Sayonara Godzilla: Final R35 Nissan GT-R rolls off the line

The final R35 Nissan GT-R has rolled off the production line at Nissan’s Tochigi plant in Japan, closing out a lengthy 18-year production run for the iconic Japanese super coupe.

After announcing the end of production back in March, Nissan has now produced the final R35 GT-R – a Premium Edition T-Spec, finished in Midnight Purple, for a Japanese buyer.

Production had already wrapped up for other markets, with approximately 48,000 GT-Rs rolling out of the Tochigi factory, 993 of which were delivered in Australia.

The R35 GT-R was axed Down Under all the way back in 2021, as it didn’t meet a then-new Australian Design Rule for side impact safety.

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Nissan has also made it clear it’s committed to a future generation of the GT-R, though it has previously said it would be either hybrid or all-electric, so the R35 will likely be the final purely petrol-powered GT-R.

“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 Nissan president and CEO Ivan Espinosa.

“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 reemerge in the future.”

The R35 was powered by a twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine – the VR38DETT – mated with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system.

Power and torque rose from 353kW and 588Nm at launch to 419kW and 632Nm from 2017 onwards, with the Nismo version of the GT-R being upgraded to pump out 441kW and 652Nm.

Nissan has kept the GT-R looking largely the same over its lengthy run, with each of its multiple facelifts being fairly minor when it comes to visual changes.

Underneath the skin, however, there have been various changes made over its 18-year run, including retuned suspension and revisions to the engine to liberate more power and torque.

The GT-R’s engine was produced by a core team of just nine master craftsmen during its entire production run, with these Takumi – as they’re known – hand-assembling each of the engines in a special facility. Their names can be found on the plaques attached to each engine.

It’s possible the next GT-R won’t have an engine at all.

The Nissan Hyper Force concept at last year’s Tokyo motor show previewed the potential future of the GT-R as a 1000kW electric coupe, with reports from Japan claiming the R36 will feature solid-state batteries.

Nissan’s global product chief Pierre Loing told Top Gearlast September that regulations will force the end of the R35 GT-R, though the next-generation model could launch as soon as 2028 if advancements in battery development continue at current rates.

He also suggested that it’s not yet clear whether the new GT-R will be an electric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid.

“[…] we need to have a gap [in production between R35 and R36], because going into the electrified world, there is a lot of debate about ‘what is a GT-R in an era of electrification?’,” he said.

“We don’t have all the answers yet. We are in the middle of all those debates.”

It’s no secret Nissan is in the midst of a major restructuring that will see it shutter plants and cut thousands of jobs after huge losses, making a niche vehicle like the GT-R not seem a priority.

However, Nissan introduced a new generation of its Z sports car for 2023 and, amid its restructuring, committed to a new generation of its Skyline.

MORE: Explore the Nissan GT-R showroom