Goodbye Godzilla? Nissan GT-R incrementally tweaked again

As the GT-R departed South Africa two years ago, the applied changes won't lead to Nissan bringing it to the local market.

New additions takes the GT-R’s various updates since its launch 16-years ago, to eight. Image: Nissan

Having undergone no less than seven updates since its world debut in 2007, Nissan has given its ageing GT-R an eighth, and likely final, overhaul in Japan ahead of its rumoured global market exit this year.

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A supposed final farewell that could be passed on to international market models if approved by Nissan, the changes are incremental with no mechanical alterations having occurred underneath the bonnet.

Changes in detail

Allegedly on-course to be replaced by an all-electric model around 2027, according to a report dating from 2020, the tweaks feature across all eight variant of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) GT-R, and comprise a new interior colour called Blue Heaven on the Premium Edition only.

For the T-Spec Premium and Nismo engineered Track Edition variants, Nissan has added what it calls a Takumi number plaque to the engine and a 1960’s style gold certification plate within the engine compartment.

Nissan adds more to GT-R's interior — *_{Blue Heaven debuts as a new interior colour option. Image: Nissan}*

Also reserved for the mentioned two models are new weight balanced piston rings, crankshafts and connecting rods previously reserved for the full-bore GT-R Nismo.

Unchanged twin-turbo V6

Standard specification is otherwise unchanged, with trim levels comprising Pure, Black, Premium, T-Spec and Engineered by Nismo, plus the top-spec Nismo in standard and special edition guises.

Special touches to facelift Nissan GT-R — *_{A retro-style certification plate has been incorporated into the engine bay. Image: Nissan}*

Priced from ¥14 443 000 (R1 830 396) for the Pure to ¥22 089 000 (R2 799 392) for the Engineered by Nismo T-Spec, the standard GT-R’s VR38DETT 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 develops 421kW/632Nm, which goes to all four wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

In the Nismo, whose prices range from ¥30 085 000 (R3 812 745) to ¥30 613 000 (R3 879 660) for the special edition, the twin-blown bent-six retains the same torque output, but with power increased to 441 kW. A revised version of the dual-clutch ‘box is again the only transmission choice.

Return not happening

Its last round of updates applied at the beginning of last year and before that, the T-Spec in 2021, the GT-R quietly departed South Africa two years ago following the 2019 debut of what turned-out to be the final goodbye model, the 50^th anniversary edition.

As such, don’t expect the lightly tweaked apparent swansong to see the moniker return anytime soon, especially at its replaced it had been tipped for global unveiling in 2023, which subsequently never happened.