ItalDesign begins delivering exclusive 710-hp Nissan GT-R50

Italian design house ItalDesign has reached a major milestone. It has finished building the first five examples of the GT-R50, a limited-edition supercar based on the GT-R and developed jointly with Nissan, and it has sent the initial batch of cars to customers around the world.

Unveiled as a concept in June 2018, and introduced as a production model in December of that year, the GT-R50 was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both ItalDesign and the GT-R. It's clearly an evolution of Godzilla, but it wears a specific design that gives it a more futuristic look than the regular-production car. Each coupe is tailor-made by hand in Turin, Italy, and the firm notes that it won't build two identical units. Customers are invited to configure their car by selecting the exterior paint and the interior materials, among other details.

One of the first cars draws inspiration from the GT-R show car presented in 1972; ItalDesign developed a paint color called Verde Kenmeri specifically for it. Two of the others look a lot like the concept presented to the public at the 2018 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Production is limited to 50 units globally; it will be interesting to see how the rest of the series is configured. And, while we're not expecting to see a GT-R50 with 200,000 miles cross the auction block in 2030, it's a model that meets the same standards as the regular GT-R. Nismo notably participated in the development process to ensure the GT-R50 delivers performance and reliability on par with the GT-R. This was easier said than done: about 12% of the parts that make up the 710-horsepower engine are new, including the turbochargers, the pistons, the connecting rods, and the crankshaft. Lessons learned from years of racing in the GT3 category helped shape many of the changes.

ItalDesign hasn't revealed if there are build slots left. If you're interested, keep in mind the GT-R50 carries a base price of $1,126,799.