After months of anticipation the Nissan GT-R supercar has finally gone on sale in the U.S. with the first car being delivered this morning to a Southern California customer. The keys to the Black Obsidian GT-R Premium model were handed to Daryl Alison of Costa Mesa, California, by dealer representative Mike Sage moments after midnight.

"I've followed the history of the GT-R since inception and, after years of anticipation, it's great to see the Godzilla of supercars finally coming to the U.S.," said Alison, who has previously owned a number of Nissan 350Zs and other sports cars.

Also on hand at the midnight delivery ceremony was long-time Nissan race driver Steve Millen, who recently participated in high-performance racetrack test sessions in the Nissan GT-R and assisted with several driver training programs for the supercar.

More than 1,700 of the 480hp (358kW) supercars, or approximately 70% of the first year allocation for the U.S. market, have already been spoken for, with deliveries of those initial orders expected to continue throughout the coming months. Prices start at $69,850 for the standard model and $71,900 for the equally powerful Premium model.

Nissan GT-R