Nissan Teases One-Off Skyline GT-R R32 EV Retrofit

Remember Toyota’s recently unveiled resto-mod AE86 Trueno and Levin? The company had taken two units of the 1980s Corollas and converted them to run on Hydrogen and electric power. Well, Nissan seems to be undertaking a similar project with another Japanese Domestic Market icon – The Skyline GT-R R32 . The project seems to be the result of an engineer’s vision to mix the Japanese icon with the latest in electric vehicle technology. The result is a prototype badged the R32 EV.

Nissan Japan shared a short teaser clip for the project on its social media channel though it reveals nothing of note. The short video shows the petrol-powered R32 Skyline GT-R from the rear with the car proceeding to be fired up before the video fades to show the words “R32 EV”.

Also read: Toyota Sets Sights On Old-Car Upgrades In Zero-Emissions Drive

Making its debut in the late 1980s, the Skyline GT-R R32 was the third generation of the Skyline to wear the GT-R badge after the 1969 original and its short-lived successor from 1973. The R32 was designed and developed with touring car racing in mind with the car credited with earning the GT-R the ‘Godzilla’ nickname.

At the heart of the sportscar sat Nissan’s newly developed (back then) RB26DETT engine – a 2.6-litre twin-turbo in-line six that could develop north of 600 bhp in race spec. The road cars were limited to around 276 bhp. Power went to all four wheels via a new all-wheel-drive system that could adjust power between the front and rear axles and the GT-R also benefitted from rear-wheel steering.

We'll still have to wait and see if this is an actual concept or an early attempt at an April Fool's Day prank given how close we are to April 1. If the former, expect more details on the EV-swap to be made available in the coming months.