news

How this Nissan GT-R is saving lives

Organ transplants are an important part of medicine, offering people a second chance at life where previously there was none 


– getting the donor organ to the recipient is often a race against time, literally a matter of life and death. The faster you can get the donor organ to the recipient, the greater their chance of survival.

To help solve the problem of transporting these vital organs, Portugal’s Republican National Guard has seconded a confiscated Nissan GT-R to serve as an organ donor vehicle. The powerful sportscar was seized by the National Guard as part of the proceeds of crime.

Now, armed with new paint and flashing lights, the GT-R is serving as an organ delivery vehicle between the nation’s two largest cities, Porto and Lisbon, separated by a distance of around 313km.

Normally the drive would take around 3 hours and 14 minutes (according to Google maps) and while the National Guard isn’t saying how fast the GT-R can effect the delivery, the presence of that twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 (with 361kW and 588Nm) under the GT-R’s bonnet is sure to shave some precious time off that prediction.

Drive

The Nissan GT-R in question appears to be a 2010-2016 model and while the National Guard hasn’t revealed what modifications have been made to the sports car for its new role as a potential lifesaver, organ transplant vehicles typically feature some method of refrigeration to keep the donor organs nice and cool.

In a post on its Facebook page, the Republican National Guard revealed it had transported over 2800 organs over the last 10 years, using a variety of vehicles, covering over 500,000km on their mercy dashes.

It’s not the first time a supercar has been brought into service for organ transplants, with the Italian Police using a modified V10-powered Lamborghini Huracan to deliver kidneys from Rome to Padua, a distance of around 480km. The kidneys travelled in the Huracan’s refrigerated ‘frunk’ and covered the journey in just over two hours at an average speed of 233km/h, according to the police. Google maps estimates the same trip, taken under normal conditions, would take around five hours.

Drive
MORE:Nissan Showroom
MORE:Nissan News
MORE:Nissan Reviews
MORE:Nissan GT-R Showroom
MORE:Nissan GT-R News
MORE:Nissan GT-R Reviews
MORE:Search Used Nissan Cars for Sale
MORE:Nissan Showroom
MORE:Nissan News
MORE:Nissan Reviews
MORE:Nissan GT-R Showroom
MORE:Nissan GT-R News
MORE:Nissan GT-R Reviews
MORE:Search Used Nissan Cars for Sale
Rob Margeit

Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.

Read more about Rob MargeitLinkIcon
Chat with us!







Chat with Agent