Nissan GT-R all but sold out

If you wanted to get your hands on the last ever sixth-generation R35 Nissan GT-R – including the swansong T-Spec and NISMO SV models – you’re plum out of luck.

Less than 50 of the 2022 model year Nissan GT-Rs were imported to Australia before new federal side impact regulations stopped their importation from November 1, 2021.

Around 30 of the vehicles that made it here were the GT-R T-Spec ($256,700 plus on-road costs), which was launched to the media at Sandown Raceway yesterday. You can read our first review on January 6.

The remaining 20 or so MY22 R35 GT-Rs were flagship NISMO SV variants priced at a cool $393,800 plus ORCs, but hasn’t stopped demand exceeding supply.

“We had even more interest than we expected when the announcement was made – we had a tonne of interest in them for sure,” Nissan Oceania managing director Adam Paterson told carsales.

“There was less than 20 total GT-Rs left in stock at the start of December,” he said, adding that “I think they’re all spoken for [now]”.

carsales understands that only a couple of Nissan GT-Rs remained in stock as of yesterday, but it’s likely those vehicles will be sold by the time you read this.

With just 100 T-Spec and 300 NISMO Special Edition vehicles produced in Japan, the highly desirable final-edition Nissan GT-R models mark the end of an era for the R35 in Australia, but other versions of the 14-year-old supercar will continue to be sold elsewhere in the future.

“The car is still on sale in other markets,” mused Paterson. “It’s an Australian-specific requirement that’s preventing any more from being brought in as of the end of October.”

The early implementation of Europe’s new pole side impact design rule (known as ADR 85 here) means the current GT-R cannot be sold in Australia anymore. Other vehicles have been affected too, such as the Lexus CT hatch, RC coupe and IS sedan, which was only launched in late 2020.

Priced at around $57,000 higher than the GT-R Premium on which it’s based, MY22 T-Spec models gain unique gold forged 20-inch alloy wheels shrouding bigger, upgraded carbon-ceramic brake discs from the GT-R NISMO.

Other changes include unique upholstery and cabin headlining, along with T-Spec badges and a carbon-fibre rear spoiler. The hand-built VR38DETT 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 (419kW/632Nm) and six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission remain unchanged.

The MY22 Nissan GT-R NISMO SV, meantime, gets unique red exterior accents, 20-inch RAYS forged alloys and a clear-coated carbon-fibre bonnet. Once again there are no performance upgrades, so the GT-R NISMO’s 441kW/652Nm outputs are unchanged.

Despite the R35 Nissan GT-R’s early retirement in Australia, an all-new seventh-generation R36 model is expected to continue the legacy of ‘Godzilla’, as the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R was nicknamed after winning the 1991 and 1992 Bathurst 1000.

Nissan has sold almost 1000 examples of the current R35 in Australia since April 2009 and in 2019 the Japanese brand celebrated five decades since the original Nissan Skyline GT-R was launched in 1969.

Paterson wouldn’t be drawn on how long Australians would have to wait for the all-new Nissan GT-R to become available to them, nor what kind of electrification the R36 will bring.

“I’m not sure I have the exact timing. We haven’t announced an [R35] end date yet,” he stated.

The Nissan Oceania boss previously declared that while the T-Spec and NISMO SV models close the book on the R35 GT-R for Aussies, “This isn’t the end of the GT-R story in Australia”.