Usain Bolt, Nissan's 'Director of Excitement', chooses his own GT-R

A unique Nissan GT-R, embossed with Olympic Champion Usain Bolt’s signature will be auctioned on eBay later this month to benefit the Usain Bolt Foundation. Proceeds will go towards creating opportunities for children in Bolt’s home of Jamaica.

The special one-off gold GT-R is standard apart from its gold medal winning colour scheme.

However far from being a marketing stunt by Nissan, the sprinter has been helping develop a special “Bolt GT-R” for his own personal use, which will inspire a limited-edition run of special customer models which will be available worldwide.

The Olympic Champion spent this week testing various GT-R models at Nissan’s proving ground near Oppama, Japan, after being appointed Nissan’s new “Director of Excitement.” (cool job title eh?)

Bolt said, “Racing is my inspiration, and I want to help Nissan become an even more exciting brand for everyone.”

Toshiyuki Shiga, Nissan’s Chief Operating Officer, welcomed Bolt’s endorsement and said “Nissan shares the spirit of excitement that captivated worldwide audiences at the Olympics. There is no-one better qualified than Usain Bolt to help us translate that spirit into great experiences.”

Bolt is expected to contribute further towards Nissan’s “WHAT IF_” global brand campaign, which as part of the company’s Power 88 mid-term business plan, aims to capture eight per cent share of the global automotive market and achieve eight per cent operating margins.