There’s a lot of fake stuff on the internet these days, so much so that it’s hard to differentiate what’s real from what’s not. Some things are pretty obviously fake, while others, such as this R35 Nissan GT-R from Thailand, are not so clear cut.
Chad Bee of YouTube channel CB Media shows us around his friend Frank’s “Nissan GT-R”, powered by a turbocharged RB26 straight-six instead of the VR38 V6 that’s supposed to be under the hood.
Chad first posted a picture of the vehicle on his Instagram Story, and apparently, people were outraged that somebody would swap the engine of the R35, not realizing (despite the giant FAKE stickers on the side) that the vehicle was not, in fact, a real GT-R.
What it actually is, is an A31 Nissan Cefiro from the late 1980s with replica R35 body panels. The headlights, front lip, hood, doors, gas cap, and taillights are from a real R35 GT-R, while the rest of the body consists of carbon fiber replica panels. The panels were made by Thai company Karn Fiber, which builds replica bodies for a number of different vehicles.
Read More: Here’s Your $10k Nissan GT-R R34 Replica From Thailand Based On A Rover 200 Coupé
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Frank is the CEO of Thailand’s Tuner Concept which manufactures custom suspension parts and he built the “GT-R” to showcase his products at the Bangkok International Auto Salon back in 2017.
Because it’s based on a Cefiro, it doesn’t have all-wheel drive like the real thing, but that also means that it’s much better at drifting than the real thing, as Frank demonstrates at the end of the video.
If you’re wondering why somebody would go through all the trouble of making an already cool-looking vintage Nissan look like a modern GT-R, join the club. However, Thailand has a 300 percent import duty tax on all cars, meaning that a real R35 GT-R would set you back over $400,000.
Frank was able to build the vehicle for less than $50,000, so while the car might not be genuine, its owner’s enthusiasm for driving and modifying vehicles definitely is.
