Nissan GT-R Dead In Europe Because It Is Too Loud
Image: Nissan
Nissan dealerships across Europe are about to get a little bit quieter with the discontinuation of the R35 GT-R for that market. Thanks to new drive-by noise regulations, which to into effect on July 1st, the R35 is deemed totally illegal for sale. Obviously the car is getting pretty long in the tooth these days, and yet somehow still manages to wow the way it did when it was launched in late 2007. Nissan doesn’t want to expend the effort to re-engineer the car to make it pass the new regulations, so it’s shuffling off into retirement at warp speed.
Back in 2007 the 997-generation 911 was fresh off the press. The R35 has soldiered on across three generations of 911 Turbo and two additional major facelifts. In all that time the GT-R has been more or less a standard bearer for the Nissan brand, taking on all comers and leaving most of them in its dust. This doesn’t seem like it bodes well for the future of the car around the world, as it has already been discontinued in Australia. It’ll soldier on in Asia and the Americas for a little while longer, but it’s clearly on its last thread.
A Nissan spokesperson told TopGear.com: “13 years after its European introduction as the icon of accessible automotive high performance, we can confirm that European GT-R production will end in March 2022 due to the new EU & UK drive-by noise regulations starting 1st of July 2021.”
The GT-R has been a performance icon for decades, and the R35 generation took things about as far as you can. From Nurburgring speed machine to luxurious ultra GT, the GT-R has pretty much done it all. The turbocharged monster deserves the applause it has received over the years, and you should probably buy one while you still can.
It’s interesting that the GT-R is getting shut down because of the new noise law. I never really saw it as a particularly loud sports car, and there are definitely some that are much louder. Will this law also kill off the raucous Jaguars or 911 GT3s of the world? I hope not.
