The fearsome Nissan GT-R turns 50. The big 5-0. The half-century mark. And to celebrate, Nissan's engineers have plumbed the depths of Godzilla-ness to offer the 2020 Nissan GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition in time for the New York Auto Show.
The 50th Anniversary edition comes in three color combinations that evoke Japan GP Series racing liveries of the past, especially Bayside Blue, which has been retired since the R-34, done up in a four-coat double-heat treatment that promises the deepest of blue hues. The other combinations are Pearl White with red stripes and Super Silver with white stripes, each with color accents on the wheels. All get a gray interior, a unique steering wheel and shifter, Alcantara headliner and visors, along with embossed seats and other anniversary badging.
As for the GT-R's vaunted 3.8-liter handcrafted V6 engine, at 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque, new turbochargers improve low rpm response and sharpen response overall, and provide a 5% efficiency boost. A new titanium muffler tunes up that exhaust note. Nissan promises other refinements to the transmission, electronically controlled suspension and steering (improved steering up to 300 km/h, Nissan's release notes). It also gets a new brake booster to improve stopping power.
Beyond the 50th Anniversary Edition, the 2020 Nissan GT-R will come in three trim levels: GT-R Premium, GT-R Track Edition and GT-R Nismo. The Track Edition gets an optional carbon fiber roof and Brembo carbon ceramic rotors and calipers — 16.1 inch rotors in front, 15.3 in back. It also receives the GT-R Nismo's engine, which gets new turbos borrowed from the latest GT3 series GT-R race car. They improve acceleration reaction time by 20 percent and take the engine to 600 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque.
Nissan didn't say how limited the 50th Anniversary Edition might be. But you're interested you might want to get in on the ground floor of that Bayside Blue.