Near-new Nissan GT-R first owned by F1 ace Sebastian Vettel for sale in Germany

A low-mileage Nissan GT-R first owned by four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has come up for sale in Germany – with an eye-watering price of €250,000 ($AU388,450). About double what the car cost when new.

Listed on UK website Pistonheads, this 2012 Nissan GT-R ‘Black Edition’ was reportedly first owned by Sebastian Vettel, who won four Formula One titles in a row between 2010 and 2013 with 34 wins from 77 races.

Vettel’s run of four straight championships came during his tenure with Red Bull Racing, which used Renault engines at the time (a sibling company of Nissan) and was sponsored by Infiniti (Nissan’s luxury off-shoot).

After competing in Formula One for 16 years, Vettel retired at the conclusion of the 2022 season, citing the desire to spend more time with his family and growing concerns about the sport’s contribution to climate change.

According to the listing, the Nissan GT-R was delivered to Vettel’s residence in Switzerland in 2012 and subsequently kept in his private car collection, although it is not clear when he sold the coupe.

The GT-R has been largely undriven since it was delivered to the Formula One star, recording just 90 miles (145km) on its odometer since new, with its overall condition reflecting the extremely limited use.

Painted in Jet Black, the Nissan GT-R Black Edition is set apart from the standard variants of the coupe with its 20-inch wheels – made by famed Japanese firm Rays – and a carbon fibre rear wing.

Inside, the GT-R Black Editions were fitted with a pair of Recaro front seats, which are trimmed in red and black leather.

Nissan opted to not make any mechanical changes to the GT-R Black Edition when it was launched, with its twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 engine producing 395kW and 607Nm.

All Nissan GT-Rs are all-wheel-drive with six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions, allowing the 1700kg sports car to accelerate from 0-100km/h in about three seconds.

When new, the GT-R Black Edition was priced from more than €120,000 ($AU186,400) in Europe and $182,500 plus on-road costs in Australia.

In 2021, the Nissan GT-R was removed from Australian showrooms after falling foul of new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) for side-impact crashes, which came into effect on 1 November 2021 for existing vehicles introduced prior to November 2017.