Nissan is hinting at an electric Skyline GT-R R32 in the future

Nissan is combining the past and future by electrifying one of their most beloved cars, the Skyline GT-R R32 the predecessor of the current GT-R sports car. Through their official website and Twitter, the Japanese automaker revealed through a teaser video their plans of reviving the R32 GT-R nameplate with an electric powertrain. 

It seems that this is Nissan’s take on what Toyota did earlier in the year with their hydrogen-powered and fully-electric concepts of the also iconic, Trueno AE86. Nissan will be taking out the RB26DETT inline-six engine and converting it into an electric vehicle. Instead, this R32 will have an electric motor and Nissan’s latest electrification technology.

While it is exciting to see a historic icon come back with a more modern method of propulsion, the electric conversion of the R32 might be a divisive move for fans of the Skyline nameplate and motoring purists. 

The reason being is because some fans of the Skyline GT-R line and the R32 GT-R in particular, believe that the engine is part of what makes the GT-R an icon, the roaring inline-six is essentially the soul of the R32. So for them, removing Godzilla’s heart is nearly a form of sacrilege.

When it first came out back in 1989, the R32 GT-R quickly became a sensation in the motoring world when it dominated in the All Japan Group A Championship. In fact, the reason why the All Japan Group A Championship ended is that the R32 was so dominant, they had to make a new racing championship with different regulations. You heard that right, the R32 dominated so much that a championship race had to be closed.

Regardless of what the reception towards this prototype will be, it will be exciting to see how an electrified R32 will go. Who knows? Maybe the R32 EV will bring even more people to the side of electrification in the future.