600bhp Nissan Juke R: the baby SUV that ate a Nismo GT-R

The Nissan Juke will soon be five years old. Cakes, candles and pass the parcel are old news, however: the correct way to mark the occasion is with power. Supercar-bashing levels of power, to be more precise.

It’s not a new concept, of course, and we’ve already seen a Nissan Juke R before. The 2011 original saw the gizzards of a GT-R squeezed under the little crossover – presumably with a very large, angry shoehorn – producing a 478bhp, four-wheel-drive headcase.
 
Such was the success, it would seem, that Nissan has done it all over again, this time with the recently facelifted Juke, more steroidal styling elements and more power. An extra 112bhp, in fact, which is more than you’ll find in total in most run-of-the-mill Jukes.
 
Juke R 2.0, as it’s been dubbed, utilises the powertrain from the Nismo GT-R, which means Ferrari 458 Speciale-beating power and torque, a circa-3.0-second 0-60mph time and the potential – should the Juke’s plump body not curtail the aerodynamics too much – to nudge 200mph.
 
Rumour has it that the Juke R 2.0 sits atop the remnants of the Nismo GT-R that made too intimate a greeting with a haybale at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and takes its bow at the same event one year later.
 
Nismo racer and friend of TG Jann Mardenborough will be on pilot duties for runs up the hill, where it’s likely to set times that embarrass some of the rather iconic old supercars and racers making the same trek.
 
As before, this is officially a concept car. But the last Juke R titillated supercar collectors, leading to Nissan receiving offers plump enough to start a small production run, and we wouldn’t bet against the same thing happening again.
 
If you could, would you?