Nissan engineers have been quietly working on something that will make purists spill their coffee: they're electrifying Godzilla. Not the movie monster, but something perhaps equally iconic in Japanese culture - the R32 Skyline GT-R. And they're about to show it to the world at next month's Tokyo Auto Salon.Now, before GT-R enthusiasts start writing strongly worded letters, it's not just a corporate project. The project is completely enthusiast run, and came about in 2023. You see, some donny had the idea to electrify the GT-R, in order to keep it around through regulatory challenges. The question was: what if you could preserve the GT-R's for a new generation by giving it an electric heart?The R32 GT-R, for those who might have missed out on their Japanese automotive history lessons, isn't just any old Nissan. When it debuted in 1989, it was so dominant in motorsports that it earned the nickname "Godzilla". It was beating everything left, right, and centre. Even the germans had trouble keeping up with it. Its sophisticated all-wheel-drive system and twin-turbo straight-six engine created a legend that still commands respect (and serious money) today. While Nissan is keeping technical details closer to their chest than a poker player with a royal flush, it's a safe bet that they've maintained the GT-R's all-wheel-drive setup - it would be almost sacrilegious not to. The real question is how they've managed to maintain the car's perfect weight distribution while stuffing it full of batteries.Also, the elekky GT-R won't be a one-off, destined to sit on it's backside in Nissan's heritage collection. Nissan is considering offering it as a conversion to existing R32 owners, and maybe even to R33's and R34's. It's a logical next step for Nissan's Nismo division, which has already been keeping classic GT-Rs alive through an extensive parts program.The timing of this reveal isn't coincidental either. Nissan has been dropping hints about the next-generation GT-R, the R36, possibly going electric. They're already playing with Formula E technology being brought down to road cars. Then also, their Hyper Force concept looked suspiciously like a GT-R. The project raises some fascinating questions about the future of classic cars in an increasingly electric world. If you can maintain the character of a legendary performance car while making it zero-emission capable, is that sacrilege or salvation? We'll find out what the GT-R faithful think when the car debuts at Tokyo's Makuhari Messe convention center from January 10-12.Meanwhile, the current R35 GT-R is preparing for its final bow after an impressive 16-year production run. As one GT-R chapter closes, it seems Nissan is already writing the electric prologue for the next one.
