Displayed as one-off R32 EV conversion at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon in January, the R32 EV was created as a passion project by a small group of adventurous Nissan teammates in Japan . . .
Nissan’s bosses may be busy trying to get to grips with the company’s future, but its engineers are still delivering interesting projects. And here’s something a little special they have cooked up – an electric version of the iconic Skyline R32 GT-R ‘Godzilla’ that stomped on all racing competitors during its dominance of Australian motorsport in the early 1990s.
Displayed as a one-off R32 EV conversion at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon in January, the R32 EV was created as a passion project by a small group of adventurous Nissan teammates in Japan, and the claim is that it is every bit as engaging and rewarding as the muscular R32 GT-R originals.
Looking very much like its petrol-powered counterpart, the R32 EV replaces the 2.6-litre twin-turbo engine with a pair of 160kW electric motors, each capable of delivering up to 340Nm. The rear seat is gone and in its place is a 62kWh battery.
Nissan says that although the R32 EV is approximately 370kg heavier than the donor vehicle due to the battery pack and electrical components, engineers have tuned its output and torque to match the original R32 GT-R’s torque-to-weight ratio.
The R32 EV also has an all-wheel drive system and the engineers are, Nissan says, working to tune the twin electric motors to match the benchmark set by the original vehicle. The R32 EV features a NISMO Sports suspension kit with Öhlins dampers.
Inside, the R32 EV features paddle shift functionality and a cabin speaker pipes in sound inspired by the original RB26DETT engine note. They’ve made an effort to replicate the sensation of manual gear shifts too, with Nissan’s team programming the sensation of shift shock into the paddle shift logic, simulating the brief jolt when engaging the clutch and shifting up or down through a mechanical gearbox.
To accommodate the larger discs and meatier calipers required to add stopping power to the heavier EV, Nissan’s team developed 18-inch wheels that closely resemble the 16-inch alloys fitted top the original.
Nissan says there are no plans to commercialist the R32 EV or offer a conversion kit, but we can hope!
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (February 2025)
19 March 2025