‘This isn’t a goodbye’: Nissan sends off R35 GT-R with farewell video

Over an 18-year production run, the automaker sold 48,000 units of the high-performance sports car around the world.

Nissan GT-R farewell shot — *The R35 generation Nissan GT-R has ended production after 18 years. – Nissan photo*

The final Nissan GT-R from the R35 generation has rolled off the assembly line, following 18 years of production and approximately 48,000 units sold around the world.

The GT-R launched in 2007, with sales of the car ending in Canada in February of this year.

Now, the final unit, a Premium edition T-Spec model in Midnight Purple exterior colour, has rolled off the assembly line in Japan, Nissan announced on Aug. 26.

All 48,000 R35 GT-Rs were produced at Nissan’s Tochigi plant, which is located about 100 kilometres north of Tokyo.

Nissan marked the occasion with a farewell video, which you can watch on YouTube.

Not a forever goodbye

While the automaker is bidding goodbye to the R35 GT-R, this is not the end of the GT-R, Nissan said.

“After 18 remarkable years, the R35 GT-R has left an enduring mark on automotive history. 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,” Nissan president and CEO Ivan Espinosa said in a news release. “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.”

Final Nissan R35 GT-R rolls off assembly line — *The final Nissan R35 GT-R produced is a Premium edition T-Spec model in Midnight Purple colour. – Nissan photo*

Nissan said learnings from the R35 model will be integral to the development of the next-generation GT-R to raise the performance benchmark.

“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,” Espinosa said in the release. “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.”