Last year, two unlikely sports cars got the safari treatment: the Porsche 911 Dakar and the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. But so far as we can tell, nobody has ever turned the iconic Nissan R32 GT-R into an off-roader – until now.
Inspired in part by the 911 Dakar, YouTuber and enthusiast Adam LZ created the first “Safari GTR.” Adam started his build with an engine-less R32 GT-R donor car that he snagged for $10,000 and had partially restored at a shop in Connecticut. He quickly fitted it with a modified RB26 inline-six from one of his other R32 projects, complete with a Gen 2 turbo, a new intercooler, and a tweaked ECU, giving the Safari GTR a healthy 500 horsepower at the wheels.
From there, the GT-R gained a custom long-travel suspension with 10.5 inches of ground clearance – nearly double the lift of a stock R32 and more than enough for tackling trails. Meanwhile, the 17-inch Rays wheels are wrapped in Nitto Nomad Grappler tires (215/65R17) and WRX mud flaps further enhance the off-road aesthetic. And an aftermarket selectable four-wheel drive controller offers extra traction on dirt roads but can be switched to RWD for drifting fun.
The front end has a custom powder-coated bash bar with six-inch LED fog lights, while the roof gets a powder-coated Nismo roof rack with four-inch fog lights. But given that the R32 didn’t come with a roof rack from the factory, Adam and his build team had to cut directly into the roof to install the rack. The body wears a cool olive green wrap, and the interior gets a full roll cage with custom seats and camouflage four-point harnesses.
The build reportedly took less than three weeks to finish and the entire project was documented in a series of videos on Adam LZ’s YouTube channel. But he has even bigger plans for the project down the line – eventually the R32 will get even more suspension travel, better brakes, and probably a snorkel for deeper puddles. Not that this GT-R can’t already drive through some deep water as it is.
