‘Later, the colossally successful Ghosn would go on the run from the Japanese forces of law and order, charged with under-reporting his salary and misappropriation of Nissan funds. You can bet he wished at the time that he had a Nissan GT-R for his getaway: the outrageously-powered sporty 2+2 supercar, with its 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6, had a top speed of 193 mph and would take 3.3 seconds to get from 0-60 mph.

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‘No wonder it was considered to have outclassed the Porsche 911 Turbo, Carlos Ghosn’s rival target; and no wonder it featured massive Brembo brakes with almost magical stopping power. As it was, Ghosn would make his escape from Japan in a musical instrument box carried onto a private jet that would whisk him to his home in Lebanon.

‘Ghosn, who had become CEO of Nissan thanks to the 1999 Nissan-Renault partnership, intended the extremely high performance GT-R to become an iconic emblem across the planet for Nissan. This was a justifiable ambassadorial role for a really fabulous car, eye-catching and staggeringly powerful, a very modern machine that really feels the road.

‘We have one right at the moment at Beverly Hills Car Club, a one owner, low mileage, 2009 Nissan GT-R Premium featured with only 10,288 miles on the odometer and finished in a Gun Metallic Grey combined with a black interior.

‘In addition to the equipment and amenities, this GT-R comes with the owner’s manual booklet, service/maintenance guide, manufacturer’s literature, copy of the window sticker, service receipts, and a clean Carfax report showing history in California from 2008 through 2022. This is an eye-catching GT-R Premium that is in great shape and is also mechanically sound.

‘Development of the Nissan GT-R commenced in the year 2000: the next year the GT-R’s development was declared by Carlos Ghosn at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show.

‘Nissan’s designers from Europe, the United States, and Japan created sketches for their vision of the new car. These were submitted to Shiro Nakamura, who was head of design at Nissan. His vision of the new car was that that it should not only express the quintessence of the modern sports car but also stand as a reflection of Japanese culture and the Skyline’s heritage.

‘When Nissan Chief Designer Hiroshi Hasegawa took on the project, it took him in excess of four years to bring the completed plans to the table: in order to create sufficient downforce for this sporty, potential archetype, he had stressed the aerodynamic qualities needed.

‘This of course helped lead to the extraordinary motor-car that is the Nissan GT-R Premium, a vehicle with almost unbelievable acceleration, breathtaking stopping power, and one that was a joy to drive – especially at its price of $70,000, less than the most basic Porsche.

‘As shrewd at marketing as he was at developing the sensational concept of the Nissan GT-R, Carlos Ghosn also ensured that the car featured strongly in the phenomenally popular game, Gran Turismo – or Grand Theft Auto, as it is more popularly known.

‘Was Carlos Ghosn prescient about his future? Hiding from the law in a musical instrument box?

‘It could have been a plot-line from the Gran Turismo video game.

-Alex Manos, Owner