End of an era: The final R35 Nissan GT-R has rolled off the assembly line

Nissan has officially ended production of the R35 GT-R, closing an 18-year chapter for the high-performance sports car. Assembly for the final units concluded at the Tochigi plant in Japan, the last market where the model was still being sold.

Launched in 2007, the R35 GT-R became a symbol of performance and engineering innovation. Over its lifecycle, approximately 48,000 units were produced. The final car, a Premium edition T-Spec finished in Midnight Purple, will be delivered to a customer in Japan.

“After 18 remarkable years, the R35 GT-R has left an enduring mark on automotive history,” said Ivan Espinosa, President and CEO of Nissan. “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.”

Related: 2024 Nissan GT-R: True antithesis

Unlike most models, the R35 was continuously updated rather than receiving a single major mid-cycle refresh. Its VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 engine, hand-built by a small team of Takumi craftsmen in Yokohama, saw output increase from 480ps at launch to as much as 600ps in the GT-R NISMO. The car became known for combining refinement with track-ready performance through innovations in aerodynamics and its ATTESA ET-S all-wheel-drive system. With these constant improvements and updates, we have seen the GT-R keep up with various sports cars and supercars with a single generation compared to two to three generations of its competitors.

The R35 GT-R achieved success in multiple racing series, including five GT500 titles in Japan’s SUPER GT Championship, a Blancpain GT Series Pro-Am win in 2013, and victory at the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2015.

It also set notable lap records, including a 7:08.679 Nürburgring Nordschleife lap in 2013 with the GT-R NISMO, and a sub-minute lap of Tsukuba Circuit in Japan, breaking the production car record in both 2019 and 2024. In 2016, it also secured a Guinness World Record for the fastest drift at 304.96 km/h.

Nissan confirmed that the GT-R nameplate will return in the future, though no details or timeline were provided. Espinosa acknowledged expectations are high, noting that “the GT-R badge is not something that can be applied to just any vehicle; it is reserved for something truly special.”

If the Nissan GT-R does return someday, we hope it will be a trendsetter that will leave a lasting mark for years to come, like its predecessors.