Two absolute titans of the auto industry, representing their respective countries are Nissan and Ford. Both of these companies have an extensive history in making unrelenting racing cars and have earned reputations as top competitors. Ford, for instance, took down Ferrari at Le Mans, while Nissan made a sports car that rivals supercars at a fraction of the price.
They're also two of the only auto companies in the world who have kept making their flagship sports cars, where Nissan continues to improve its Z lineup with each generation, as does Ford with its Mustang platform. These cars have helped shape the images of these automakers as purebred racers.
10 Nissan R390 GT1 - 220 MPH
Nissan made an intelligent decision in 1998 to enter Le Mans with the R390 GT1, but to comply with homologation rules it made a single road-going version. By all accounts, this is the fastest car Nissan has ever made.
It uses a 3.5-liter V8 with dual overhead camshafts producing 340 horsepower to the rear wheels in its road-going version. Top speed has never been officially tested but is rated from Nissan as 220 mph, just a bit shy of a modern Formula 1 car.
9 Nissan GT-R NISMO - 205 MPH
Nissan's GT-R turned the supercar world up on its head when it was unleashed in 2007. While it certainly couldn't offer the same luxury as a Ferrari, the GT-R offered supercar speed for less than $70,000.
Back then it only had 480 horsepower from its 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6, but it has since evolved with its modern NISMO variant to offer 600 horsepower, and as usual, it's sent to all four wheels. While the GT-R NISMO's price has vaulted past $210,000, it's also broken into the 200 mph club at half the price of a Ferrari.
8 Nissan 2015 Juke-R 2.0 - 200 MPH
Clearly, a few screws were lost when Nissan decided to cram the same GT-R NISMO engine into a Juke and called it the Juke-R. The most remarkable aspect of this car isn't the fact that it's a crossover with a twin-turbocharged 600 horsepower V6, but that the horsepower is enough to forget about how ugly the car is.
Aside from the engine, the Juke also gets a comprehensive exterior overhaul, including winglets that point straight past the rear window, fancy exhaust ports inbred to the rear bumper and lowered suspension on big wheels.
7 Nissan 370z NISMO - 155 MPH
It's no accident the first three entries of this list are tuned by NISMO. Like AMG or TRD, it's Nissan's performance division and is responsible for all in-house performance Nissans, so of course, it's going to tackle the 370z. NISMO has tuned the 370's 3.7-liter V6 to 350 horsepower, has fitted a better flowing exhaust, massive brakes, and race suspension.
NISMO has even tuned the aerodynamics, to where the car creates additional downforce over its base model. All of this is an extra $15,000 that brings the car's total price to $45,790.
6 2002 Nissan R34 GT-R - 155 MPH (Limited)
Introduced in 1998, the R34 GT-R Skyline was the next step in Nissan's mission of pumping out one of the most iconic and influential sports cars ever produced. The R34 used the same RB26DETT, a twin-turbocharged inline-six that officially produced 276 horsepower, but individual dyno tests confirm closer to 330.
Power was sent to all four wheels like the R33 and R32 before it. Its engine technology was advanced for its debut in the late 1980s but failed to adapt to modern standards in regards to emissions. As a result, it's very difficult and expensive to import an R34 and make a street-legal in certain US states.
RELATED: 15 Surprising Facts About The Nissan Skyline
5 2021 Ford GT - 216 MPH
Trading off of its race car heritage, the GT is Ford's entry into Supercar territory. Using 647 horsepower to the rear wheels from an Ecoboost 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6, the Ford GT tops out at 216 mph.
Its price tag outweighs the GT-R by orders of magnitude at $500,000, and even with a body made from carbon fiber and an aluminum frame, it soars higher than most road-going cars from more prestigious brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. That said it is known to be a brilliant car to drive and has won endurance races.
4 2006 Ford GT - 205 MPH
Much closer to the 1960s GT40 Le Mans winner is the previous generation Ford GT. This car is a thoroughbred tribute, rocking a rear mid-mounted 5.4-liter supercharged V8 producing 550 horsepower to the rear wheels and mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
Other than the fact that it's heavier and larger to better fit those who most likely can afford one, the Ford GT is a great way to allow non-race drivers to buy and experience a piece of Ford's racing history.
3 Mustang GT500 - 186 MPH
It's safe to say that the Mustang ditched its pony car heritage after 2014. The induction of the 2015 model ushered in a new era of Mustangs equipped with independent rear suspension and heftier curb weight. Nonetheless, this new generation is the best performing Mustang in the car's history, and it continues with the new Shelby GT500.
Ford has ditched the flat-plane crankshaft from the GT350 and reinstated a cross-plane into its 5.2-liter V8, and with a supercharger, it produces 760 horsepower. Unfortunately, there isn't a manual transmission option for the GT500, but meaty 315 tires 625 lb-ft of torque make memories fade quickly.
2 Ford RS200 Evolution - 169 MPH
From 1984-1986, Ford produced one of the most insane cars to ever grace the rally stage, and that is the RS200. It's a tiny car, weighing just 2,315 pounds, but used a turbocharged 2.1-liter inline-four that produced 600 horsepower, sent to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
In Group B rally racing the Ford RS200 earned numerous accolades but was ultimately involved in the demise of Group B rally cars, which were removed from competition after 1986 following a series of accidents that put the series in jeopardy.
1 Ford Focus RS - 165 MPH
Discontinued after 2018, the Ford Focus is an all-wheel-drive hatchback that uses a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four that produces 350 horsepower. This helps the car reach 165 mph top speed and 62 mph in just 4.7 seconds.
It's reportedly a rough ride, so as a daily driver it might not stack up as well as the Nissan 370z, but it's a road legal performance car so driving it to the track for a few laps before driving it back home isn't outside the realm of possibility.