Nissan is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its victory in the East African Rally in 1971 with the unveiling of the rugged and aggressive-looking Juke Rally Tribute Concept. The off-road concept of the subcompact crossover is inspired by the iconic Nissan 240Z that won the said motorsports event
The Nissan Juke Rally Tribute Concept alongside the 1971 Nissan 240Z
The 1971 Nissan 240Z in the East African Rally in 1971 was raced by driver Edgar Herrmann with his navigator Hans Schüller.
“The Juke Rally Tribute Concept celebrates an iconic moment in Nissan’s heritage, with the participation and victory of the legendary 240Z in the East African Rally in 1971. As well as celebrating the victory, it reflects Nissan’s pioneering history in crossovers, striking design, and electrified powertrains,” said Nissan Europe Vice President Coralie Musy.
It looks like it can take any challenges on the road
The Nissan Juke Rally Tribute Concept gets the same paint scheme and decals as the 1971 Nissan 240Z that competed in the East African Rally, red paint, blacked-out wheels, the #11 decal, and black hood. This is a way to pay homage to the outstanding performance the sports car displayed at the motorsports event.
To make the subcompact crossover look more off-road ready, it is added with blacked-out wheel arches, large off-road tires, and auxiliary lights on the hood. It also gets massive tires and a height increase to run through off-roads seamlessly. No interior features have been revealed by Nissan.
Paying homage to the 1971 Nissan 240Z
As part of Nissan’s electrification plan, the Nissan Juke Rally Tribute Concept will use an electric hybrid powertrain to allow greater efficiency and deliver instant torque at will. The current second-gen version, launched last 2019, is powered by a 1.0-liter turbocharged straight-three engine that makes 115 hp and 200 Nm of torque.
“Nissan is currently writing an exciting chapter of its history as we are in the middle of renewing our range of crossovers in Europe. The replacement of the first generation of the pioneering and iconic Juke was introduced in late 2019 and is proving extremely popular with customers,” added Musy.
This off-road concept sits on the model's second-gen iteration
Nissan hasn’t shed a light as to when will it bring the rugged off-road concept of the subcompact crossover in metal. The Japanese automaker is busy improving its crossover family with the launching of the third generation of the benchmark and newly electrified Qashqai in Europe, while the X-Trail crossover is said to follow next year.
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