Nissan is one of the oldest successful Japanese car companies in the world. The company was founded 86 years ago on 26th December 1993 by multinational founders. Under the Nissan umbrella, there are a couple of popular brands like Datsun and Infiniti.
Nissan has over the years built and sold some of the most iconic high-performance cars in the world. The Nissan GT-R aka “Godzilla” is without a doubt the most popular of Nissan's sports car offerings. Most of Nissan’s high-performance cars go through Nissan’s in-house performance division – Nismo.
The first Nissan cars arrived in the United States 60 years ago after a man known as “Mr. K” saw the potential of Nissan cars in the West. Since then, Nissan has gone to build some of the best high-performance cars in the market.
10 Datsun 240Z
The Datsun 240Z was the car that put Nissan sports cars on a successful path when it debuted in America in 1969. This car was built to race. It featured a sporty rear-wheel-drive drivetrain that was powered by a 151 horsepower 2.4-liter inline-six engine paired with a four-speed manual transmission.
The Datsun 240Z was a nimble and lightweight car, which proved to be an advantage on the rally circuit. In 1973, the Datsun 240Z won the East African Safari Rally in Kenya at the WRC circuit.
9 Datsun Fairlady SR311
When sports cars were making their debut, Italian and British cars were riding the wave and companies like Nissan were not seen as likely rivals. However, all this changed when Nissan built the Datsun Fairlady SR311.
The Datsun Fairlady SR311 was the car that came before the legendary Z Series line up. This car was the cheapest sports car in its category. This car was powered by a 150 hp 2.0-liter inline-four engine that featured an aluminum head and was paired with a five-speed manual transmission.
8 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge (Concept)
Infiniti is a subsidiary under the Nissan umbrella. So technically, all Infiniti cars are Nissan. The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge (Concept) is the dream child of Johan de Nysschen back when he was at Infiniti.
This car was built with the hope to rival the BMW M3. The Infinity Q50 Eau Rouge (Concept) is a four-door GT-R sedan that was named after the popular left-hander at Spa Francorchamps. This car is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that pushes 560 horsepower. When Johan de Nysschen moved to Cadillac, the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge (Concept) was scrapped.
7 KPGC10 Skyline GT-R (Hakosuka)
The first-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R was a boxy car hence its name “Hakosuka” which loosely translates to “Boxy Skyline”. The KPGC10 Skyline GT-R made its debut in 1969 as a sedan. A few years later, Nissan rolled out the coupe version of this car.
This rear-wheel car was powered by a 2.0-liter inline-six engine that was fitted with dual overhead cams. This engine was mated with a five-speed manual transmission. The power output from this engine was 160 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque. By the time Nissan was discontinuing the KPGC10 Skyline GT-R (Hakosuka), only 1,945 units were made and sold. This makes it one of the rarest Nissans ever made.
6 Nissan 370Z
The Nissan Z line up is one of the best and most iconic sports car line-ups in the world. Most if not all of Nissan Z cars were known for their performance and their sturdiness. The Nissan 370Z is the last of the Z Series. This car made its debut in 2009. It featured shorter overhangs, a shorter wheelbase, and a powerful engine.
A 3.7-liter V6 engine powered this beauty. It pushed 350 horsepower. The Nissan 370Z is known for being nimble and agile. While it might feel dated today, this is one of the 20th-century sports cars from Nissan.
5 Nissan IDx Nismo Concept
Nissan has always found a way to impress their customers and enthusiasts with some of the most interesting and intriguing concept cars. The Nissan IDx Nismo Concept is one of these cars. The Nismo concept is a build by Nissan’s in-house performance division. This car made its debut in 2013, at the Tokyo Motor Show.
This beauty is powered by a 1.6-liter turbo motor that is estimated to push 200 horsepower. Nissan is yet to give concrete affirmation on whether or not the Nissan IDx Nismo Concept is going into production or not.
4 Nissan R390 GT1
Back in the day, for a car company or team to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, their cars had to be based on a road-legal version of the racecar. This rule saw car manufacturers build some of the wildest road cars ever seen.
The Nissan R390 GT1 was one of these wild creations. This ride was powered by a 3.5-liter V9 engine that was mated with a six-speed Xtrarc sequential manual transmission. The max power output from this engine 641 horsepower on the racecar and 550 horsepower on the road car. The Nissan R390 GT1 participated in the 1997 and 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans clinching a number of class victories.
3 R32 Skyline GT-R (Godzilla)
Since its debut in the late 1960s, the Skyline GT-R had already made a name for itself as a worthy opponent on the track. However, it was not until 1989 when Nissan unveiled the R32 Skyline GT-R that Nissan’s prowess in building quality sports cars finally came to light. The R32 Skyline GT-R is the car that started the Godzilla line, as it is known today.
This car was powered by a 2.6-liter RB26DETT twin-turbo inline-six engine. This engine pushed 276 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque to the car’s ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive drivetrain. From 1989 to 1993, the R32 Skyline GT-R participated in Group A racing and dominated all the races. Specifically, it won all the 29 races it participated in.
2 R34 Skyline GT-R Z-Tune
The R34 Skyline GT-R Z-Tune was a concept car built by Nissan’s in-house performance division, Nismo. This car was based on the Skyline GT-R, but with some serious upgrades.
The engine that powered this car was a 2.8-liter RB26DETT that featured an upgraded engine block, crankshaft, and turbochargers. That meant it would produce 500 horsepower and could do a 0 to 62 mph sprint in 3.8 seconds. Only 19 units of the R34 Skyline GT-R Z-Tune were produced.
1 R35 Nissan GT-R
When Nissan closed the books on the Skyline GT-R, they gave this line up a remarkable send-off. They built a supercar, the R35 Nissan GT-R. The R35 Nissan GT-R was and still is considered a bargain performance car. It has the power of a supercar but the price tag of a sports car.
This car’s features included a transaxle gearbox that is mated to a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that pushes power to its all-wheel-drive drivetrain. This engine’s power output was 710 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque.