This year, Nissan's most exciting release will be its new Z car, but before it arrives, the latest special edition of the GT-R has touched down. It's an impressive machine to this day and has been constantly refined to make it even better as the years have rolled by, but it really is due for an update. Before that happens, Nissan is making the most of the R35 generation of the GT-R, and when Nissan Japan launched that new 2022 GT-R Nismo Special Edition, it also revealed a new McDonald's edition. Unsurprisingly, it's not a production vehicle but rather a promotional tool.

McDonald's isn't new to collaborations with automakers, having previously worked with Ford on a recycling project. Nissan is promoting the new GT-R by releasing a Happy Meal (Happy Set in Japan) toy that joins a range that includes the Suzuki Jimny, Toyota 86, Mitsubishi Delica, and a grey model of the GT-R Nismo Special Edition. With a gold hue matching that of the promotional gold-wrapped GT-R, it's one of the coolest McDonald's toys around. But the gold McDonald's Edition GT-R isn't just a static exhibition and will form part of a competition that the fast-food outlet is running in partnership with Nissan.

The McDT-R, as it's being called, is part of an online sweepstakes competition hosted by McDonald's in Japan. Two families with up to three eligible drivers each will be invited to Nissan's Grandrive test track in Kanagawa where they'll be able to test the car and have a ride-along with a Nissan test driver. Afterwards, they'll receive a commemorative photo with the car and one of the Happy Set gold McDT'Rs. Winners too young to drive will get on of 20 consolation prizes - commemorative gold gift cards loaded with ¥1,000 (roughly ten dollars). Not much of a consolation, but at least it's less disappointing than waiting another year for a new GT-R.