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| Nismo | |
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded |
|
| Headquarters | , Japan |
| Products | Cars, auto parts |
| Services | Tuning andracing |
| Parent | Nissan Motorsports & Customizing |
| Website | www |
Nissan Motorsports International (ニッサン・モータースポーツ・インターナショナル,Nissan Mōtāsupōtsu Intānashonaru), abbreviated asNismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models forNissan. Nismo was initially a company,Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. (ニッサン・モータースポーツ・インターナショナル株式会社,Nissan Mōtā Supōtsu Intānashonaru Kabushiki-gaisha), formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departments, being the in-house tuning, motorsports and performance subsidiary of Nissan. It has competed inJSPC,JTCC, the24 Hours of Le Mans and the24 Hours of Daytona. As of 2025[update], they participate inSuper GT in Japan and inFormula E internationally. Nismo ceased to be a company in April 2022 by being merged with sister companyAutech into a new Nissan subsidiary, Nissan Motorsport & Customizing.
The Nismo story began in 1964 when a local company called Prince Motor Company realized that they could boost their sales by going into the competitive motorsport business. Nismo's first competitive motor sport debut was on 1 May 1964 − in their first race they ended up coming just short however it was bitter sweet as the Skyline took all positions from 2nd to 6th.[1]
In 1984,Nissan decided that it wanted to merge its two motorsport divisions, founded through the 1960s, they wereOppama Works [ja] (known asPublication Division 3), based in itsOppama factory, responsible for the needs of privateer teams andŌmori Works [ja] (Special Car Testing Division), within itsŌmori plant, responsible for itsfactory operations.[2] The company's intention following the merger was to specialize in sportscar racing, but it also provided support for teams competing in thedomestic F3 series.[2]
In 1988 the first dedicated race car by Nissan debuted, and saw incredible performance in circuit races. This vehicle was the iconicNissan Skyline R32, sporting theGT-R badge.[1][clarification needed]
In 1988, Nismo built its first car, theSaurus for motorsport use for its one-make series. The following year they developed theSkyline GT-R for racing as well as building the 500 evolution editions for road use.[2] The R34, the R32's generational grandchild was the first car to be produced with a V-Spec.[1]
In December 2021, Nissan said it would merge Nismo and sister companyAutech (a tuning and conversion operation) into a new company calledNissan Motorsports & Customizing Co., Ltd.. The merge was completed on April 1, 2022.[3][4]
Products include the GT-R, 370Z, Sentra, Frontier, and the Juke Nismo. Soon to be added to the range is the hatchbackNissan Pulsar Nismo and the electricNissan Leaf[5]
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Nismo designs and manufactures a range of aftermarket performance parts for Nissan cars includingaerodynamics parts such asspoilers anddiffusers,alloy wheels,engine andsuspension parts. The 2017 Infiniti Q60, being much criticized for its mild exhaust sound, about six months after its introduction had a specially tuned Nismo muffler made available throughInfiniti dealers as an aftermarket item.
MostDatsun, Nissan, and Infiniti branded cars have performance parts available from Nismo, either in production or as old stock. For example, Nismo sells parts such as unground cam billets, performance cams,pistons, etc. for theKA24E engine, which was used in the Nissan small pickup truck for several years and also used for the 1989 and 1990 model years of240SX, a popular car amongImport scene enthusiasts (especiallyDrifters) in North America.
In Japan, the V35Skyline andZ33 Fairlady have both received several levels of Nismo tuning packages (E-Type, S-Tune, R-Tune, and S1 packages), with a full track spec Fairlady Z debuted at the 2005 Nismo Festival of Speed held at (formerly) Fuji International Raceway.
In February 2007, Nismo announced the launch of the Nismo 380RS. The Nismo 380RS is a factory modified version of theNissan Z33 Fairlady Z tuned by both Nismo and Autech. Two versions were released, the first was a track-only model called the 380RS-C (C for competition), the second is a street model being sold at Nissan dealers. Both versions use aNissan VQ seriesV6 engine, bored and stroked to 3.8L. The track-only 380RS-C makes 400 hp (298 kW), and the street version makes approximately 350 hp (261 kW). The Nismo 380RS was only sold in Japan.
