Yokohama, Japan – Nissan’s in-house tuning, motorsports, and performance division, NISMO, celebrates its 40th anniversary today. Since its establishment on September 17, 1984, as Nissan Motorsport International Co. Limited, NISMO has been the heart of Nissan’s performance engineering, driving innovation on the racetrack and on public roads. This milestone marks four decades of relentless dedication to speed, precision, and innovation.
NISMO was originally based in Omori, Tokyo, and quickly became synonymous with some of Nissan’s most exhilarating vehicles and motorsports achievements. With a core philosophy of “Track to Road,” NISMO has consistently channeled its racing expertise into creating high-performance road cars, combining the rigorous demands of competitive motorsport with the everyday driving experience. NISMO’s close ties to motorsport serve as both a testing ground and a source of inspiration, refining the performance of Nissan’s production models for enthusiasts across the globe.
To commemorate this landmark anniversary, Nissan’s Global Headquarters Gallery in Yokohama is showcasing a stunning lineup of iconic NISMO models. Enthusiasts can marvel at rare road cars like the NISMO 270R and the legendary NISMO 400R, alongside track-bred champions such as the Nissan R390 GT1, which secured third place at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Nissan R91CP, victorious at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the Calsonic Skyline GT-R Group A, a legend in the Japan Touring Car Championship (JTCC).
The exhibition also offers a glimpse into the future of NISMO with a display of current domestic market models, including the recently launched Ariya NISMO, AURA NISMO, and FAIRLADY Z NISMO. The showcase will run until October 15, 2024, giving visitors the chance to witness both NISMO’s heritage and its forward-thinking vision.
Takao Katagiri, Head of Nissan’s global motorsports business unit and president of NISMO, expressed gratitude to the fans who have supported the brand through the years. “We would like to thank everyone who has supported NISMO since 1984, and we look forward to delivering speed, confidence, and exhilaration for decades to come. Our longstanding ethos of ‘Track to Road’ continues with our Super GT and Formula E factory racing programs.”
Looking ahead, Katagiri highlighted NISMO’s ambition to further expand its reach globally, offering enthusiasts more high-performance models rooted in motorsports excellence. “Our aim is to deliver exhilaration for fans at the circuit and embed the learnings from the racetrack into products customers can buy. Our long-term goal is to progressively expand our business globally, delivering more exciting NISMO models to customers around the world,” he said.
The 40th anniversary celebrations will culminate at the 2024 NISMO Festival, set to take place on December 1 at Fuji International Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture. This year’s festival promises to be a special tribute to NISMO’s legacy, showcasing its rich racing heritage and the evolution of its high-performance road cars. Fans of the brand can look forward to a full day of motorsport excitement, as NISMO’s illustrious past, present, and future come together on one of Japan’s most iconic racing circuits.
As NISMO looks to the future, the brand remains committed to delivering the thrill of motorsports to its loyal customers and racing fans. With new models on the horizon and a continued emphasis on performance-driven innovation, NISMO’s next 40 years promise to be as exhilarating as its first.
