The wet Monday asphalt was still smoking when a silver shape glided into our lot.
If you know cars, you already know what it is.
A Nissan GT-R R35 in Ultimate Metal Silver, Premium Edition. Just arrived at Soukyo Motors this week — Japan’s last great supercar, one example, fresh on the books.
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What Is the R35? Seventeen Years of “Godzilla”
The R35 GT-R debuted in 2007. That is seventeen years ago.
For most cars, that means museum status. The R35 disagrees. Nissan has refined it every model year and is still building new ones in 2025 — a feat virtually no other supercar can claim. The example pictured here is a post-2017 facelift, with the V-motion grille, the larger 8-inch infotainment screen, and the redesigned interior. It is the mature, polished version of the platform.
Outside Japan it is called “Godzilla” and mentioned in the same breath as the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8. Inside Japan it is treated as a niche enthusiast machine. That price-perception gap is exactly why Japanese-market R35s are a gold mine for collectors abroad.
Ultimate Metal Silver — Not Just “Silver”
There is no such thing as “just silver” on this car.
Ultimate Metal Silver (paint code KAB) is one of Nissan’s hand-applied premium colors — a paid option costing several hundred thousand yen, applied by senior painters over multiple days in successive layers. In the wet, with the light shifting, the color travels from bright silver to deep gunmetal to almost white. No photograph captures it properly.
Come see it in person.
A Heart Built by Human Hands — The Takumi Program
Pop the bonnet and the red intake plenum is the first thing that catches your eye. VR38DETT — a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, 570 to 600 horsepower depending on spec.
This engine follows a rule no other mass-produced car follows: every single unit is hand-assembled by one of a tiny number of certified master technicians, called Takumi (匠), working alone in a dedicated clean room. Once assembled, each engine carries a small plaque engraved with the Takumi’s name.
This car’s plaque reads:
Handbuilt by 匠 — Hiroyuki Ichikawa
This engine was personally built by one of the handful of master craftsmen at Nissan’s Yokohama plant who hold the Takumi certification. In the GT-R community, owners commonly know their Takumi by name. Buying a GT-R is closer to acquiring a craftsman’s signed work than purchasing a car.
Stop, Go, Turn — All World Class
- Drivetrain: ATTESA E-TS active electronic AWD. The system rebalances torque between front and rear axles in milliseconds the instant a wheel slips. The hallmark R35 sensation — being able to put the throttle down in the wet — comes from this.
- Brakes: Brembo monoblock calipers (6-piston front, orange-finished) clamping massive rotors. Engineered for the violence of a 500+ horsepower car.
- Wheels: Factory 20-inch RAYS forged alloys wrapped in Dunlop SP SPORT MAXX GT600 — a tire developed specifically for the GT-R.
- Aero: Factory rear wing, dedicated front, side, and rear diffusers. A drag coefficient of 0.26 combined with high-speed downforce.
- Exhaust: Quad titanium tailpipes, dual exits each side.
Interior — Cockpit, Not Cabin
Open the door and you are met with the dedicated black leather and Alcantara seats. An 8-inch touchscreen anchors the center console, with the R35’s signature column of vertical switches below it. The transmission is the 6-speed dual-clutch GR6 DCT, and the wheel carries the GT-R logo at center.
Alcantara wraps the shifter surround and center tunnel. The texture under your palm communicates instantly that this is not an ordinary car. The rear seats are a token 2+2 — adequate for children or short-distance passengers.
Why Japanese-Market Cars Are the Best in the World
There is a consensus in the GT-R community: for any given model year, the JDM example is the cleanest example. The reasons are practical:
- Japanese roads are clean, with virtually no winter road salt
- Garage storage is the cultural default
- Mandatory shaken inspection forces full mechanical service every two years
- And, frankly, Japanese owners barely drive their cars
The mileage, service history, and condition of this example are not comparable to U.S. or European cars that spent their lives being thrashed by their twentysomething owners. This is precisely why exporters in China, Australia, and Southeast Asia consistently shop the Japanese market first.
Available for Inspection at Soukyo Motors
This R35 GT-R is currently displayed at Soukyo Motors in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture.
- In-person inspection: Open the bonnet, view the Takumi plaque, listen to a cold start, examine the cabin — all welcome
- Test drive: By appointment, normally restricted to serious buyers
- Service history: Fully disclosed
- Auto loan: Down payment and monthly payment simulations available on site
- Trade-in: Free appraisal of your current vehicle
- Export support: Documentation for export to China, Australia, ASEAN, and elsewhere
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Final Word — “While It’s Still in Japan”
The R35 GT-R is one of humanity’s last truly serious investments in the internal combustion engine. As electrification accelerates through the 2030s, the rumored R36 successor is widely expected to be fully electric. The romance of “a V6 twin-turbo built by human hands” effectively ends with the R35.
The Takumi-built engine. The hand-applied paint. The condition advantage of a Japanese-market car. The intersection of all three becomes rarer every year.
If this car interests you, please reach out sooner rather than later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can you still buy a brand-new R35 GT-R?
A. As of 2025, Nissan still produces the R35 in limited numbers, but Japanese-market allocations (including Nismo) are typically sold out at the order stage. The used market is, in practice, the main route to ownership.
Q. What exactly is a “Takumi”?
A. A small group of master engine assemblers certified by Nissan — currently only a handful of individuals. Each GT-R engine is hand-built by one Takumi alone in a dedicated clean room, and bears a plaque engraved with that Takumi’s name.
Q. Is R35 maintenance unusually demanding?
A. Yes. Specialized ATF, transmission learning resets, dedicated four-wheel alignment equipment — only a limited number of shops are properly tooled. Soukyo Motors can advise on a long-term service plan after purchase.
Q. Are test drives available?
A. Generally restricted to serious buyers, accompanied by a staff member, by prior appointment.
Q. Is auto financing available?
A. Yes. We work with several financing partners and can run down-payment and monthly-payment simulations on the spot.
