Nismo RC02 race car and installed where the rear seats used to be.
With one electric motor at the front and another one at the rear, the GT-R has an all-wheel-drive layout to echo its ancestor. Instead of 16-inch wheels with 225/50 R16 tires, Nissan's engineers opted for larger 18-inch alloys wrapped in 235/45 R18 rubber. The new shoes mimic the design of the original set and come with beefier brakes borrowed from the modern Godzilla. In addition, the zero-emission build gets a Nismo-tuned suspension with Öhlins dampers tuned to cope with the extra heft.
Nissan R32 EV
While purists will find the EV transformation sacrilegious, Nissan says the two electric motors "respond faster and distribute torque between the front and rear wheels with even greater precision than the mechanical system." The team aims to match the standard GT-R's torque-to-weight ratio. Controversially, the speakers pump fake engine noise derived from the gas powertrain.
The two-seat interior looks instantly familiar, but there are new, higher-resolution digital gauges that maintain the classic layout. The standard front seats have been replaced by a pair of custom Recaro body-hugging seats with a racing harness.
A production version isn't planned, nor is a conversion kit coming. As such, the R32 EV will remain a one-off project. However, the 2023 Hyper Force concept hinted at a fully electric GT-R R36, which Nissan has said could arrive by the decade's end.
Source: Nissan
