The Nissan R35 GT-R has been around for 12 years and if current form holds, it looks like it won’t go away anytime soon. Nissan, it appears, isn’t in any rush to roll out the next-generation R36 model, at least until the company’s decision-makers make a final determination on what kind of powertrain it will carry. Will the next Godzilla be a hybrid, or will it be all-electric? That’s the million-dollar question at the moment, and until Nissan arrives at an answer, our hopes and dreams of seeing the next-generation R36 GT-R will remain just that: hopes and dreams.

If it sounds like we’ve been talking about the next-generation Nissan R36 GT-R for a long time, it’s because that’s exactly the case. That typically happens when you have an existing model that was launched in the last decade, went through the current decade largely unchanged, and will continue to the next decade.

Unfortunately, rumors and conversations are all we’re getting from Nissan at this point, even if there’s already a build-up in external pressure from fans who are clamoring to see what Nissan has in store for the next-generation GT-R. The sports car’s program chief, Hiroshi Tamura, is already feeling that pressure, and while he’s done his best to assure the public that there are plans for an R36 GT-R, he’s not at liberty to discuss the specifics of those plans. “I have it in my mind, but not for outside,” Tamura told Motoring Australia. “So nobody knows. I cannot tell you.”

The issue isn’t so much that Nissan is stalling the development of the next-generation GT-R. The issue is that the Japanese automaker has yet to decide on what kind of car it will be, specifically if it’s going to come with a hybrid powertrain or if it will be packaged as an all-electric monster. Remember, the GT-R is a unique vehicle in Nissan’s lineup, in part because of its status as the company’s flagship performance car and in part because it’s a model that’s developed to age well and last longer than most models in the automaker’s portfolio.

That’s not to say that the GT-R is update-proof because every model, no matter which it is, needs updates to remain fresh and relevant. Even Godzilla has undergone some changes over the years, including updates to its powertrain and chassis. For the most part, though, Nissan has been able to skirt around the edges and give the GT-R the kind of tweaks it needs to remain at the forefront of the performance car wars. Can the GT-R last, say, for 20 years? Tamara-san believes it can, which allows Nissan to slow-roll the development of the next-generation GT-R. “Yes, R35 is long ,” Tamura says. “But for model year 2017 it is almost a new body shape. The body is technology,” he said.

There’s a precedent behind that statement, too. Remember, the R35’s three predecessors — the R32, R33, and R34 — were three different interpretations of the GT-R that used the same underpinnings, including the engine choices, for the better part of 14 years. That’s a roadmap that Nissan has used with the R35 GT-R, and you can argue that the company has plans to do the same with the next-generation model. The only problem is that the technology that will allow Nissan to do it hasn’t advanced to the point that it can create a sustainable long-term plan for the R36 GT-R. Remember, it took Nissan six years of research and development on the R35 GT-R before the car was launched in 2007. Something similar could be happening with the R36 model, especially if Nissan wants it to have a long life expectancy.

While it is an understandable strategy, Nissan’s not doing GT-R fans any favors by making them wait long for the R35’s successor. Even Tamura, who’s already 58 years old and is two years away from compulsory retirement, might not be around to see the next-generation GT-R come into form. It seems, though, based on his tone, that he’s come to terms with it, even though he still wants to see who’s going to take the reigns once his time as the GT-R’s maestro comes to an end. “I have to wait,” he said. “I am just the GT-R lead conductor for the orchestra. The company will show me the members of the orchestra. They need to decide who will play the violin and who will play the trumpet.”

So, the waiting game continues, and we’ll more than likely wait a lot longer before Nissan finally comes to a decision regarding the R36 Nissan GT-R. It’s an uneasy feeling having to wait this long for the R35’s successor, but, at this point, that’s all we can do. Let’s just hope that when the time does come, Nissan will have a car that can live up to the hype and excruciatingly long wait it made us go through to get to that point.

It’ll certainly have it if Tamura-san is still involved in the project. He is, after all, the man who nurtured Godzilla and turned it into the monster it is today.



Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Nissan GT-R Nismo.

Read our full review on the 2019 Nissan GT-R.

Read our full speculative review on the R36 Nissan GT-R.