New T-Spec Limited Edition Joins Nissan GT-R Lineup

The Nissan Skyline GT-R has been tearing up the streets of Japan for decades, but it wasn’t until 2007 that Americans got a taste of what the Japanese had known for years: The GT-R is a potent car with advanced tech and a hand-built engine. Since it launched the GT-R here 14 years ago, Nissan has steadily added more power and updated the car’s tech to help keep it relevant. That trend continues with the 2021 GT-R T-spec, a new high-end GT-R variant with exclusive features and styling options.

The new limited-production GT-R joins the Nissan supercar catalog above the current Premium trim level. Some T-spec content came directly from the outgoing GT-R Track Edition package, and most of the upgrades are related to the car’s appearance. Changes include body-colored door mirrors, black hood ducts, T-spec badging, carbon-ceramic brakes and brake cooling air guides, and Rays gold-painted wheels.

One area not in need of an upgrade is the engine. The T-spec gets the same mill as the standard GT-R: a hand-built VR38DETT twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 rated at 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive and a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission are also standard.

More special-edition GT-R parts make their way into the T-spec by way of its braking and suspension systems. The car’s carbon-ceramic brakes and cooling hardware come from the GT-R Nismo, while the T-spec’s front fenders come from the GT-R Track Edition. Rays wheels and special T-spec badging help differentiate the car’s exterior style, while the interior features a new Mori green color with leather, Alcantara, and pearl suede.

Nissan resurrected a pair of desirable paint colors from the Skyline’s past for the new GT-R. The first debuted on the R33 Skyline GT-R. Called Midnight Purple, the paint shifts color in various light conditions, giving it a unique chameleon effect when the car is in motion. The other color, Millennium Jade, first appeared on the R34-generation GT-R V-Spec II Nür.

The 2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec will be available in the United States this winter in extremely limited quantities. Pricing for the T-spec cars starts at $140,285, which includes a $1,795 destination charge. The GT-R NISMO Special Edition will start at $217,485 after destination.

Nissan is the source of information for this article. It was accurate on September 15, 2021, but it may have changed since that date.