2022 Nissan GT-R Nismo Shows Off Its New Naked Carbon Bonnet

It seems like the R35 Nissan GT-R is nearly old enough to get its own bus pass, but it certainly doesn’t need a zimmer frame or stairlift just yet. Nissan has announced that the hottest Nismo variant is getting a few tweaks later in the year, plus a new special edition with an unpainted carbon-fibre bonnet.

Yes, the mid-noughties have returned, and the carbon-tastic GT-R special edition looks like something dreamt up on Need For Speed. You might think it’s a bit overkill, or you might think it looks absolutely ace. The GT-R Nismo and the new special edition will both be available in a new Stealth Grey paint colour, apparently inspired by stretches of tarmac that the GT-R has set records on.

That carbon bonnet doesn’t just look snazzy, but it shaves off 100g of weight from the GT-R because it’s only clear-coated, not painted. You’d better pack light, then, as even a banana will undo the weight saving achieved. There are also exclusive forged aluminium Rays wheels with red detailing, which should be lighter than the standard ones.

We’re told that the special edition version will get a host of performance upgrades, with the camshaft, flywheel and piston rings all said to be new. The result is that the car will rev quicker and the turbo will spool up sooner. As before, each car’s engine will be handmade (and there’ll be a plate to confirm it so you can show off).

It’ll be the first GT-R to wear the new Nissan badge, first shown on the electric Ariya crossover. But despite the new badge, it feels like Nissan doesn’t know how to replace the ageing GT-R. The special-edition Nismo GT-R will be nearly 14 years old when it’s launched in October, but we’d expect a premium over even the standard Nismo GT-R.

At the time of writing, that car costs £184,000, or nearly £80k more than the next most expensive Track Edition. The Nismo does get a bit more power, and lots of carbon bits, but that’s still a difficult price to swallow for a Nissan.

Meanwhile, kids in Japan will be able to get a GT-R toy in their McDonald’s Happy Meal from the end of this month. Ok, fine, yes we’re slightly jealous. We’ll take it over the Spongebob Squarepants characters you currently get in UK Happy Meals.

What do you think the next GT-R will be? Electric or hybrid maybe? Give us your thoughts in the comments.