Remember the Nissan Juke-R Concept, a fully-engineered show vehicle that wrapped the mechanical heart and soul of the automaker’s GT-R supercar in modified Juke-R bodywork? What began as an exercise in possibility thinking has now become a reality, although one destined to appear in extremely limited numbers. Following its dramatic crowd-pleasing appearance in Dubai last January, Nissan UK has announced that it will accept orders during the next four weeks to create a true mini series of custom-built Juke-Rs for private customers. The first three vehicles are set to be delivered in late summer. In commenting on the program, Gareth Dunsmore, marketing product manager for the Juke, noted: "The Juke-R was originally intended as a one-off concept to marry two of Nissan’s most innovative models. But the reaction we had to the car in Dubai was amazing – people were making offers for the original on the street!"
"With such a strong reaction, and with three genuine offers on the table, we decided we had to make the car a reality. We can’t let down enthusiasts who are this keen to add to their collection of cars. The Juke-R has become something of a phenomenon and I’m enormously proud of the impact it has had. There will be more news to come on Juke later in the year."While the Juke-R Concept was impressive to say the least, all cars in this limited run series-build will come loaded with even more firepower. Unlike the original that was based on the 2010 GT-R mechanicals and had a 530-horsepower/3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, the updated versions will benefit from all of the chassis tweaks in the 2012 GT-R and pack a 545-horsepower version of the engine. Top speed of these Juke-R series cars will be 160 mph.
To celebrate the Juke-R announcement, Nissan commissioned a short film by award-winning director Rob Kaplan that dramatically highlights the car’s dynamic capabilities. Titled "Desert Nemesis," it chronicles a full-on street race on roads around Dubai’s International Marina Club that pits the Juke-R driven by professional racer Lucas Ordonez against a trio of world-class supercars. Although the result is hardly surprising, stunning cinematography makes it an event well worth re-experiencing.
Although Nissan North America has operation has no plans to bring any Juke-Rs to the U.S., interested parties can contact Juke-R@Nissan.co.uk for complete ordering details and information on pricing.
