One might wonder why Nissan would go to such great lengths to pull off such a feat, but for the Japanese automaker and its engineers the reason is simple: to drum up excitement and gauge potential customer interest in a sportier variant of the Juke.
The Frankenstein-esque car, going by the name 2011 Nissan Juke-R Concept, is strictly a design study and any production version is unlikely to feature the GT-R’s ballistic twin-turbocharged V-6.
To accommodate GT-R running gear, which has a shorter but wider overall front print than the Juke, engineers needed to add flared wheel arches, revised front and rear bumpers, and a unique split rear wing.
Under the hood is a 2011 Nissan GT-R’s V-6, which means output is capped at 480 horsepower rather than at 523 horsepower like in the newer 2012 model. Nevertheless, the concept should still offer insane performance figures, especially considering that its stripped interior will mean it’s lighter than the GT-R.
Under the boot floor hides the six-speed dual clutch transaxle, with the front and rear ends joined by a modified GT-R 4WD driveline and prop shaft. Chunky 20-inch RAYS forged alloys complete the transformation.
The Juke-R Concept is currently being developed in the UK by motorsports engineering firm RML with input from the Nissan Technology Center for Europe. It is expected to complete its first tests this November and be fully road-legal.
