Nissan GT-R R35 Bows Out After 18 Years; Order Books Close In Japan

It’s official: the final chapter of the Nissan GT-R R35 is coming to a close with Nissan Japan announcing the closure of orders for new units. A note on the company website reads, “We have received many orders for the Nissan GT-R, and we have now finished accepting orders for the planned production quantity.” Japan was the last market where the GT-R remained on sale in 2025, with Nissan USA having announced last year that 2024 would be the last model year of the GT-R, though some leftover units are still available at this point. The car had bowed out of Europe in 2022.

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The R35 GT-R made its global debut in 2007 and has over the years received two notable facelifts and several updates.

The closure of order books in Japan marks the end of an 18-year legacy of the R35, which debuted in 2007 and has, over the years, received numerous updates, facelifts and performance & special editions, including a 50th-anniversary edition in 2020 celebrating 50 years of GT-R. Over the last two years, Nissan announced a host of special editions for the iconic sports car as it looked to phase out the iconic sportscar.

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In its stock setup, the latest Nissan GT-R’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine pushed out 565 bhp, with the Nismo upping the ante to 600 bhp. Power was sent to all four wheels via Nissan’s famed ATESA-ETS all-wheel drive system and a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Nissan Japan was the last market to sell the GT-R; Nissan USA announced the end of the GT-R in North America last year.

Nissan has hinted that the R35 could get a successor eventually, though there is no official word on when it could come. Reports suggest that 2023’s Hyper Force concept could preview the next iteration of the iconic GT-R and one that would go all electric, though, for now, it looks like the GT-R name will not be on sale for a few years after the last units are delivered in the coming months.

Nissan's financial situation globally also places doubts on the GT-R's future. In recent years, it has faced notable financial difficulties, with the company looking to reduce its workforce, production capacities and costs across global operations. The company, late last year, explored creating a joint venture with fellow Japanese firm Honda, though the merger fell through last month. Nissan, however, is understood to still be looking for a partner.

Nissan has, in its history, let the GT-R name die off before reviving it to much fanfare. The original GT-R dates back to 1969 in the form of the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R C10, which was followed by a short-lived Skyline GT-R C110 for the year 1973. The name then faded to the history books before it was revived with the legendary R32 in 1989 - the car that earned it the Godzilla nickname for its dominance in touring car racing in Japan and Australia. The R32 was also the model to debut the iconic RB26 DETT straight-six engine and the ATESA-ETS all-wheel drive system.

Generations of the GT-R (L-R): GT-R R 35, Skyline GT-R R34, Skyline GT-R R33, Syline GT-R R32 and the original Skyline 2000 GT-R in Coupe (1970) and Sedan (1969) bodysyle.

The R32 made way for the R33 in 1995, which was then replaced by the R34 - a car popularised by the Fast and Furious franchise - in 1998 till it was killed off in 2004. And then, in 2007, the GT-R name was back with the R35 - now as a model entirely unrelated to the Nissan Skyline.