The first Nismo-branded car was the 1987Skyline R31 GTS-RGroup A evolution special limited to 823 examples. This was followed by the 1990Skyline GT-R Nismo of which only 560 were produced. Both cars featured weight-saving, aerodynamic, performance and reliability improvements necessary for the rigours of Group A competition.
The next Nismo release was theSkyline GT-R R34 'Z-Tune'. Intended to celebrate the 2005 20th anniversary of Nismo, the 2003 cancellation of R34 production meant that Nismo was only able to create 20 cars, all based on second-hand V.spec units purchased back from customers with less than 30,000 km on the odometer. The Z Tune sold for¥17,745,000 (US$146,600, as of December 7, 2005) in Japan. However, the parts-conversion version, where the customer's Skyline GT-R's become the base car, sells for¥13,125,000 (US$108,500, as of December 7, 2005). Due to rarity the GT-R Z-tune can exceedUS$500,000 in the car market[citation needed]. The engine is an RB28DETT Z2 (a normal GT-R engine with a stroked displacement of 2.8 liters & Nismo parts designed specifically for the Z2). The car weighs 1,600 kg (3,527 lb).
Nismo was also responsible for theR33 Skyline 400R andS14 Silvia 270R models. Both featured comprehensive modifications to the drivetrain, suspension, brakes, chassis, and aero work. Very limited numbers of both models were sold in 1997, and both command high resale prices even today. These models stressed Nismo's link to street car tuning, and were developed (as was the Z-Tune GT-R) at their Chiba City tuning garage. Nismo street tuned vehicles have been sold at Nissan dealerships for years, and come with full warranties. Nismo also produced 21 versions of the Pulsar GTi-R, essentially these cars contained all of the NISMO Group N parts available at the time in a fully built car.
| Base Model | Nismo Model | Production Years | Markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 350Z | Nismo 350Z[6] | 2004–2008 | Japan |
| 370Z | Nismo 370Z[6] | 2009–2020 | Japan, Middle East and North America |
| Armada | Armada Nismo | 2025–present | United States and Canada |
| Ariya | Ariya Nismo | 2024–present | Europe |
| GT-R | GT-R Nismo[6] | 2014–2025 | Japan |
| Juke | Juke Nismo[6] | 2013–2017 | Europe |
| Micra | March Nismo | 2013–present | Europe |
| Note | Note Aura Nismo | 2014–present | Japan |
| Patrol | Patrol Nismo | 2010–present | Middle East |
| Sentra | Sentra Nismo | 2017–2019 | North America |
| Silvia | Nismo 270R | 1994 | Japan |
| Skyline GT-R | Skyline GT-R Nismo[6] | 1989–1994 | Japan |
| Skyline | Skyline Nismo | 2023–present | Japan |
| X-Trail | X-Trail Nismo | 2025–present | Japan |
| Z | Z Nismo | 2024-present | Japan, United States, Canada and Middle East |
| Leaf | Leaf Nismo | 2020-present | Japan |
In the 1960s, Nissan competed in theJapanese Grand Prix sports car race.
Nissan joined theIMSA GT Championship in 1979, where it competed in the GT classes with the 240SX, 280ZX and 300ZX. From 1985 to 1993, they entered the main GTP class with the GTP ZX-Turbo and NPT-90.Geoff Brabham won four GTP drivers championships with Nissan from 1988 to 1991, and the manufacturer won the 199224 Hours of Daytona and the 1989, 1990 and 199112 Hours of Sebring.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Nissan raced at theAll Japan Sports Prototype Championship and24 Hours of Le Mans with sports prototypes such as theR88C,R89C,R90C andR391. They claimed the 1990, 1991 and 1992 JSPC titles, but they never won at Le Mans. Notable Nissan drivers in this era includeMasahiro Hasemi,Kazuyoshi Hoshino,Masahiko Kageyama andToshio Suzuki.
In the 1980s, the manufacturer entered theFuji Grand Champion Series with Group 5 Bluebird, Skyline and Silvia silhouettes and theJapanese Touring Car Championship with production Skyline models. In the 1990s, Nissan competed inSupertouring championships around the world with theNissan Primera, winning the 1999British Touring Car Championship withLaurent Aïello.
