Nismo is a big deal in Japan. We know it well enough as Nissan’s equivalent of BMW’s M division or Mercedes AMG, but it inspires an incredibly fervent cult following in its home country.
Having A) lots of fans and B) a collection of interesting racing cars makes a good excuse for a good old party, hence the annual Nismo festival run at the end of the year.
This year’s celebration of all things Nismo kicks off tomorrow at Fuji Speedway, and with 2014 marking Nismo’s 30th Anniversary it’s bound to be bigger, noisier and faster than ever.
The festival runs from 29 November to 2 December, and will include drifting displays, a 100-car parade by Nismo owners and plenty of racing, including the GT-R CTE (Club Track Edition) Cup where a grid of identical R35 GT-R’s will paint-swap their way around Fuji’s dauntingly quick contours.
Last year 32,000 fans showed up – here are a few highlights.
The event culminated in the NISMO GP, where all the current GT-Rs and Zs in Japanese racing go head to head. There’ll be more of the same this year.
Last year the Nismo GT-R was still plastered in camouflage. It’s since lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in an astonishing 7m 8s. CAR’s Gavin Green was there to witness it – and passengered ex-F1 ace Sebastien Buemi on a maximum-attack run – watch the eye-opening video here.
Legendary Nismo racers from the past…
…and the present will take on Fuji, including fire-spitting stars from Japan’s domestic GT racing series. And yep, this GTR is sharing the track with a Nismo’d Micra.
All five of Nismo’s road-going models will be kept busy over the weekend: the ones we get in the UK (the Nismo GT-R, 370Z Nismo and Juke Nismo) and those we don’t – the Note Nismo (yes, such a thing exists), and the Nismo version of the Micra (known as the Nissan March over in Japan).
Video highlights from the 2013 Nismo Festival at Fuji Speedway: