The R35 GT-R is very old. I know it, you know it and Nissan knows it. Rumors about a successor have been swirling for nearly as long as the car itself has been in production, which is kind of impressive given that the R35 GT-R’s been going 14 years strong by this point. Still, Nissan would kindly request that you ignore this elephant that refuses to leave the room and enjoy the new 2021 GT-R T-Spec, yet another special edition of 2007's revolutionary everyday supercar.
Materially, there’s not that much to the T-Spec; it has Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, a carbon fiber wing, exclusive gold Rays wheels, a unique engine cover and that yellow badge you can see hiding in the grille. But dare I say Nissan has won me over with this, largely for the two special colors it’s offering the T-Spec in: Millennium Jade and Midnight Purple.
Most people won’t notice or care about these colors. If you’re a GT-R fan, though, you know these are celebrated hues. Ever-classy Millennium Jade debuted on the 2002 R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nür, while the pearlescent Midnight Purple dates back further, having started with the R33 generation. If you need an idea of how important MNP is to GT-R folks, consider that a 1999 R34 in that color sold for $315,000 earlier this year on Bring a Trailer. I’m telling you, people go nuts for this stuff.
And honestly, they should! Yes, $315,000 is absurd for a 22-year-old sports car that cost between $70K and $80K in today’s money, but who could deny that’s a lovely color? It’s a showstopper when paired with those gold rims and yellow calipers, and it bothers me that Nissan’s been able to momentarily distract me from how goddamn old this car is with a special edition.
The kicker is, the T-Spec probably won’t even be the last R35 we get. There have been rumblings of a final edition model that could appear late next year before the current-gen GT-R finally bids us farewell for good, a-la the Acura NSX Type-S. As for the T-Spec, Nissan Japan initially said the company’s only making 100 of them in total, however the automaker’s U.S. arm later confirmed this morning that “a very limited number of models” will make their way to North America in the winter.
A few years ago, Nissan brought a bunch of GT-Rs of various generations to the New York Auto Show. Among them was the R33 GT-R LM Road Car — a one-of-one homologation special in the truest sense — as well as an R32 Calsonic Skyline JGTC race car. But there was also a Millennium Jade R34 there, and it looked fantastic under the lights of the convention center. Bravo, Nissan, for taking advantage of our collective nostalgia. You win this one — now maybe make a new car already? Consider it, at least.
