Nissan and Jaguar Say Goodbye To Their Performance Cars With Special Editions

Nissan and Jaguar say a final farewell to the Nissan GT-R and Jaguar F-Type with special edition models

The shifting winds of change in the automotive industry are forcing many automakers to rethink their production plans as EVs and tightening environment laws are forcing them to make big decisions about their vehicle lineups. While a move towards more SUVs is the most visible of these changes, it can be easy to forget that performance cars are also feeling the heat with the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger being a few recent casualties of this sweeping change.

Nissan and Jaguar are the latest to trim performance cars from their lineups with the two firms confirming that they are saying goodbye to the Jaguar F-Type and the Nissan GT-R which will be axed after the 2024 model year comes to a close.

Jaguar F-Type slinks off into retirement

Jaguar wanted to recreate the magic that defined the legendary E-Type roadster when it introduced the F-Type to the world in 2013. The sleek roadster focused on delivering a delicate balance of design and performance and it provided the firm with a breath of fresh air at a time when it was struggling to find its footing. The F-Type was best associated with the company’s 5.0-liter V8 but the company also produced variants that were powered by a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 as well as the smaller 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.

The F-Type was facelifted in 2019 but in the process, it lost some of the original’s luster and it also had to contend with the fact that more buyers were going for SUVs like the E and F-Pace. Customers were already given their last chance to get one with the ZP special edition, but Jaguar chose to emulate the E-Type one final time with the last production F-type ever made which mirrors what was seen when the iconic E-Type ended production in 1974.

Like that original E-Type, this particular F-Type convertible gets Giola Green paint and tan Windsor leather with a black soft top. Jaguar designers put great effort into matching what was seen in 1974. This F-Type is also saying goodbye to the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 which makes 444 hp in this application and will be the last V8 Jaguar will use before it switches to electric powertrains for its future models. Jaguar revealed that this car will not be going to customers, and will instead be shipped off to the Jaguar Daimler Trust in England where it will be on display with other rare Jaguar and Daimler models some of them dating back to the 1800s.

The bell tolls for the GT-R

Meanwhile, Nissan is also saying goodbye to the GT-R with the company confirming that it will be ending the car’s seemingly immortal 17-year production run with a pair of special edition models, the Skyline and the Takumi, and unlike the Jag, this pair of special edition models will be heading to a Nissan dealer near you.

The Skyline Edition is based on the Premium model and features an attractive coat of Bayside Blue paint which is matched with a blue-hued interior. The Skyline Edition also pays homage to the Skyline nameplate itself with these models occasionally providing the underpinnings for older GT-R models before it branched off into its own distinct model. While the Skyline itself has not made its appearance in the U.S. for a very long time, Nissan has used newer iterations of the car to create Infiniti models like the G35, Q40, and the Q50. Pricing for the Skyline Edition starts at $132,985.

The racier Takumi Edition is a tweaked version of the GT-R T-Spec with this model getting a sinister shade of Midnight Purple paint which is contrasted by gold RAYS forged wheels and wider front fenders. Open the hood and you’ll find a gold-hued VIN plate while the badging gets red writing to honor the Takumi (master craftsmen) who build the GT-R in Japan. The Takumi Edition’s spicier performance comes with a higher price tag with buyers being greeted by the base $152,985 sticker price.     

Both models are powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that produces 565 hp and is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic and standard all-wheel drive. This performance combination has been a core component of the GT-R’s formula since it entered production in the mid-2000s and while the engine is starting to show its age, Nissan made enough evolutionary revisions over the years to ensure that it’s still one of the most powerful engines in the automotive market. 

More Performance Car Stories

• Jaguar F-Type’s Last Gulp of Gas
• Nissan Claims Next-Gen GT-R Won’t Be Half-Hearted Afterthought
• Jaguar Prepares for Bold EV Gamble, New EV Platform To Play Key Role

What’s Next?

Both Jaguar and Nissan are preparing for electrification but the route that the two firms are taking in this regard is quite different. Jaguar is gambling on being an ultra-luxury EV brand and is hoping that a new lineup of more expensive EV models will help it appeal to bespoke buyers who crave more exclusivity in their cup of British-flavored automotive tea. Along with enhancing its prestige, the move will also end a failed experiment that saw the brand attempt to visibly compete with German rivals. This failed attempt saw the appearance of models like the XE, E-Pace, and F-Pace but the amount of sales that they generated were subsequently eclipsed by Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz.

As for Nissan, the brand is focusing on a more calculated approach to electrification and is preparing to offer a diverse array of EV models that are designed to appeal to mainstream buyers. The Nissan Leaf and the Nissan Ariya are good first steps for the company, but look for things to pick up in the next few years as Nissan adjusts to shifting consumer demand and uses this data to pinpoint what segments to enter with its EV models.

One of these models is a rumored all-electric reboot of the GT-R. The company has remained tight-lipped about whether the firm is indeed proceeding in this direction. However, a flurry of reports and Nissan’s own Hyper Force concept seems to indicate that the firm is indeed seriously pursuing the idea. Reports suggest that the model will be powered by advanced solid-state batteries but engineers are reportedly not ready to test them in high-performance applications just yet. In the meantime, both the F-Type and GT-R will be missed, and the legacies that these two performance cars left in their wake will be very difficult to replicate.