First drive: Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign concept

Speaking of the engine, output has been taken a bit beyond the production car’s 592bhp. Massaged by Nissan's performance tuning department, Nismo, the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 now boasts 700bhp and 575lb ft of torque.The upgrades include enlarged competition-spec turbochargers and intercoolers, a heavy-duty crankshaft and new pistons. The transmission remains a dual-clutch sequential six-speed, but with upgraded front and rear differentials.

The interior has been tweaked as well, but not to the same degree as the exterior. Higher-quality materials dominate, while the exterior’s gold accents are carried through. The biggest change? The car discards the GT-R’s instrument cluster, replacing it with a digital panel that would look at home in a racing car.

The racing-style bucket seats are sumptuously trimmed in leather and Alcantara, with carbonfibre almost everywhere you look. And unless you’re sitting inside the car, you would not know that the GT-R50 retains the production car’s plus-two occasional rear seats. The GT-R is hardly a run-of-the-mill place to sit, but this feels truly special.

What's the Nissan GT-R50 concept like to drive?

It's scary, driving an essentially priceless concept car on public roads. And we found that out immediately, crawling out of the hotel driveway and hitting the front spoiler with a resounding crunch. Neil thankfully tells us we’re not the first ones to do that as we head out onto the streets around Agoura Hills, California.

The car drives with the heavy feel typical of its production counterpart. Visibility is understandably challenged due to the roof chop, but it’s not significantly worse than the GT-R you can buy from your local Nissan dealer. We won’t feel out of place saying that the car feels big; almost like a modern American muscle car, at just a fraction under 4.7 metres long.

While we were driving, Neil explained how the car came about. Representatives of Italdesign spoke with Nissan at the 2017 Geneva motor show, then the decision was made to move forward with the idea of a dual celebration of the GT-R nameplate and Italdesign’s founding with the 1968 Bizzarrini Manta.

The GT-R50’s all-wheel drive gives it a sure-footedness that is the envy of almost any car currently in production. This is the signature component of the GT-R driving experience, alongside the astonishing straight-line performance and physics-defying handling. It’s tactile and, in a way, it’s communicated to the driver through this concept’s new instrument panel and upscale materials throughout the cabin. Does this justify the potential seven-figure price tag? Possibly not, but then this car will be so rare that it doesn’t need justifying.

For Nissan to make this work to satisfy the number crunchers, the GT-R50 simply must be priced at this level. In this regard, it’s like Aston Martin’s DB4 GT. When you build just 50 of something, with all the new tooling and fabrication involved, spread over so few a number of vehicles, it’s amazing that the GT-R50 is even being considered for production at all.