Retromodding is the hot new trend these days, and there’s certainly no shortage of projects that try to breathe new life into ageing cars. Some of them are genuinely cool works of art, like the Singer ACS, or when Bentley laser-scanned and remade the Blower race car. But push just a little bit too far – especially for cult favourite cars – and you’ll have to be prepared for the wrath raining down from its fans.
There’s only one way to find out, though, and Nissan is about to do so with its electric-converted R32 Skyline GT-R which will be on display at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon 2025.
Even though the project started way back in March 2023, with most of its conversion progress documented on the various Nissan social media pages, the Japanese carmaker is still keeping mum about what will eventually be powering the EV Godzilla.
What we do know for sure, though, is that you’ll definitely not find the iconic RB26DETT twin-turbo 2.6-liter inline-six engine underneath the bonnet, which in a normal GT-R, makes some 280 hp and 368 Nm… officially. (Unofficial testing says it’s around the 320 hp mark, but was understated due to some sort of gentlemen’s agreement between Japanese carmakers.)
ALSO WATCH: This is the most original and immaculate R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R we’ve ever seen!
Based on videos Nissan has shared so far, it appears the R32EV concept will indeed retain the GT-R’s all-wheel drive setup, powered by one motor on each axle. It’ll also still retain its manual gear lever on the inside, presumably for some sort of simulated manual transmission similar to that of the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
We’ll have to wait and see for the R35EV’s actual power output figures, but just for context, the Ariya – Nissan’s current EV flagship – makes some 394 hp and 600 Nm in flagship all-wheel drive form.
So what would the GTR-lous say about this? Either way, there’ll certainly be a lot of chatter online…
