Photos: Chills and Thrills at the 2024 Nismo Festival
The early-morning December air near Mount Fuji was icy, freezing our breath as we stopped on the way to the Fuji Speedway. Keeping us warm, aside from several layers of Heattech clothing, was the sight of Nissan sport sedans and sports cars. Scores of them passed us on the highway—GTRs, Skylines, and Silvias—and dozens more were parked at the rest stop, all headed toward the Nismo Festival.
What Went Down at the Nismo Festival 2024
The Nismo Festival is an annual gathering of the faithful—fans of the Nissan brand, and of Nismo (Nissan Motorsports) in particular. This year’s event, held last December 1, is a dual celebration. 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Nismo brand since its 1984 introduction, and the 25th anniversary of the Nismo festival itself. The NISMO Festival began as a fan event, allowing enthusiasts to get up close to the race cars and hobnob with the drivers. Eventually, it became the huge motorsports event it is today. The main attraction of the day is when Nissan’s historic cars, particularly race cars, take to the track to participate in exhibition races.
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As for the Nismo brand, it was established in September 1984, primarily to design race cars that would participate in various series. As the in-house tuning and racing arm of Nissan, it would go on to produce legendary road cars as well as thoroughbred racing machines.
High-performance parts and systems designed and produced for this racing division made their way into Nissan road cars. The “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” principle has been enthusiastically applied, producing iconic road cars such as the Nismo 270R and 400R. Awesome racing machines such as the Nissan R390 GT1, Nismo’s Le Mans entry which placed third in the 1998 24 Hours race. The Nissan R91CP won the 24 Hours of Daytona, while the Calsonic Skyline GT-R Group competed in the Japan Touring Car Championship.
At the annual Nismo Festival, these cars alongside other poster-worthy vehicles are parked side by side at the pit garage for fans to walk right up to. They are by no means static display models, though. Throughout the Sunday, the stunning road and race cars are actually fired up and driven hard on the twisty Fuji Speedway by race drivers.
The GT-R was the star of the Festival, with cars like the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 race car (2024 GT World Challenge Asia), Runup Rivaux GT-R, and Xanavi Nismo GT-R letting their highly tuned engines roar as they zipped by Fuji’s main straight. Quieter but still as blood-pumping fast were the Nissan Formula E race car.
Taking to the track was the Nissan Calsonic Xanavi R390 GT1, built to compete the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997 and 1998. Four of the race cars finished in the top 10 in the latter year. The top-running R390 finished in third place. The Calsonic R32 GT-R with its iconic blue paintwork thrilled fans with its quick lap of Fuji.
Nismo fans also enjoyed the gathering of scores of GT-Rs parked track side, from the four-door Skyline models to highly tuned GT-R models, like the R34 V⋅spec II with its race-car like styling.
Even if a Z or GT-R isn’t in your automotive life, Nissan fans can opt for the sportier atmosphere and driving feel of a Nismo car. Several models from Nissan’s lineup are available in Nismo variants. These include the Ariya Nismo EV, the Note Aura Nismo, Leaf Nismo, and Skyline Nismo. Of course, the Fairlady Z and GT-R are available in Nismo tune.
“We’re grateful to the fans who have supported Nismo and we aim to provide an experience that allows everyone to reflect on the brand’s 40 years and envision its future,” said Takao Katagiri, president of Nissan Motor Corporation and head of Nissan's Motorsports Business Unit Office. “The team, drivers and everyone else involved look forward to sharing a memorable day with our fans. Our aim is to deliver exhilaration for fans at the circuit and embed the learnings from the racetrack, into products customers can buy. Our long-term goal is to progressively expand our business globally, delivering more exciting NISMO models to customers around the world.”
Adding to the chill of the morning air was news just a few hours prior, that Nissan was in the fight of its corporate life, financially speaking. The company was facing declining sales in its key markets of the USA and China, partly due to the slow introduction of hybrid and electric models heavily in demand in those markets. This was particularly painful for the company that pioneered the first mass-market electric vehicle, the Leaf, and innovative hybrid systems like the ePower system, which paired pure electric driving with an onboard gasoline-powered range extender engine.
The emerging sun and the gasoline and electric-powered fury on the track soon warmed the hearts of the gathered Nissan faithful. Nissan is a force to be reckoned with in the automotive world, with pioneering technology and a strong motorsports background that informs its road car offerings. Here’s hoping that the next few years will see a resurgence of the brand.
