Nissan has unveiled the Safari Rally Z Tribute at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, USA. The rally-oriented car pays homage to the #11 Datsun 240Z rally car that won the 1971 East African Safari Rally. A replica of the said car is also present at the automotive aftermarket event.
From left to right: Datsun 240Z rally car, Nissan Safari Rally Z Tribute
If the 240Z rally car sounds familiar, that’s probably because Nissan has already made tributes before including the Juke Rally Tribute Concept. This time, the tribute comes in the form of the Nissan Z sports car – which is the nameplate’s seventh-generation iteration.
Nissan tapped Tommy Pike Customs for the build. What the tuner did was lift the ride height by approximately 50.8 mm using custom KW Safari suspension and Nismo suspension parts. Part of the unsprung weight is a set of 17-inch Nismo Safari wheels in Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 tires.
The latest generation nods to the iconic Nissan rally car
The Nissan Safari Rally Z Tribute is geared with off-road-ready equipment including a new front bumper guard, a skid plate, and an assortment of Nismo off-road LED lights for dusty conditions or night racing. Inside, the tuner installed a custom roll bar with four-point harnesses and custom-trimmed Recaro Pole Position seats.
Powering the rally-orientated Nissan Z is an AMS-tuned VR30DDTT with 400 plus horsepower. In comparison to the road-going Z Nismo, the more performance-oriented version makes 420 horsepower. The rally car’s engine is combined with Nismo track cat-back exhaust system, cold air intake, carbon fiber engine cover, coolant expansion tank, heat exchanger, and street twin-disc clutch and flywheel.
Ready to hit off-roads
We won’t likely see the Safari Rally Z Tribute on our shores considering the lack of high-level rally competitions. What we could see instead is the bone stock Nissan Z that arrived in the local market last September 2023. Nissan Philippines offers the sports car at Php 3,888,000 for both the manual and auto transmission options.
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