It Looks Like Italdesign is Working on a Coachbuilt Nissan GT-R

Italdesign is one of the most prominent and well-known Italian design firms.

The VW Group-owned company, which specializes in automotive engineering and design work, can be traced back to renowned designer Giorgetto Giugiaro – who style the notoriously tidy MK1 VW Golf. Italdesign has since lent its pen to a variety of automotive companies, including Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini and many, many more. Its most recent creation was the Audi R8-based Italdeisgn Zerouno, but it looks as though it’s now turned its attention toward a new project.

AutoGuide has discovered a patent filing with European Intellectual Property Organization for ‘GTR50 by ITALDESIGN’. An accompanying graphic shows a badge that incorporates the Nissan GT-R’s unmistakable ‘GT-R’ badge, the number ’50’ and Italdesign’s logo, leading us to believe the Italian company is working on a new coachbuilt vehicle based on the R35. This year is also Italdesign’s 50th anniversary, so this custom-built GT-R should debut sometime this year.

SEE ALSO: Italdesign Zerouno Drops its Top for New Roadster Variant

It’s not clear when the Italdesign GTR50 will debut, but we have a few ideas. The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California is coming up and is typically the best place for styling houses like Italdesign to show off their outlandish and forward-thinking creations. If we don’t see it there, we’re expecting it to show up at the 2018 Paris Motor Show in October, or perhaps even the LA Auto Show in November.

We’ll bring you full details on this Italian-designed Japanese supercar as soon as they become available.

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