The Next GT-R! Meet the 1341bhp Nissan Hyper Force

Mention a Nissan GT-R in any car conversation and somebody is going to have an opinion. And love or hate, you'll generally find some measure of respect. It's a badge that means something to car people, because they are flipping brilliant. Welcome then to the Nissan Hyper Force, which is either the next Japanese Batmobile or the shape of things to come in the GT-R pantheon. Now Nissan reckons that the Hyper Force is what an eco-conscious hyper-EV might look like some time in the future. But they

also think that it's going to be very daily usable. So in my mind, it's kind of a Greenpeace GT-R concept that has some hints as to what a real-life next-gen GT-R might look like. Possibly. Ish. So the headlines for the Hyper Force are that it has a full electric drivetrain with dual motors, and a next-generation performance version of Nissan's e-4ORCE four-wheel drive. It's also got a solid-state battery pushing out 1,000kW of power. Now 1,000kW is about 1,341bhp in old money, which shoul

d give you the usual sub-three-seconds 0 to 62 times and mad in-gear acceleration. But that's all so far, so electric, so space age. That claim for a solid-state battery is interesting because they have a higher energy density than traditional lithium ion, are safer, easier to recycle, last longer, charge faster and generally don't have to be the same shape or size that we're used to. Opening up a whole ream of possibilities, from packaging to weight. But they're expensive and nobody has rea

lly quite cracked the formula for big EV-sized ones. So while the world is confident they're coming, they ain't here yet. But this is a concept car. So the company could have said it was powered by unicorn tears and cold fusion, and nobody could have told them any different. What's important about this thing is how it looks, and it looks about as angry as it's possible to get without compulsory therapy. It's made up virtually entirely of very sexy angles. You will notice, however, that there is

a decent chunk of R35 GT-R kind of floating up through this thing, especially around this window line, C-pillar, the head and the tail lights. There are ideas here, even though the execution is kind of trying to make you look the other way. Stuff like dual-level diffusers and wings front and back. They make sense, as do the active aerodynamic elements. The front dive planes, front valance and rear wing, they've all got movable parts depending on the job at hand. All developed with the help o

f the Nismo motorsport arm, which means it's actually based in reality. Forged carbon aero wheels. They could be a definite possibility. Though I would be avoiding kerbs like the plague. And there's a plasma actuator, which suppresses air detachment to maximise grip and minimise inner wheel lift during cornering. It sounds like science fiction, it's actually science fact. But while there's lots of real stuff kind of hiding behind the Greatest Showman aesthetic, it's the inside that is properl

y bonkers. Because it's a mix of fast jet cockpit and Berlin nightclub. There are lots of lights, obviously, and they change colour depending on which of the two modes you're in. So if you're in R mode, which stands for "racing", everything is very red and quite aggressive. And these satellite screens, either side of this yoke steering wheel, come forward and present you with all the relevant information you might need for when you're going really fast. So things like tyre temperature, rotor

temperature, torque vectoring, traction control, that kind of stuff. And then, once you're off the racetrack, you can go into GT mode, which is "grand touring", obviously. Then everything turns very blue and relaxed. And then it has things like climate control, audio, satellite navigation, things you'll need on a road. Although I have to say, even when you're in GT mode, these full kind of carbon-fibre sun loungers and the four-point harnesses aren't actually that comfortable. And there's a tw

ist. The Hyper Force also has a special set of virtual-reality goggles that mean you can use the car as a sim when parked. Or you can go augmented reality and use skeleton visors when you're actually on a real racetrack, to do stuff like race ghost versions of other people or just try and beat your own previous time. So that's all well and good. But there's a reason why the GT-R nameplate is iconic. First, it's got history. Ever since the PGC-10 Skyline GT-R was launched way back in 1969,

the GT-R nameplate has had that kind of giant-killing attitude for a relatively affordable price. Second, it's been proven in motorsport. From touring cars to endurance racing, the GT-R has consumed more titles than a labrador at a dog-biscuit buffet. They called it Godzilla for a reason – because it was a monster from Japan. Third, it's got tech. From the late 80s and the R32, the GT-R got ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive. It's got twin turbos, four-wheel steering, race-realistic engines and Nismo t

weakery. It's a car built for tuning, for personalisation, for… more. And fourth, it's been immortalised in popular culture, both in Japan and abroad. From computer games to cameos in film, the GT-R has become a legend in its own production run. I once drove the Italdesign GT-R50 down the US East Coast and it caused proper commotion because fans thought it was the new GT-R. So is this the next GT-R? Yes and no. This is basically Nissan's idea of what a hyper-EV might look like some time in t

he future. Probably be about 2030. But it does have some elements of real life. It strongly suggests that the next GT-R might have a big bit of EV in it and probably some active aero. But it won't actually look like this. Well, not entirely anyway. Thing is, would it be a problem if it did? Let us know in the comments.