Fast Lane: Nissan GT-R production ends, Rolls-Royce Phantom turns 100, Range Rover on show

Sayonara, GT-R

Having made 48,000 units of the R35 GT-R over the past 18 years, Nissan has ended its production without an immediate successor.

The latest generation in a long line of sports cars that was once referred to as “Godzilla” for its race successes, the R35 broke tradition by being a stand-alone model instead of being part of the Skyline model family.

Since its debut in 2007, the four-seater R35 cemented the GT-R’s reputation as a formidable Japanese sports car with performance levels that could more than match its European rivals from the likes of Porsche and BMW.

While Nissan did not say when the last R35 was actually built, it did say the dark purple GT-R Premium edition T-Spec car was going to a customer in Japan.

Japan is the last market to offer the model for sale. Earlier, stricter emission regulations kicking in had meant the model was withdrawn from sale in Europe in 2022 and the US in 2024.

In Singapore, the GT-R could be specially ordered through the authorised distributor until 2021. It was priced at $600,000 with certificate of entitlement, slightly more than half the price of the Porsche 911 Turbo – its closest rival in terms of positioning – at that time.  

Through the years, the R35 has evolved. While the engine has remained generally unchanged, being a twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6, power was bumped from 473hp in 2007 to 562hp from 2017.

Output for the limited-edition Nismo version was further raised to 591hp.

Each GT-R engine is said to be hand-assembled by a core team of nine master craftsmen at Nissan’s Yokohama plant, before being sent to the Tochigi plant where the car is built.

In an Aug 26 announcement, Nissan president and chief executive Ivan Espinosa said there are no finalised plans to replace the car, but “the GT-R will evolve and re-emerge in the future”.

The news comes as the Japanese carmaker is in the midst of restructuring, which includes closing factories and cutting its workforce in a bid to turn the company around after incurring losses.

Rolls-Royce and rock ’n’ roll

As part of the Phantom’s centenary celebrations, Rolls-Royce wants to remind the world of the limousine’s place in the music scene with a series of stunning images showing the Phantom partly submerged in a swimming pool.

The images are inspired by the story of Keith Moon, drummer of 1960s rock band The Who, driving his Rolls-Royce into a pool during a celebration.

While no one could be absolutely sure of what actually happened at the 1971 party, the story of the limo in the pool came to be a definitive image of rock ’n’ roll indulgences.

“As such, the car in the pool could only be a Rolls-Royce,” said the luxury car brand in its statement accompanying the images it released on Aug 22.

It added that the vehicle used for the photo was a body shell that was otherwise going to be scrapped.

Other music icons who are associated with the Phantom include Sir Elton John, John Lennon and 50 Cent.

Range Rover on show at Ion Orchard

The Range Rover claims to be the original luxury off-roader, with its first generation making its debut 55 years ago.

To mark the anniversary, the brand is holding the Range Rover Showcase in Singapore.

Visitors to the exhibition will be given a 20-minute tour to learn about the model’s history and get close to the SV, the current flagship version of the Range Rover that is produced by the brand’s Special Vehicle Operations.

Open from 10am to 10pm daily, the exhibition ends on Aug 31. To secure your 20-minute slot, register in person at Level 1 Atrium of Ion Orchard or online at

str.sg/qn3x

Electric motorcycle from Vietnam’s Nuen Moto

Vietnamese company Nuen Moto will start delivering the NS-1 electric motorcycle in the third quarter of 2026.

Powered by a 24kW electric motor, the bike has a top speed of 130kmh and can travel up to 245km on a single charge. The on-board battery charger is rated at 2.1kW. On a regular electric vehicle charger, it will take around four hours to charge up the 8kWh battery.

In an e-mail response to The Straits Times, Nuen Moto founder and chief executive Gia Nguyen said production is starting soon and the first batch of 100 motorcycles has already been spoken for.

He adds: “Our vision is to establish Vietnam as a rising force in premium electric motorcycles, with Singapore and the wider Asean region as natural next steps.”