From 2013 onwards Nissan competed in theSupercars Championship withKelly Racing fielding fourNissan Altimas. The factory backing concluded at the end of 2018, although the Altimas continued to be privately entered in 2019.[7]
In 2009, Nissan entered theFIA GT1 World Championship with a Nismo-developedNissan GT-R. Krumm andLucas Luhr were 2011 drivers champions. Since 2011, Nismo has produced the GT-R GT3, which has competed in theBlancpain Endurance Series. Nismo has also developed production class Nissan GT-R cars for the24 Hours of Nürburgring.
They also have a pool of drivers, known as theNismo Global Driver Exchange. This allows factory drivers the chance to race in big events such as theLe Mans 24 Hours, the24 Hours of Dubai and theBathurst 12 Hour.
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Nissan's firstLMP1Hybrid was unsuccessful and caused Nissan and Nismo to withdraw fromLe Mans entirely.
From 2011 to 2016, Nissan was involved in theFIA World Endurance Championship andEuropean Le Mans Series as a LMP2 engine supplier. They have had success withGreaves Motorsport,Signature Team,OAK Racing,TDS Racing,G-Drive Racing andSMP Racing. In 2017, Nissan entered theDPi class of theWeatherTech SportsCar Championship withExtreme Speed Motorsports.
Nissan announced in June 2014, that Nismo will enter the LMP1 category to fight for theFIA World Endurance Championship againstAudi,Toyota andPorsche.[8] Following a disappointing performance in the2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, the program's remaining schedule in 2015 was pushed back, with the team intending a regular rebut in the 2016 season;[9] however on 22 December 2015, Nissan announced that it was shuttering the program altogether.[10]
In theinaugural season ofFormula E,DAMS (as e.dams) partnered with sister companyRenault to formTeam e.dams Renault, where they became the first Formula E Team's Champion. At the end of the2017–18 season, Renault decided to focus on Formula One with Nissan taking over Renault's place in the partnership with e.dams to formNissan e.dams for the2018–19 season.[11] In April 2022, Nissan announced the acquisition of the e.dams race team and entered the2022–23 season asNissan Formula E Team.[12] As of 2026[update], it is the only international racing series where Nissan and Nismo are competing. The Team won the Drivers' Championship in the2024–25 season withOliver Rowland. The current drivers for the Nissan Formula E Team are race driversOliver Rowland andNorman Nato and test driversAbbi Pulling andSam Bird.
Sources:[13]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)[14][15]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
Note: Non-championship (NC1, NC2) races are major races that do not count towards the championship.
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Powertrain | Tyres | No. | Drivers | Points | T.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 |  NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | SparkGen3 | Nissan e-4ORCE 04 | H | 88 | 8th | ||
| 5 | Jake Hughes | |||||||
| 58 |  René Rast | |||||||
| 2023–24 | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | SparkGen3 | Nissan e-4ORCE 04 | H | ||||
| 5 | Jake Hughes | 101 | 7th | |||||
| 8 | Sam Bird | |||||||
| Taylor Barnard | ||||||||
| 2024–25 | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | SparkGen3 Evo | Nissan e-4ORCE 05 | H | ||||
| 5 | Taylor Barnard | 143 | 6th | |||||
| 8 | Sam Bird |
(Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Drivers | No. | Rounds | Pts. | Pos. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIL | SPA | LMS | NÜR | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | |||||||
| 2015 | Nissan Motorsports | LMP1 | Tsugio Matsuda Lucas Ordóñez Mark Shulzhitskiy | 21 | Ret | 0 | NC | |||||||
| Harry TincknellAlex BuncombeMichael Krumm | 22 | NC | ||||||||||||
| Max ChiltonJann MardenboroughOlivier Pla | 23 | Ret | ||||||||||||
Team Nismo featured heavily in theGran Turismo movie, centered around real-life racing driverJann Mardenborough. The movie portrays a dramatized version of Jann's career under the team, and features many Nismo-related racecars, including theNissan GT-R and its Nismo and GT3 versions, as well as theLigier JS PX prototype.[16]
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