Nissan GT-R Nismo race car from ‘Gran Turismo’ movie heading to auction

A Nissan GT-R race car which was used during filming for the upcoming Gran Turismo movie – as well in real-life racing competitions – is heading to auction in the UK next month.

Listed by Silverstone Auctions, this 2014 Nissan GT-R Nismo was built to race in international GT3-specification competitions – taking to the track against Porsche 911s, Audi R8s and Ferrari 488s among others.

While GT-R Nismos were used by Nissan’s factory teams and privateer operations, this particular example is one of the few to be driven by Jann Mardenborough – the British video gamer who became a professional racing driver after winning a Gran Turismo gaming competition.

MORE: Early look at upcoming ‘Gran Turismo’ movie

Mardenborough was the third winner of the GT Academy, which pitted gamers against each other virtually before assessing their driving skills in real life, with the winners awarded the opportunity to race for Nissan in select competitions.

Following his victory in 2011, Mardenborough was given the prize of racing for Nissan in the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race – finishing third in his class and earning the Japanese car-maker’s respect, leading to further drives for the team.

In addition to stints in the GP3 (now Formula 3) and GP2 (now Formula 2) series, Mardenborough took part in European GT3 competitions driving this Nissan GT-R Nismo.

Powered by a detuned version of the GT-R road car’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, the Nismo GT3 sends its power to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission – rather than the standard version’s dual-clutch automatic and all-wheel-drive system.

This chassis – designated GTR-8A01 – was later raced by Mardenborough’s Nissan team-mates Alex Buncombe, Kazuki Hoshino, Michael Krumm and Luxas Ordonez the 2015 and 2016 editions of the Nurburgring 24 Hour endurance race, recording finishes of ninth and 11th respectively.

Unfortunately the listing does not say whether this particular GT-R Nismo competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race, which Nissan entered with factory-backed entries between 2014 and 2017.

After being sold by Nissan’s ‘RJN Motorsport’ team, the GT-R Nismo was raced by privateer driver Graham Tilley before being purchased by Darren Cox – the founder of the GT Academy.

The Nissan GT-R Nismo was subsequently used to film racing scenes in the upcoming Gran Turismo movie, which is a dramatised version of Mardenborough’s gamer-to-racer story.

While Mardenborough will be played by actor Archie Madekwe, the film will also star Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean), David Harbour (Stranger Things, Quantum of Solace), and Geri Halliwell-Horner (also known as Ginger Spice).

The Gran Turismo movie is due in Australian cinemas from August 10 – about a fortnight before the Nissan GT-R Nismo goes to auction in the UK.

Silverstone Auctions estimates the car could sell for £225,000 ($AU430,000) to £275,000 ($AU525,000) plus a 12.5 per cent auction fee – or approximately the same price as the GT3-spec GT-R Nismo when it was new.

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