The Nissan Skyline GT-R is, quite possibly, the most famous Japanese sports car ever created. Known the world over for its myriad appearances in popular media and atop motorsport podiums, the GT-R’s massive mystique is founded in its monstrous performance capabilities. From humble beginnings as a modestly powered “economy” platform of the late 1950s, each successive generation pushed the boundaries of technology, design and performance. As Nissan’s flagship sport model for more than 50 years, the top-of-the-line Skyline GT-R remains the pinnacle of Japanese performance and desirability.
It was not until the model’s sixth generation, debuted in concept form at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, that Nissan finally—and shockingly — confirmed that the mighty Skyline GT-R would, at last, venture beyond the Japanese domestic market and become a global product, available to long-suffering, adoring fans in North America. It would take another eight years for the production version to reach American shores as a 2009 model.
Well worth the wait, the sixth-generation Skyline GT-R — code-named R35 and simply called the GT-R — featured a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine churning out an impressive 480 horsepower and 434 pounds-feet of torque through a first-of-its-kind, dual-clutch transaxle. Designed with accessible, user-friendly performance in mind, an advanced ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system and DampTronic active-suspension system with Bilstein dampers provided uncannily stable driving dynamics under the most extreme driving conditions. In short, the R35 GT-R more than upheld the model’s long-running and well-deserved nickname of “Godzilla,” with beastly performance that often beat supercars costing multiple times more. That the GT-R persisted in production for an astounding 18 years, changing very little save for continual performance improvements, is a testament to how masterfully engineered it was from the outset.
Offered here is a stunning, single-owner example of a 2009 Nissan GT-R from the first model year it was offered in the United States. Finished in attractively subdued Super Silver over a black leather and synthetic suede interior, it was equipped from the factory with the Premium trim, which added heated seats and a Bose stereo system with dual subwoofers. Since leaving the factory, this GT-R has been modified with an aftermarket exhaust system and new blow-off valves, which provide performance improvements on top of heightening the turbocharged engine’s entertaining soundtrack. Today, the vehicle presents in wonderful condition, showing just 2,961 miles at cataloging time.
With the R35 GT-R officially out of production as of August 2025, well-preserved, low-mileage examples such as this — from the first model year of North American availability, no less — become all the more enticing to collectors and fans of the world-beating, fire-breathing Godzilla.
(Introductory description courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.)
