Is Nissan preparing the world for an electric R36?
Nissan Japan is converting an R32 Skyline GT-R into an electric vehicle. According to the description on Nissan's YouTube channel, this idea came from one of Nissan's own engineers, who named the GT-R as his hero car. “I want to build a more exciting car by adding the latest electrification technology that I am involved with to my favorite car,” said the unnamed employee. We're guessing Nissan chose not to include his name in the post as a sort of witness protection exercise.
If you're a GT-R fanboy and you've made it this far, congratulations. Things will get much worse before they get better because this is only the first episode in what we assume will be many. There's also a dedicated website for the R32 EV, expanding on the thought process.
As you can see, the build is far from done. It still has a massive exhaust pipe at the rear.
The R32 is 34 years old, and Nissan admits it's a legendary car with a massive cult following. Still, the engineer in question wondered whether it would be possible to produce an EV prototype based on the R32. It all started with a thought; if you ask us, it should have remained as such.
But in the interest of fairness, we'll play along. Think of this R32 EV as the Mechagodzilla version of Godzilla. The R32 was the first GT-R to receive the nickname after it dominated the Australian Touring Car Championships from 1990 to 1992.
And, to be fair, the GT-R has always been an advanced vehicle, which is why it dominated almost every race it entered. The reason for the R32's dominance was its Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA) all-wheel-drive system.
This AWD system was insanely advanced at the time, not just because it sent power to the front wheels via a transfer case instead of the modern multi-plate hydraulic clutch system. But that was only half of the R32's party piece. It also had a relatively advanced 16-bit onboard computer that used the ABS, a G sensor, and wheel speed to determine where to send the power.
The power was provided by a 2.6-liter turbocharged straight-six that produced 276 horsepower because there was a gentleman's agreement between Japanese manufacturers not to go over 280 hp. The R33 and R34 also produced 276 hp, but if you're a GT-R fan, you'll know this engine easily produced 320 hp.
If the idea is to drag the R32 into the modern age, Nissan must use a dual (or quad) electric motor setup to create an eAWD system. With no mechanical connection between the front and rear, there is some space left for a battery pack. It won't be enough, so additional batteries will have to go under the hood and in the trunk.
Instead of a 16-bit computer, Nissan will use its latest hardware and software, capable of things the engineers from 34 years ago could only dream of. Examples include active torque vectoring, using electric motors for braking, and instantaneous torque delivery to an individual wheel. Nissan doesn't have a performance EV in its range, but one Nissan Ariya electric motor can produce up to 238 hp. Combined, we're looking at roughly 480 hp.
Why is Nissan doing this? If we had to guess, it's preparing the world for the first actual electric Nissan GT-R. There has been much speculation on this topic, and Nissan hasn't said anything. We can't wait to see how the internet will react to the R32 EV.
Keyword: Nissan Japan Is Converting An R32 Skyline GT-R Into An EV