UK-based drifter Steve “Bagsy” Biagioni leaves a Nissan Navara pickup truck with a GT-R heart.
First seen by Engine 1, The pickup is called Navara-R, and a GT-R-sourced twin-turbocharged V-6 sports and the displacement has been upgraded from 3.8 liters to 4.1 liters. Named VR41 to reflect its displacement, the engine produces the claimed 1,000 hp. This power is channeled to four wheels via a custom dual-clutch transmission from Dodson Motorsport, New Zealand.
In addition to the GT-R engine, the Navara-R also has suspension based on the GT-R subframe with KW V4 racing coilover and HLS 4 hydraulic-lift system. The truck mounts on 20-inch wheels that are attached to the Flard Fender, part of a complete body kit that includes new front and rear bumper and seal extensions.
Inside, the truck features an aftermarket Kenwood head unit and an engine start button from a steering wheel and a GT-R. Otherwise, the interior seems to be mostly stock. Until its closure in 2021, Navara itself was Nissan’s medium-sized pickup for most markets outside the United States (we get Frontier Pie instead).
This is not the first time a GT-R engine has been replaced by a high-riding vehicle. UK tuner Severn Valley Motorsport has actually built two GT-R-powered Nissan Kashkai crossovers (the previous generation Kashkai is sold in the United States as the Nissan Disease Sport). The second version claims 2,000 hp and in 2018 the top speed reached 237.8 miles per hour.
Nissan itself has jumped on the bandwagon. The automaker unveiled the Juke-R as a concept in 2011, and created a handful of production versions. The Juke-R boasts 545 hp (comparable to the output of the then GT-R), all-wheel drive and 160-mph top speed. Only five were built, which were well priced in the six-digit area.