5 Supercars With Shorter Production Runs Than the R35 Nissan GT-R

The basic design is more than 20 years old, and the R35 entered production a whopping 15-going-on-16 years ago in December 2007. The first U.S.-spec units arrived stateside for the 2009 model year. The high-performance grand tourer has just entered the 2024 model year, which is outstanding by the industry’s standards. Even more outstanding is the Japanese brand’s unwillingness to share anything on the R36 (or whatever it will be called).

There are plenty of rumors in this regard, with some expecting a heavy facelift of the R35. Others look forward to some kind of hybridization. There’s also hearsay of an electric powertrain, which is a bit of a stretch given that Nissan hasn’t launched a high-performance electric vehicle to date. A souped-up Ariya wouldn’t cut it, not when there are near 2,000-horsepower electric hypercars out there. Even the Tesla Model S Plaid five-seat electric sedan is ridiculously quick in the quarter mile, shaming plenty of contemporary internal combustion-engined machines that cost well over a million bucks.

As such, don’t expect the Nissan GT-R to make the switch to electric in the near future. Regardless of what’s in the offing for the R36 – if it will ever happen – there’s no denying that Nissan won’t pull the plug on the current generation of the AWD land missile after 2023 comes to a close. This, in turn, means that Nissan will celebrate the 16th anniversary of the R35 this year. We’re going to celebrate in advance, though, with a rundown of five iconic supercars with shorter lifespans than the Japanese marque’s halo model.

Ford GT Gen 2

The second-gen GT was revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show for the 2017 model year alongside the Mustang Shelby GT350R and F-150 Raptor, stealing the Acura NSX’s thunder. Even though it was spot on in many ways, the redesigned GT was critiqued by many peeps.

Not only did it cost ludicrously more than its supercharged V8-powered forerunner, but the carbon-clad heir apparent sounded nothing like its predecessor. There are two main reasons behind the Ford Motor Company’s decision to shoehorn a twin-turbocharged V6 in there. For starters, they wanted to make EcoBoost a household name. But more importantly, the six-cylinder lump was a must because the second-gen GT is a tight package.

Successfully campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016, the GT won the LMGTE Pro class, bettering the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE. Manufactured in Canada by Multimatic rather than Ford, the V6-engined GT ended production with a track-only variant limited to 67 units. The Mk IV also happens to be the wildest specification ever of the second-gen GT, for it flaunts a long-tail body, Adaptive Spool Valve suspension, 800-plus horsepower from a stroked V6 engine, and a retail price of $1.7 million.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

The only front-engined supercar to make our list isn’t an SL with cool-opening doors. It is far more than that, for it sports McLaren badges on the front fenders, side-exit exhaust pipes, and a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 designated M155. Based on the M113 Kompressor of the SL 55 AMG, the McLaren-tuned mill elevated the R230 platform beyond all expectations.

The SL 65 AMG Black Series may be more powerful and torquier, but it couldn’t hold a candle to the dynamic traits of the SLR. It didn’t look as special as the CFRP-bodied SLR either, and lest we forget, the SL 65 AMG Black Series isn’t as coveted as the SLR McLaren among car collectors.

The coupes and roadsters were assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, as were 300 units of the 722 Edition and 75 units of the Stirling Moss. Replaced by the SLS AMG, the SLR McLaren is more powerful than the Porsche Carrera GT and torquier than the Ferrari Enzo.

Porsche 959

Greatly inspired by the 953 entered that finished the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally in the first place, the 959 isn’t only a supercar. It’s poster material to this day, as well as a blue-chip collectible worth in excess of two million freedom eagles. The most technologically advanced car of that era, the Nine Five Nine tops 317 kilometers per hour (that would be 197 miles per hour) as standard.

In other words, it was the fastest street-legal car when it launched in 1986. The Sport specification was a stripped-down derivative of the Komfort, which came with conventional suspension in lieu of variable dampers and electronic ride height, fabric upholstery instead of leather, manual windows and locks, and modified turbos. 100 kilograms lighter (220 pounds) than the Komfort, the Sport needs 3.7 seconds to hit 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). Top speed? Make that 339 kilometers per hour (211 miles per hour).

Pretty darn impressive for the 1980s and even more so for a 2.8-liter sixer with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled heads. The first unit was delivered to Ferdinand Porsche’s grandson Wolfgang Porsche in 1987. The German automaker lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on every single car produced. Chief executive officer Peter Schutz, the man who saved the 911 from being phased out, championed the 959. Combined with a weak dollar, the hideously unprofitable 959 project eventually cost Schutz his job.

Ferrari Testarossa

Both an automotive and a cultural icon, the Testarossa replaced the Berlinetta Boxer series in 1984. Penned by Emanuele Nicosia and Leonardo Fioravanti, the Pininfarina-styled model is half a foot wider than the BB.

Speaking of the BB and its more famous successor, the 12-cylinder isn’t technically a boxer. Think of it as a V engine with the cylinder banks angled at 180 degrees. A flat engine, that is. The pistons of each opposed pair of cylinders move inwards and outwards at the same time. By comparison, each pair of opposing pistons in the 180-degree V12 moves in the same direction. In this configuration, each pair of cylinders shares a crankpin.

Made famous by James “Sonny” Crockett in Miami Vice, the Testarossa wasn’t received well by the automotive media because it’s neither a super sports car nor a grand tourer. It doesn’t do either thing properly, but Ferrari made amends with the 512 TR. The final iteration of the Testarossa was the ill-received F512 M. Although it was the best-handling member of the Testarossa family, the front was extremely gauche for a Ferrari. On the upside, the succeeding 550 Maranello was received much, much better.

Lamborghini Countach

The final entry in our list ran from 1974 through 1990, the most troubled years for the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese. A little under 2,000 examples of the breed were produced in those 16 years, and the R35 will undoubtedly outlive this glorious piece of four-wheeled artwork. Nissan wouldn’t have invested money into the 2024 model year without profiting from the new pieces introduced by this refresh, innit? To profit from said pieces, the GT-R will - at the very least - certainly soldier on into 2024.

Codenamed LP112, the Countach entered series production in 1974 with the LP400. Have a wild guess what that stands for. Translated from Italian, that’s longitudinal, rear, and 4.0 liters even though the Giotto Bizzarrini-designed V12 actually has 3,929 cubic centimeters in this application.

The LP500 S would receive a 4.8-liter version of said engine, then the engineers enlarged it to 5.2 liters for the 5000 QV and 25th Anniversary. Far more outlandish than Marcello Gandini’s original design, the 25th Anniversary was styled by a man you might have heard of. That man is Horacio Pagani, the guy who founded Pagani Automobili back in 1992.