> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://torquecafe.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Nissan GT-R R36 could revive classic Skyline design - URL: https://torquecafe.com/car-news-r36-nissan-gtr-design-hint/ - Published: 2026-11-12T01:21:07.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-12T01:21:07.000Z - Description: The upcoming R36-generation Nissan GT-R will go back into the old Skyline’s archives for its design, according to one executive. - Author: Jordan Mulach A new Nissan GT-R seems inevitable, and the brand appears to be keen on further leaning into the heritage of the Skyline nameplate for its next flagship. Speaking to Japan’s *Best Car* magazine, Nissan’s head of global design, Matthew Weaver – who headed the design of the Juke – said the R36 could borrow a trick not used by the brand since the Skyline of the early 1970s. "If we were to make an R36, it would have round headlights. That's all I can say right now,” Weaver said, reportedly laughing at the end of his comment. Nissan’s first two generations of Skyline-based GT-Rs both featured dual sets of round headlights from 1969 to 1973, which carried on to the tail lights. ![Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/2026/11/GT---R-Coupe.jpg) First-generation Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R Since the Skyline GT-R nameplate was revived in 1989, the R32, R33 and R34 all went to a more rectangular, horizontal headlight design, while the R35 GT-R (no longer a Skyline) moved them vertically. When Nissan unveiled the[ Hyper Force concept in 2023](https://torquecafe.com/coming-soon-1000kw-nissan-gt-r/), the wild EV concept retained the dual round tail lights of every generation of GT-R, though its front design featured a full-length light bar, as well as three horizontal slats as its headlights. It took Nissan more than two years to effectively confirm the GT-R will be coming back following endless rumours about its return. “Is it a priority?” Espinosa said when asked about the return of the GT-R, as reported by[ *Auto Express*](https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/366864/official-nissan-gt-r-will-return-and-new-skyline-too?ref=torquecafe.com) in April. ![Nissan's last R35 GT-R in the factory](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/2026/11/250826-01_Tochigi_07-source.jpg) The final R35 Nissan GT-R “Of course, it’s one of the strongest brands in our portfolio. It’s not only a car, it’s a symbol of many things inside and outside the company. There definitely needs to be a new GT-R: it will come.” [Less than a week later](https://torquecafe.com/nissan-news-r36-gtr-wont-be-an-ev/), Nissan’s global head of product strategy, Richard Candler, told US publication[ *Motor1*](https://www.motor1.com/news/793113/r36-nissan-gtr-wont-be-electric/?ref=torquecafe.com) the GT-R won’t go fully electric, due to a downturn in demand throughout the battery-powered sports car market. “I think what we’ve seen so far is that electric sports cars haven’t been hugely popular,” Candler said. [Nissan GT-R R36 keeping petrol power aliveThe ‘R36’ Nissan GT-R won’t be an EV as first expected - and feared by fans - with executives confirming an engine will be under the bonnet.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/icon/cropped-favicon-8c5f22e8-057f-4e70-be26-f66b9773fd67.png)TorquecafeJordan Mulach![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/thumbnail/nissan-hyper-force-concept-3-269ae1d9-404c-415e-8157-3ea90704de87.jpg)](https://torquecafe.com/nissan-news-r36-gtr-wont-be-an-ev/) “I think they’ll come as better battery technology takes its next leap, but the current lithium chemistries are not capable of producing a GT-R-type product. We’re not going to go with batteries in the next generation. No way.” “\[The GT-R\] will have to be electrified because of emissions regulations at some level, of course. It’s just common sense that you would have a sense of electrification, but the battery’s a limiting factor. “The battery chemistry is not strong enough yet to be able to deliver the requirements of the GT-R.” ![Every Nissan Skyline GT-R generation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a9/b3/a9b3e204-3117-4792-9a32-46184029df44/content/images/2026/11/nissan-gt-r-1.jpg) All generations of the Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R All generations of the GT-R - from its Skyline roots to becoming a standalone model with the R35 - have been powered by six-cylinder engines, initially naturally aspirated before adding twin turbochargers for the R32 to R34, while the most recent R35 was the first V6. It’s not known whether the R35’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine could meet emissions standards globally if it is electrified, nor is it known how Nissan would undertake this, though it’s almost a guarantee that the GT-R will remain all-wheel drive.