5 Of The Fastest Nissans Ever Made, Ranked By Top Speed

Throughout its long history, Nissan has made some very fast cars. One of the first was the famed Skyline, a nameplate originally acquired when Nissan merged with Prince in 1966. The first performance-oriented version was the 1969 2000 GT-R, with its 160-horsepower DOHC inline-six engine and fully independent suspension. That car competed in Japan's domestic touring car races and won 52 races during its initial three years. The Skyline GT-R went on to become a performance legend in Japan, evolving into the Nissan GT-R that now faces an uncertain future.

The Nissan Fairlady Z (in Japan) and Datsun 240Z (in the U.S.) debuted for the 1970 model year and were Nissan's attempt at a modern coupe. Nissan has also had an illustrious racing history, excelling in road racing and rallying competitions going back to 1958, when a Datsun 210 "Fuji" won its class in the Mobilgas Around Australia trial. More recent victories include numerous wins in Japan-based series, as well as 1992 and 1994 victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Here, from slowest to fastest, are five of Nissan's fastest cars.

First up is the 2002 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R Nür, a special edition that was the final R34 ever made. It had a claimed top speed of 165 mph and was named for the Nürburgring, the famed German track where it was extensively developed. Powered by a 276-horsepower version of Nissan's RB26DETT N1 inline-six racing engine, the Nür featured an upgraded engine block, pistons, connecting rods, and larger turbos for more boost.

A total of 1,003 examples of the Skyline R34 GT-R Nür were produced for the 2002 model year. These were comprised of two different sub-types, the M-Spec Nür and V-Spec II Nür, which had different suspension and interior specifications. While the M-Spec Nür came with an aluminum hood and leather interior, the V-Spec II Nür included a weight-saving carbon fiber hood and a cloth interior. There were 285 M-Spec Nür models and 718 V-Spec II Nür models made.

Next up is the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO, also rated at a top speed of 165 mph. Representing the latest evolution of the Nissan Z, the NISMO variant packs a 420-horsepower turbocharged 3.5-Liter V6, giving you 20 horsepower more than the standard Z's engine. As the most track-capable version of Nissan's mainstream sports car, the NISMO comes with several performance enhancements developed for its cousin, the GT-R NISMO. These upgrades include a larger oil cooler, a new wastegate on the turbo, and improved ignition timing and cooling capability. 

One thing that's not available on the Nissan Z NISMO is a manual transmission. A nine-speed automatic is your only choice, but this unit has received some NISMO upgrades that allow it to shift in half the normal time and give you a more intense launch control experience.

Other upgrades on the Z NISMO include aerodynamic enhancements front and rear, aggressive dry-track tires, larger brakes, and stiffer suspension bushings. These all contribute to the Nissan Z NISMO's high level of comfort in a track setting, although the car may be a bit too hardcore for everyday driving situations. 

The 2015 Nissan Juke-R 2.0 was the second iteration of the original 2011 Juke-R, for which someone at Nissan had the remarkably bold idea of transplanting the R35 GT-R's sophisticated high-performance innards into the mild-mannered Juke. The most recent result of this Frankenstein-like process created the Juke-R 2.0, an even more powerful, yet still matte black version capable of a 200 mph top speed. Appropriately enough, this unreal vehicle debuted at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.

The Nissan Juke-R 2.0 is based on the more recent version of the standard Juke, which features Nissan's "V-motion" grille and is mostly irrelevant to this discussion. What is important is the fact that the Juke-R 2.0 now has the 600-horsepower version of the most powerful GT-R NISMO engine under its ventilated hood, driving all four wheels just as in the GT-R. Engine cooling capability has been greatly increased in line with its higher power output, while a variety of carbon fiber body parts keep the vehicle's overall weight down. 

Nissan never intended for the Juke-R or Juke-R 2.0 to be cars for the masses. A total of six examples of the Juke-R have been hand-built and sold for around $590,000 each. The Juke-R 2.0 was reportedly produced in a quantity of either four or five. One was available for sale in Germany in late 2021 at a price equivalent to about $280,000. None were ever intended to be sold in the U.S. Sorry.

The 2024 Nissan GT-R NISMO is the top performer in the Nissan lineup. It has a top speed of 200 mph, thanks to its 3.8-Liter twin-turbo aluminum V6 engine that produces 600 horsepower. A six-speed DCT transaxle with paddle shifters sends the power to all four wheels though its ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive. The GT-R rides on its own unique platform (known as PM, or Premium-Midship) that is not used by any other Nissan vehicle. 

The name NISMO stands for Nissan Motorsports, and is usually reserved for the most extreme performance-oriented version of each Nissan model. The most recent GT-R NISMO upgrades came along in 2020, when several performance enhancements were adopted. These included improved shifting for the transmission, upgraded turbos from the GT-R GT3 race car, reduced weight, improved body rigidity, more use of carbon fiber, along with better tires, wheels, and brakes. More horsepower was also a byproduct of these improvements.

Supporting the GT-R NISMO's engine performance are larger, lighter-weight, carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes to slow it all down, along with carbon-fiber body parts that include fascias front and rear, hood, roof, rear wing, and trunk lid. These function to increase cooling and lower the GT-R's center of gravity. The interior features synthetic suede Recaro seats, Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, and red stitching.

This 1998 Nissan R390 GT1 Sport Prototype is a very rare vehicle — only one of them was ever made. This single R390 GT1 was produced in order to get it a type-approval as a GT Car that could then be entered into the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1998. This car currently resides in Nissan's Heritage Collection. With a claimed top speed of 220 miles per hour, the R390 GT1 is probably Nissan's fastest car ever.

The Nissan R390 GT1 is powered by a 3.5-Liter DOHC V8 with an output of 345 horsepower (350 PS). Power flows to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. 

The actual versions of this lone street car were quite a bit more powerful. Their 3.5-Liter V8s were tuned to produce 641 horsepower. Of the four R390 GT1s that were entered into the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans, they all finished within the top 10 places, with the #32 Calsonic-sponsored car taking third overall.