Nissan R35 GT-R Made in Thailand Triggers an Online Frenzy
A fake Nissan R35 GT-R in Thailand has sent car lovers worldwide into a complete meltdown over it being powered by an RB26 straight-six instead of the VR38 V6 that’s supposed to be under the hood.
YouTube channel CB Media’s Chad Bee takes us inside his friend Frank’s “Nissan GT-R”. The car is powered by a turbocharged straight-six instead of the VR38 V6 that was supposed to be in the car.
People were outraged when he posted a picture of the vehicle to his Instagram Story, not realizing (despite the FAKE stickers on the side) that the car was not, in fact, a real GT-R.
The car is actually an A31 Nissan Cefiro from the late 1980s with replica body panels from the R35 GT-R model. While the headlights, front lip, hood, doors, gas cap, and taillights are from a real R35 GT-R, the rest of the body is made from carbon fiber replica panels.
The body panels were made by Thai company Karn Fiber, which builds replica bodies for various kinds of vehicles.
Fake Nissan R35 GT-R for Drifting
In 2017, Frank built the replica Nissan R35 GT-R for the Bangkok International Auto Salon as a way to showcase his company’s custom suspension parts and he owns Tuner Concept in Thailand which manufactures custom suspension parts.
Since it’s based on the Nissan Cefiro, it doesn’t have a four-wheel-drive system like the real thing, but fortunately, it’s much better at drifting than the real thing, as Frank proves at the end of the video.
If you’re wondering why anybody would bother to turn an already cool-looking vintage Nissan into a modern Nissan GTR, you’re not alone. A real Nissan R35 GT-R in Thailand, however, would cost over $400,000 due to Thailand’s 300 percent import duty tax.
The car isn’t genuine, but Frank’s enthusiasm for driving and modifying automobiles is. He was able to construct the R25 GT-R replica for less than $50,000.
