Image via Nissan
There’s been a lot of speculation about whether the retiring R35 generation of the mighty Nissan GT-R will be replaced by and R36. While the Japanese automaker has hinted at a Godzilla successor, incoming CEO Ivan Espinosa is just laying it out there that just such a thing is on the menu.
This shop is making “brand new” Nissan R34 GT-Rs.
Espinosa is supposed to be a gearhead first, not some cold corporate businessman who doesn’t care about cars – an all-too-common feature of this industry. When he sat down with Automotive News recently, one of the many things he dished on was the much-rumored R36.
According to the youngest CEO Nissan has ever had at the helm, making sports cars is “part of (the company’s) DNA.” While Espinosa didn’t use the term R36, he did say “the GT-R name will exist into the future.”
That’s great, but how the nameplate continues on is the real question. After all, Ford slapped the Mustang name and badge onto an all-electric grocery getter and Mitsubishi use the Eclipse moniker for a weak-sauce crossover.
Whatever form the R36 takes on, it has quite the legacy to fulfill if Nissan wants it to be accepted by enthusiasts. After all, the original R32 so impressed Japanese motorsports commentators they gave it the name Godzilla. While it was somewhat overlooked for a while, many are discovering the subtle technological improvements incorporated into the R33.
Then there’s the mighty R34, a dream ride for gearheads around the globe. While some might continue to deride the R35, it had by far the most staying power in the market and remained relevant far longer than it had any business doing, which is impressive.
One theory is that the R36 will be all-electric. Nissan has been fascinated with electrification and different executives, including Espinosa, have hinted that at least a hybrid powertrain would push the next-gen GT-R to new performance heights.
However, the market has soured to an extent on all-electric vehicles, so Nissan might be rethinking such an approach. We’ll just have to wait and see when the R36 is finally revealed.
Image via Nissan
