2011 Nissan Juke-R: Fast Car History Lesson

Nissan has just released the Juke Nismo RS in Australia, but before that there was something a little more… potent.

The 2011 Nissan Juke-R was originally just to be a concept as the compact SUV was granted the drivetrain from the mighty Nissan GT-R, creating what Nissan called the ‘world’s first crossover supercar’.

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Pictured: Juke-R concept rendering

Only two were to exist, one in left-hand and one in right-hand drive, built by motorsport engineering company Ray Mallock Ltd (RML).

Of course, those with enough money and optimism to make offers to buy one of the concept cars did so, and the response was so strong that Nissan eventually caved.

For a somewhat hefty USD$665,000 (around AUD$940,750 today), the wealthy could pick up a 406kW twin-turbo V6-powered SUV with all-wheel drive traction and a 0-97km/h (0-60mph) sprint of just 3.0 seconds. It even had an FIA-spec roll cage.

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While the original concept car was shown in white for its renderings, the production version were all matte black.

By early 2013, Juke-Rs were already being delivered to customers, only a little more than a year after its debut in Dubai. Where else could such a crazy and pricey car drum up so many offers?

Pictured: 2013 Juke-R first gen

It’s rumoured that only 21 were ever built, but that’s not the end of the Juke-R story. In 2015, Nissan announced another generation of the super-crossover, with the Nissan GT-R Nismo drivetrain set to feature in the updated model.

The Nissan Juke-R 2.0 upped the game to 447kW, but retained much of the styling (small changes were made) and the matte black paint of its predecessor.

Pictured: 2015 Juke-R second gen

Nissan even took the Juke-R 2.0 to Goodwood in 2015, putting an impressive (but unofficial) 57.21 seconds with Super GT driver Jann Mardenborough at the wheel.

It’s said 17 of the 2.0 were built (we’ve actually asked Nissan to confirm) for those wealthy and connected enough to get their hands on one, though Nissan never announced a price for the second-gen Juke-R.