The current Nissan GT-R is one of the oldest cars on sale in the US, but Nissan doesn’t seem to care. In fact, the Japanese carmaker has taken the wraps off a Special Edition version dedicated exclusively to Japan. We also know that a new-generation GT-R is under development, so is this the swan song we’ve all been waiting for?

2021 Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition

The Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition is slated to make its Japanese market debut in October, together with a subtly-tweaked GT-R Nismo variant. While the news is not exactly something to write home about, Nissan tried to add a few unique touches to the Special Edition.

For example, the body is painted in Nismo Stealth Gray as a nod to all the racetracks where the GT-R has competed throughout its career. What’s more, Nissan designed a clear-coated carbon fiber hood for its supercar, however, the swap to carbon fiber barely impacts the car’s overall weight. According to Nissan, the use of carbon fiber “sheds 100 grams from this already svelte GT-R.”

Completing the package is the Nissan logo (as seen on the Nissan Ariya) and a set of 20-inch Rays aluminum forged wheels with red accents. Behind those you’ll surely notice the large Brembo brake calipers that bite into carbon-ceramic rotors measuring 410 mm in the front and 390 mm in the rear.

The legendary VR38DETT 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 features a pair of turbos taken from the GT3 race car and produces 441 kilowatts (600 PS, 591 horsepower).

As for the new-generation GT-R, reports from Japan claimed that the R36 is set to make a debut towards the end of 2022. When it finally debuts, it’ll sport a tweaked and upgraded version of the current 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The setup would include a starter-generator unit, a lithium-ion battery, and a small electric motor.

With the addition of a mild-hybrid system, Nissan wants to kill two birds with one stone. On one hand, it can help with boosting the performance a bit, while on the other, it will prove useful when it comes to abiding by Japan’s CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards as well as noise regulations. What’s more, this solution (if adopted) will help the new GT-R’s cause in Europe and the US, where emission restrictions are getting tighter and tighter.

Any other sort of info is hard to come by at this point, so we don’t know how much power will the new GT-R R36 make, just like we don’t know spicier details such as its top speed or 0-60 sprint time.