► New Nissan Artisan GT-R restomod
► Created by London-based Artisan Vehicle Design
► Litchfield to undertake all mechanical tuning
Fed up with waiting for a new Nissan GT-R? A British firm might have the answer with its interpretation of this JDM icon, the Artisan GT-R.
Revealed at the back end of 2023, the Artisan GT-R aims to offer design cues from past Skylines, and it’s now been confirmed that renowned Nissan GT-R tuning company Litchfield will be working its magic on the car.
How is it different to an ordinary R35 GT-R?
While you can still buy a brand-new Nissan GT-R in corners of the world where environmental concerns are pushed down the priority list – the US, namely – you haven’t been able to a showroom-fresh R35 in Europe since 2022 when tighter noise regulations forced it to come to an abrupt end.
With still no signs of any R36 GT-R, Artisan aims to bridge the gap, taking inspiration from Skylines of old with this new car.
Based on an R35 GT-R, all body panels are removed and then reskinned in the ‘best quality’ carbon-fibre, helping to drop the kerb weight, though not surprisingly there are few figures available yet.
The design is pretty effective, looking like a believable Nissan facelift that successfully manages to hark back to Skyline GT-Rs of old, especially the R34. There’s a cool vented bonnet and a striking new light signature made up of horizontally arranged LEDs. The interior gets a big new touchscreen, a modern improvement on the R35’s usual drab switchgear.
Tell me more about Litchfield’s involvement
It’s all too easy to get sceptical about restomods, as many disappear sooner than they arrive. But one thing that tells us Artisan is serious is that it’s got specialist tuning firm Litchfield to do the mechanical fettling.
Using the GT-R’s VR38DETT engine as its base, it is rebuilt with several upgraded parts, such as the intercooler, intakes, injectors and GT3 turbos.
There will be a flagship ‘Ultimate Edition’ as well, which gets an increased 4.1-litre engine displacement, as well as larger roller bearing turbos and highflow fuel pumps. This version also gets a rebuilt transmission and upgraded clutch. It appears to mean business.
Litchfield also replaces the GT-R’s usual quad-exit exhaust system with two huge pipes, while customers can also choose a Bilstein suspension setup and Alcon brakes from the extensive options list.
What is Artisan?
Though it sounds a bit like a posh Soho bakery, Artisan Vehicle Design is the idea of Roman Miah, a Coventry University automotive design graduate.
Though the registered address is to a rather nondescript location in Southall, West London, manufacturing of the Artisan GT-R will take place in Hannover, Germany. The firm says customers can bring in their existing R35 or a car can be sourced for them. Artisan ‘estimates’ that the cost for the standard GT-R conversion will be £369,000, with the Ultimate Edition coming in at £389,000.