One-Off Nissan GT-R Pursuit 23 “Copzilla” Belongs In A Transformers Movie

It’s a one-off built to grab eyeballs in New York. But that shouldn’t stop the carmaker from getting the Nissan GT-R Copzilla get a supporting role in a Transformers movie.

What’s stopping Nissan from getting their Godzilla a role in the Transformers live-action movie franchise? The Nissan GT-R is a good-looking, brutally fast car with global popularity because of its “Fast and Furious” connection. Recently, the manufacturer built a one-off version of it in cop car garbs with the catchy “Pursuit 23” name. They even slapped on a fancy nickname – the Copzilla.

Transformers live-action movie universe has its badass cop car in Barricade’s alternate mode. The Saleen S281 Extreme Mustang took up the role as the evil Decepticon in the first Transformers movie, complete with the devilish “To punish and enslave” sticker on its rear fender. The upcoming Transformers: The Last Knight will have a heavily-modified and more intimidating Ford Mustang in the same role. It’s high time that the Autobots had a cop car by their side and the Nissan GT-R Copzilla fits the bill perfectly.

Commissioned by Nissan North America and built by Limitless Autoworks in collaboration with Federal Signal and On Duty Depot, the Copzilla is among the most outrageous versions of the GT-R we’ve ever come across.

Decked up in cop car livery, with dozens of LED police lights, wrapped in a shade of matte black, marked with a fictional “Skyline Metro Police Department” badges and with an enormous rear wing which is mounted to the roof of all places, the Nissan GT-R Copzilla will make Barricade take one step back. Adjustable coil-over shocks, 22-inch wheels, the quintessential cop car push bar at the front, wider fenders and carbon-fiber accents add to the outrageous nature of the Copzilla.

Built on a standard-issue Nissan GT-R Premium, the Pursuit 23 Copzilla wasn’t displayed at the 2017 New York Auto Show. But it was prowling the streets of the Big Apple like a menacing cop car.

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The Copzilla has the number 23 emblazoned on its front and rear bumpers. The “Pursuit 23” name came from an interesting perspective – a reference to the pronunciation for the Japanese characters for “2” and “3” – “Ni” and “San”. The “Skyline” on the badge is a respectful nod to the original Nissan Skyline.

Michael Bay has hinted that there are more than a dozen Transformers movies in Paramount’s future plans for the billion-dollar franchise. And though General Motors will be getting the rock star treatment it terms of screen time, we have seen other cars getting significant roles as alternate vehicular modes of the transforming alien robots. Ferrari, Lamborghini and Pagani have already made their mark. McLaren and Aston Martin are joining the action in the upcoming Transformers: The Last Knight.

If Nissan PR and Marketing execs are looking for an additional platform than Universal’s Fast and Furious universe to promote their brand, getting the Nissan GT-R Copzilla a role in Paramount’s Transformers seems like a sensible option. Plus, a move like that will serve the fans of both the alien robots as well as the Godzilla.