The Stick Shift R35 Nissan GT-R Could Go Global If There’s Enough Interest

When the R35 Nissan GT-R became the first GT-R to make it to America, buyers in the U.S. were ecstatic. The previous versions of the car were legends thanks to Gran Turismo and other media from Japan and the U.K., but Nissan had never intended to sell them, or the Skyline they were based on, in foreign markets.

Then the GT-R arrived, and instead of a manual transmission and an inline-six, it had a twin-turbo V6 and a (shudder) dual-clutch automatic. Even if you were okay without a clutch pedal, the early six-speed DCT was an abomination. Rough shifts and a delicate constitution if you used launch control did not win people over. Sure, it got better over the years, but it never got great. Now, one Japanese tuning shop has fixed the greatest flaw in the R35 GT-R by fitting it with a manual transmission.

Not Just Any Tuner Coming In Clutch For GT-R

Nissan tunes Crewch has been working on the automaker’s wares since 2002. Not only does its crew make Nissans faster, but it also shows them off. A museum on-site has 400 cars on display, with some cool and rare hardware.

While the company has made some incredibly fast cars and some very wild bespoke cars, this might be its best yet. It also might have been the toughest.

In the R35, the transmission is at the back. A driveshaft runs from the engine to the rear axle, then another one runs back to the front to drive the front tires. Manual transmissions with a transaxle like this aren’t uncommon; the Corvette used the layout for years, as have many other RWD sports cars. Doing it with AWD is almost unheard of.

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Making it work took Crewch a whole year, Motor1 reports. According to the report, the team snagged a Getrag 233 as a starting point, the six-speed used in the R34 GT-R. That box is mounted directly to the engine in the R34, and power goes to the front axle from there.

R34 AWD System Crammed Where There Was No Transmission Before

Crewch was able to cram the entire mechanical ATTESA AWD system from the R34 into the tunnel of the R35. At the front, not the rear. So the R35 loses its trick electronic AWD system and many of its other driver assists, but with every change comes a compromise. And if you want a stick, you’re probably fine without those bits anyway.

The transmission has a different final drive ratio, but Motor1 says Crewch called the 3.545 close enough to the original 3.7 that it’s fine. The manual car is slower than a dual-clutch box, but that’s not a surprise since manual shifting will always take more time.

It’s Far From Cheap, But It Could Come To America

According to the report, Crewch plans to sell this as a kit. The cost will be around ¥6.3 million, which is around $45,000 at current exchange rates. If you supply the transmission, you can cut roughly $10k off of that.

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Before that can happen, Crewch needs to finish making this prototype into a kit that can be replicated easily, developing the tooling and jigs that are must-haves for repeat production. Plus, you’ll need to ship your car to Japan if you want it installed at the shop. There is a plan to offer it for sale internationally, if it’s feasible.

Source: Motor1