Photo: Nissan
What’s new for the R35 this year? Well, nothing except for an exterior color that used to be exclusive to the GT-R Anniversary Edition. Bayside Blue is how it’s called, and it costs $1,000 just like Pearl White Tricoat.
The most expensive finish, however, is Super Silver Quadcoat at $3,000 on top of the $113,540 starting price for the Premium trim level. Higher than that, the NISMO retails at an eye-wattering $210,740 plus $1,695 for the destination charge. Indeed, ladies and gents; the GT-R is pretty expensive as opposed to the 2008 model year when Godzilla used to kick off at $69,580.
Nissan has never truly explained how the MSRP crept up so much, and no, inflation has little to do with the 2008-versus-2021 difference in starting price. To make matters worse, sales figures are pretty bad as well. The first year for the R35 in the United States totaled 1,730 examples while 2019 ended with… wait for it… 331 units.
Looking at the bigger picture, the competition has also evolved during this time frame. The C8 Corvette comes to mind, and a fully-loaded Stingray with the removable hardtop sets you back $103,615 with freight.
The R35, however, is a different animal from the mid-engine ‘Vette. Engine up front, forced induction, six cylinders, all-wheel drive, a lot of electronic trickery for going fast in a straight line as well as carving corners; there’s a lot to like about the GT-R. On the other hand, the 3.8-liter blunderbuss is starting to show its age. 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque for the Premium trim level are not enough when compared to modern V6 engines like the Nettuno.
The VR38DETT in the NISMO is a little more potent at 600 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque, translating to 186 miles per hour at most and 2.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour. As expected of the top-of-the-range specification, the NISsan MOtorsport also features carbon-ceramic brakes (16.3- and 15.3-inch rotors) from Brembo for superlative stopping power.
Nissan has never truly explained how the MSRP crept up so much, and no, inflation has little to do with the 2008-versus-2021 difference in starting price. To make matters worse, sales figures are pretty bad as well. The first year for the R35 in the United States totaled 1,730 examples while 2019 ended with… wait for it… 331 units.
Looking at the bigger picture, the competition has also evolved during this time frame. The C8 Corvette comes to mind, and a fully-loaded Stingray with the removable hardtop sets you back $103,615 with freight.
The R35, however, is a different animal from the mid-engine ‘Vette. Engine up front, forced induction, six cylinders, all-wheel drive, a lot of electronic trickery for going fast in a straight line as well as carving corners; there’s a lot to like about the GT-R. On the other hand, the 3.8-liter blunderbuss is starting to show its age. 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque for the Premium trim level are not enough when compared to modern V6 engines like the Nettuno.
The VR38DETT in the NISMO is a little more potent at 600 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque, translating to 186 miles per hour at most and 2.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour. As expected of the top-of-the-range specification, the NISsan MOtorsport also features carbon-ceramic brakes (16.3- and 15.3-inch rotors) from Brembo for superlative stopping power.
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