The latest special-edition GT-R gains paint colors from the sports car’s past and borrow elements from the Track Edition and NISMO variants.
For nearly ten years, Nissan has hinted at a next-generation for its GT-R sports car. Nissan executives have suggested a hybridized replacement and the company even teased us with the Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, designed for the eponymous video game series. But 2020 has come and gone and the R35 generation of the GT-R, originally unveiled in 2007, soldiers on. While 2021 hasn’t brought a full-fledged redesign, the GT-R will add a new limited edition model, the T-spec, which splits the difference between the cushier Premium model and the more focused Track Edition and NISMO variants.
Visually, the T-spec gains a carbon-fiber rear wing, blacked-out hood ducts, and wider front fenders seen on the Track Edition. Peeking out from underneath those beefy fenders are gold forged aluminum wheels made by Japanese company Rays, and the T-spec also borrows the carbon-ceramic brakes and brake ducts from the top-dog GT-R NISMO. The special edition is also adorned with numerous gold T-spec badges.
While the T-spec uses bits from the more powerful Track Edition and NISMO, the new model is powered by the same engine found in the standard Premium model. The twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-6 churns out a healthy 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque (the faster versions up that to 600 hp and 481 pound-feet). The T-spec continues with all-wheel drive and the same six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The real draws of the T-spec are its two exclusive paint colors, which pay homage to iconic past GT-Rs. The first is Millennium Jade, which last appeared on the R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nür, a coveted special edition from the early 2000s named after the Nürburgring racetrack. Of the 718 V-spec II Nür units built, just 156 of them were Millennium Jade, and the new T-spec is the first time this color is available stateside. The second color, Midnight Purple, harks back to the Midnight Purple III on the R34 V-spec, of which only 132 units were built. The color also recalls the Midnight Opal that came on a special edition GT-R in 2014 that was limited to 100 units worldwide, of which 50 came to the U.S.
The T-spec’s interior is outfitted in Mori Green and features leather seats with pearl suede accents, a quilted Alcantara headliner, and T-spec badges. The T-spec will be priced at $140,285, around $25,000 more than the Premium and undercutting the Track Edition by about $7,000. While Nissan says it will be a limited production model, the company hasn't specified just how many will be built.
-by Amaan Attar
0 Comments