Final Nissan GT-R leaves plant after 18 years of production and is going to one lucky customer in Japan

The final Nissan GT-R has rolled off the production line at the Tochigi factory in Japan after 18 years and 48,000 models built.

The GT-R went into production back in 2007 and quickly became a firm favorite with gearheads and speed demons. 

Following a successful and lengthy run, Nissan announced it was halting sales of the GT-R in North America, before revealing it was fully plugging plug.

Now, the final Nissan GT-R has been built and is making its way to a very lucky customer.

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The final Nissan GT-R has been built and it’s the end of an era

The Nissan GT-R was originally launched as a high-performance variant of Nissan’s Skyline range. 

The cars were fitted with a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V383DETT V8 engine that produced up to 520 horsepower in the standard models, and up to 710hp in the GT-R50 variant. 

Despite the fact that around 48,000 models were built, the GT-R’s engines were assembled by a core group of just nine master craftsmen, called Takumi, and took around six hours to assemble by hand. 

The names of the nine-strong team of Takumi have been immortalized on a plaque attached to each engine they built. 

This week, after an 18-year run, the final Nissan GT-R has been built, and it’s not just any Nissan GT-R – it’s a GT-R Premium Edition T-Spec.

The color is finished in Midnight Purple and is winging its way to its new, very fortunate, owner in Japan, according to Nissan. 

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

“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.”

Or is it…?

With the final Nissan GT-R done and dusted, you might think that’s the end for the nameplate. 

But over the past few months, the marque has dropped some serious hints that the GT-R will one day make a return.

Back in April, Espinosa said that making sports cars was part of the camaker’s DNA.

He went on to say the GT-R name ‘will exist into the future.’

The following month, Nissan revealed that ‘people were working’ on a new GT-R, but stressed that the upcoming car would need to be future-proof.

Now, in a press release to mark the final Nissan GT-R being built, Espinosa has once again reiterated that it will likely make a comeback. 

“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,” he said. 

“So, all I can ask is for your patience. While we don’t have a precise plan finalized today, the GT-R will evolve and reemerge in the future.”The post Final Nissan GT-R leaves plant after 18 years of production and is going to one lucky customer in Japan appeared first on Supercar Blondie.