The curtain has finally fallen on one of Japan’s most enduring performance icons. After 18 years in production, the last of the R35-generation Nissan GT-R has rolled off the line at the company’s Tochigi plant, marking the end of an era for a car that redefined what a supercar could be.
The final example, a Premium Edition T-Spec painted in the famous Midnight Purple, was built for a Japanese customer. In total, Nissan produced around 48,000 R35 GT-Rs globally since its launch in 2007, with just under a thousand delivered to Australian buyers before the model was withdrawn in 2021 for failing to meet updated side-impact regulations.
Final R35 Nissan GT-R rolls off the line
Nissan confirmed production has concluded at its Tochigi plant, the home of the GT-R since 2007. The last car built is a Premium Edition T-Spec finished in the iconic Midnight Purple paint, destined for a Japanese customer.
Godzilla’s powertrain over the years
The R35 GT-R was powered by the hand-assembled 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 (VR38DETT), each engine built by one of just nine Takumi master craftsmen. Every unit bore a nameplate signed by its builder, a tradition that added to the GT-R’s cult status.
Power rose steadily during its lifecycle:
| Year / Version | Power Output | Torque | Key Highlight |
| 2007 Launch | 353 kW | 588 Nm | First R35 GT-R introduced |
| 2017 Update | 419 kW | 632 Nm | Increased performance tuning |
| Nismo Version | 441 kW | 652 Nm | GT3 race-spec turbos, precision-balanced internals |
To keep it relevant against the steady flow of new performance cars from Europe, the GT-R was updated continuously, with refinements to suspension, aerodynamics, and drivetrain software rather than full redesigns.
What’s next for the GT-R?
Nissan says this is not the end of the GT-R nameplate. “After 18 remarkable years, the R35 GT-R has left an enduring mark on automotive history. 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, Nissan’s president and CEO.
The company has already previewed the future with the Nissan Hyper Force concept, a radical 1000kW all-electric coupe shown at the 2023 Tokyo Motor Show. Reports suggest the next-generation R36 GT-R could launch as early as 2028, potentially using solid-state batteries, though Nissan has not confirmed if it will be fully electric or hybrid.
For now, the final R35 GT-R, hand-built and finished in Midnight Purple, serves as a bridge to the brand’s electrified future, closing the chapter on Nissan’s petrol-powered era.
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