Skip to main content

Nissan and Italdesign’s GT-R50 concept will become a $1.1 million reality

The Nissan GT-R marks its 50th anniversary this year, so the Japanese automaker decided to celebrate in style. Nissan teamed up with legendary design firm Italdesign — which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year — to create a one-off custom GT-R, appropriately named GT-R50. The companies decided to follow that up with 50 production models — priced at 990,000 euros ($1.1 million) each.

Recommended Videos

First off, we can tell you that this isn’t the much-discussed next-generation GT-R. While the car hasn’t had a full redesign in about a decade, Nissan isn’t ready to roll out a new model just yet. The GT-R50 was just an excuse for designers to flex their creative muscles and build a car outside the constraints of normal production vehicles, Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa said in a statement.

“Although this is not the next-generation GT-R, it is an exciting celebration of two anniversaries in a provocative and creative way — wrapping one of Nissan’s best engineering platforms and Japanese design with Italian coachbuilding,” Albaisa said of the original GT-R50 one-off. Nissan’s in-house design team actually came up with the ideas. Italdesign, whose previous hits include everything from the Maserati Merak to the original Volkswagen Golf, was tasked with making them a reality.

So what did a design team unleashed on one of the world’s most potent production performance cars come up with? Like the standard GT-R, the styling of the GT-R50 will likely get mixed reviews. The GT-R50 retains the same general outline of the standard GT-R while adding a little more flair. The roof is lower, the body sides are curvier, and the taillights stand proud of the body, giving the rear-end a resemblance to the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo from 2014. Gold accents ensure that heads will turn when this car drives by.

On the inside, the changes aren’t quite as dramatic. The interior looks similar to a standard GT-R cabin, but is dressed up with a different mix of materials, including carbon fiber trim and gold accents to match the exterior. Nissan and Italdesign also fitted a new steering wheel and a race car-style digital instrument cluster.

Under the skin, the GT-R50 is based on the GT-R Nismo, the most powerful production GT-R variant. But the handbuilt 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 now produces 710 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque, compared to 600 hp and 481 lb-ft in the stock GT-R Nismo. That’s thanks to larger turbochargers borrowed from the GT-R GT3 race car, and a host other changes to the engine. The six-speed dual-clutch transmission, differentials, and driveshafts were beefed up to handle the extra power, and the suspension was revised as well.

The Nissan GT-R50 was unveiled at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. The car made other appearances at iconic locations like the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the Laguna Seca circuit in California, and Nissan Crossing in Tokyo’s Ginza district. Reaction from the public was so positive that Nissan and Italdesign decided to put the GT-R50 into production.

Confirming initial reports, just 50 customer cars will be built, referencing the GT-R’s and Italdesign’s 50th anniversaries. The $1.1 million price tag is around 10 times the price of a base GT-R, which starts at $99,990 (the GT-R NISMO starts at $175,540). Customers will be able to choose their own exterior and interior color combinations, at least, and can sign up for one of the 50 build slots through a dedicated website. Nissan plans to deliver the cars during 2019 and 2020.

Updated on December 7, 2018: Added confirmation of production version and price.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Tesla just scrapped the Cybertruck range extender
Tesla CEO Elon Musk behind the wheel of a Cybertruck.

The writing was pretty much on the wall for the Cybertruck range extender last month when Tesla removed the option from its website. Now, it’s officially scrapped it and is refunding the $2,000 deposits that customers put down for the $16,000 battery pack. 

“We are no longer planning to sell the range extender for Cybertruck," Tesla said in a message to customers on Wednesday, adding, "As a result, we will be refunding your deposit in full.”

Read more
Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix
zoox recall crash 1739252352 robotaxi side profile in dark mode

Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.

Read more