Nissan GT-R production has ended after 18 years – 48,000 units; final car is a Premium Edition T-Spec

With its departure from several markets over the past few years, it was already known that the R35 Nissan GT-R was on its way out. This has now happened, as Nissan recently announced that production of the GT-R for the Japan domestic market – the final sales region for the model – has officially ended.

Over the 18 years it has been in production, approximately 48,000 GT-Rs rolled off the line at Nissan’s Tochigi plant, with the final unit being a Premium Edition T-Spec variant finished in Midnight Purple that will be handed over to a customer in Japan.

“After 18 remarkable years, the R35 GT-R has left an enduring mark on automotive history. Its legacy is a testament to the passion of our team and the loyalty of our customers around the globe. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey. To the many fans of the GT-R worldwide, I want to tell you this isn’t a goodbye to the GT-R forever, it’s our goal for the GT-R nameplate to one day make a return,” said Ivan Espinosa, president and CEO of Nissan.

The production version of the GT-R was first unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and marked a departure from past GT-R models that were part of the Skyline line-up. In the time it has been on sale, the GT-R has received several technical updates and facelifts, the latest of the latter introduced in 2023.

The VR38DETT has been at the heart of the 2+2 sports car/grand tourer for nearly two decades, with a core group of just nine Takumi (a Japanese word that means artisan or master craftsman) responsible for assembling every single 3.8 litre twin-turbo V6 that went into the 48,000 cars produced – it takes around six hours to assemble each engine by hand. Initially producing 480 PS, continuous updates saw peak output rise to 570 PS, with the newest Nismo versions packing 600 PS.

The GT-R announced itself to the world in grand fashion when it set a lap time of seven minutes and 38 seconds at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 2007, returning a year later to shave nine seconds. In 2009, the GT-R returned to The Green Hell again to set an even faster lap time of seven minutes and 26 seconds.

Three years after that, the GT-R improved its time again to seven minutes and 18 seconds in October 2012, with another run taking place in November 2013. This final-ever attempt saw a GT-R Nismo equipped with track options and a tuned suspension system manage a time of seven minutes and 8.679 seconds, the R35’s best-ever time at the iconic circuit.

In its home country, a GT-R Nismo broke the production car lap record at the Tsukuba Circuit in December 2019 with a time of 59.361 seconds. A newer version of the car would return for another attempt in January 2024, breaking the record with a time of 59.078 seconds.

Like its predecessors, the GT-R dabbled in motorsports and found success, with its list of achievements including five GT500 class and three GT300 class wins in Japan’s Super GT Championship, victory in the 2013 Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am class, a Bathurst 12-hour victory in 2015 and five Super Taikyu Japanese endurance racing series victories.

The GT-R also remains the Guiness World Record holder for the fastest vehicle drift, with a specially-prepared example going sideways at a speed of 304.96 km/h and 30-degree angle – this record was set in 2016 at special event that took place at Fujairah International Airport, UAE.

While the sun has set on the GT-R, Nissan says it remains committed to the nameplate with a vision to reimagine it for a new generation. An all-new GT-R has been talked about for many, many, many years, although there have been no official details for now and there won’t be for some time.

“We understand the expectations are high, the GT-R badge is not something that can be applied to just any vehicle; it is reserved for something truly special and the R35 set the bar high. So, all I can ask is for your patience. While we don’t have a precise plan finalised today, the GT-R will evolve and re-emerge in the future,” Espinosa said.