Beloved sports car model set to be revived as EV years after it was banned
A beloved sports car is set to be revived as an EV years after it was banned.
The comeback could be the first in a series for previously unsellable cars, according to the manufacturer.
For the past several years, drivers across the UK and Europe have been confronted with increasingly restrictive regulations on what they are allowed to drive.
From low emission and clean air zones popping up across the country to blanket 20mph speed limits, it’s certainly becoming trickier for petrolheads to satisfy their need for speed.
One of the flashpoints of the debate recently stemmed from EU rules covering noise pollution, which came into force in 2022.
The regulations were designed to reduce disruption for pedestrians and people living near major roads.
It was less fortunate, however, for manufacturers like Nissan, who had models effectively pulled from sale by the regulations.
The Japanese giant was forced to discontinue the GT-R, which had been on sale since 2009, because it was too noisy.
The model, which was nicknamed Godzilla, was marketed as offering supercar-rivalling performance at a comparatively reasonable £80,000.
At the time the company blamed “the combination of forthcoming new noise regulations and reduced demand for Nissan’s legendary supercar”.
Now, though, Nissan looks set to bring the GT-R back, with bosses confirming that electrification is the way forward for the suped-up motor.
Reviving the model as a silent EV will allow it to beat both the noise regulations and any emissions-related issues too.
Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s head of global product strategy, told Autocar: “The future interpretation of our really high-performance cars will likely be electrified, not only because of our brand direction but also because, geographically, regulations are pushing us in that direction.
“It’s obviously the area we have to go [towards].
“The fact it is electric will help; making electrified sports cars will make it easier to bring them to many markets that are restricted today.
“There are many enthusiasts in the UK, and it is in our hearts to bring sports cars to the UK again.”
This could be done through Nissan’s high-performance arm Nismo, which recently brought back the Ariya as a sporty EV.
Mr Espinosa hinted that a similar route could be used for the GT-R, potentially as well as the Z which similarly fell foul of emissions rules.
He added: “You can also imagine a few of our key nameplates having a Nismo version, because that’s a way to bring Nismo excitement to more customers.
“Those are the key elements we’ll be playing with for Nismo in the future.”
It comes after a major dealership revealed that it would be selling EVs at a new showroom using a robot assistant.