The Nissan GT-R has entered the 2024 model year with some exterior updates and new pricing.

The Nissan GT-R sports car dominated the ’90s motorsports when it beat its competitors, and the press named the car “Godzilla”- the king of monsters. A shadow of former glory stretches behind the GT-R to this day. The Japanese love their model and are proud of it. In principle, there is something to be proud of, except for the current price, which is high.

How It Was

As such, the Nissan GT-R has no direct predecessors, but it can be considered an evolution of the iconic Nissan Skyline – one of the best sports cars of the time. In a sense, the current GT-R has aviation roots. The Skyline name originally belonged to Prince Motors which began as an aircraft company and eventually merged with Nissan in 1966. A year later, the first Skyline GT-R appeared and was on the scene till 1973.

After a 16-year hiatus caused by economic reasons, the GT-R name returned in 1989 on the R32 Skyline GT-R (legendary Godzilla), followed by the equally successful R33 and R34 series, as well as the M-Spec, V-Spec or Nur versions.

Mostly known as a 2-door sports coupe, the Skyline GT-R was also available as a 4-door sedan or station wagon, and even a five-door hatchback. The model is iconic for Nissan because of its achievements in motorsports and on the road. It was a pioneer in innovations, among which was a fuel injection system, rear thrusters, and the ATTESA ETS all-wheel drive system. The Skyline became the first Japanese car in production with a turbocharged engine.

In 2007, the sixth generation of the GT-R-badged car debuted, but it was a new model put on a new PM platform that derivated from the architecture used for Nssan’s Z and Skyline.

Nissan ceased production of the Skyline GT-R in 2002. Today those last models are much desired in the world, and the high demand for them generates considerable prices. They are loved not only for the legendary name and excellent dynamics (even the base car easily speeds up to 186 mph/300 kmh) but for the large potential for tuning too. Tuning studios can raise engine power up to 1000 hp!

How It Is Now

The contemporary Nissan GT-R is fast and quite practical. You needn’t have special skills to ride it. By driving this vehicle you will not fight either with the road or with yourself – everything happens easily and freely as if you’ve been driving it for years.

Nissan calls the GT-R a pure, undiluted supercar. The updated 2024 Nissan GT-R is substantially the same “Godzilla” R35-generation coupe that hit dealerships 15 years ago. The car is powered by a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 565 hp at 6,800 rpm, and 467 lb-ft at 3,600–5,600 rpm in pair with a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

For the 2024 model year, Nissan has reintroduced the T-Spec trim level, redesigned both fascias and rear wings to increase aerodynamic downforce, and added new color options. The Nismo model now has a new swan neck-style spoiler and an Appearance Package. The interior has supportive sports seats and is trimmed in Nappa leather.

2024 MSRPs before a $1,895 destination charge, taxes, and other fees are:

For comparison: the 2023 Nissan GT-R starts at $116,040.

Source: Nissan