Nissan Is Bringing a Z Race Car With a Classic Livery to SEMA
Sometimes the best projects are the ones you spend your free time on.
At Nissan’s booth at this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, you’ll find a trio of head-turning motorsport builds—one of which is a stunning Z car built by a team of employees in their off hours.
The official name of that car is the Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2 Z, and it owes its existence to the Nissan Acceleration Team (NAT), a group of the automaker’s workers who pursue motorsports in their free time. The name, as cumbersome as it may be, is also as apt as they come, because this seventh-generation Z has been designed and engineered to race in Sports Car Club of America events, specifically the Touring 2 class.
Nissan Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2 Z
Nissan
The project car is a stock Z that’s been upgraded with new performance parts and safety features to allow its driver to better push it to its limits. On the performance side of things, the engine, which is now fitted with turbo inlet restrictors to meet class requirements, has received a custom engine tune and been equipped with a cold air intake, an upgraded fuel system, and a Nismo-designed GT4 single-exit stainless-steel exhaust system. The suspension benefits from a new coilover kit, front upper control arms, front and rear sway bars, and adjustable sway bar links, all of which were made by Nismo. The interior of the vehicle, meanwhile, has been torn out and replaced with an SCCA-spec roll cab and a Sabelt X-Pad full halo driver seat with a six-point racing harness.
All these upgrades will help the Z compete on the track, but our favorite feature is its paint job. NAT wisely decided to finish the vehicle in a gorgeous red, white, and blue livery similar to those worn by Datsun and then Nissan race cars since the 1960s.
Inside the Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2 Z
Nissan
The Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2 Z may have won our hearts, but Nissan’s other SEMA builds are worthy of attention. There’s also a Sentra Spec-V concept equipped with a potent 2.0-liter inline-four that somehow makes 300 hp along with a Datsun S30 restomod built by drift champion Chris Forsberg. The trio is unlikely to spawn a production model, but anyone attending this year’s SEMA show, which runs from Tues, Nov. 3, to Friday, Nov. 6, should still make sure to check them out.
Click here to see more photos of the Nissan Project NAT2 SCCA Touring 2 Z.
