Key Factors
- GT-R reproduction constructed on a Ford Cougar listed on cellular.de for €7,500.
- Encompasses a 2.5L V6, handbook transmission, recent bodywork, and low mileage.
- A part of a rising development in inexpensive basic and pop-culture automotive replicas.
What Precisely Are We Trying At?
Replicas have turn into higher through the years – from high-end recreations of classics like the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, which now value greater than a Ferrari Purosangue, to pop-culture icons corresponding to full-scale Batmobiles listed on the market.
That stated, Germany has turn into residence to a brand new entry within the reproduction scene: a Nissan GT-R lookalike constructed on a Ford Cougar platform. And… let’s simply say it isn’t as nice as these we’ve talked about, however hear us out.
This explicit GT-R recreation arrived on Germany’s Cell itemizing web site. It’s registered in Lithuania and positioned as an accessible different for consumers drawn to the form and presence of Nissan’s efficiency flagship, however at a fraction of the associated fee. Whereas it doesn’t promise supercar tempo, it does reveal how far some builders will go to merge affordability with aspiration.
Godzilla by Title, Cougar at Coronary heart
The automobile is listed at about $9,000 at present change charges, and even affords financing at $95 a month, making it a budget-friendly entry level for one thing styled after a contemporary efficiency icon. Inbuilt 2019 on a Ford Cougar chassis, the automotive has amassed solely 932 miles since its conversion and three,107 miles complete.
No less than it has a V6, although it’s not Nissan’s wonderful VR38DETT – it solely produces 163 hp and is paired with a handbook transmission. Whereas output is modest in comparison with the actual GT-R, the automotive maintains the mechanical simplicity of its donor automobile.
Exterior modifications embody authentic GT-R bumpers, an aluminum hood, fiberglass physique panels, new LED lighting, and new alloy wheels fitted with Pirelli tires. The inside has been totally reupholstered and options computerized local weather management, parking sensors, a rear digital camera, a TV, a sunroof, and varied security methods, together with ABS and stability management. The itemizing additionally notes an uncommon element for a coupe: sliding doorways on either side. Though that element would possibly sound doubtful, it definitely could be attention-grabbing.
A Humble Duplicate Albeit With Off-Placing Proportions
Is that this a real GT-R? Completely not. Is it probably the most entertaining listings in Europe proper now? With out query. For the value of an honest gaming PC, you possibly can personal a dialog piece that confuses purists, delights onlookers, and turns each gas-station cease right into a Q&A session you by no means requested for.
And truthfully, in a world the place reproduction supercars repeatedly promote for mansion cash and movie-car clones get snapped up by collectors, this Ford-Cougar-turned-Godzilla feels… refreshingly humble. It is aware of what it’s. And for lower than $9,000, perhaps that’s the purest GT-R expertise you should buy right now – even when it’s solely GT-R-shaped in spirit.
In regards to the creator
Leroy Marion has lined the automotive business for over a decade, specializing in automotive opinions, market evaluation, and expertise options. At the moment Managing Editor – Video at Zigwheels Philippines, he is contributed to Mototelic and Philkotse and gained Finest Ford Automotive Characteristic on the 2021 Henry Ford Awards.
