Nissan Z GT500 race car revealed for 2022 Super GT Series

KUALA LUMPUR: At Fuji International Speedway, Nissan Motor and Nissan Motorsports International introduced the all-new Z GT500 yesterday. The new race car will participate in the Super GT Series from the upcoming 2022 season, which means it will be retiring the long-running GT-R. 

Entering the competitive racing series with the new sports car is a part of the brand’s NEXT transformation plan declared in May 2020 that aims at achieving superior brand value. 

In the revealed images, the Nissan Z GT500 is kitted in full race-prepped attire featuring a wider body, aggressive splitters, a vented bonnet, and an elevated rear wing. If we talk about the mechanical configuration, the car will be using a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with a single turbocharger, like all other cars participating in the series. As per the GT500 regulations mandate, the powers of these engines are limited to 650 horsepower.

Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta said, “The Nissan Z GT500 symbolizes Nissan’s spirit of taking on challenges and bringing excitement to life. Through our racing efforts, we continue to innovate our cars and we race to win with the same daring we have displayed so many times over the years.”

President and CEO of NISMO Takao Katagiri said, “We are entering the 2022 Super GT series with our all-new Nissan Z GT500 car and our huge passion for motorsports. We hope that our fans will continue to passionately support the Nissan and NISMO motorsport teams.”

Speaking about Nissan’s history in motorsports, the brand is actively participating in racing events for a long time. In the early 1970s, it achieved straight wins at the SCCA C Production Series with the S30 240Z in the United States. Later in the 1990s, it clocked several wins at the IMSA Series with the Z32 300ZX. With its participation in the JGTC/Super GT series with the Z33 in the 2000s, the automaker became a series championship.

In other news, Nissan unveiled a new single-seater racing car concept car, which is based on Ariya EV. It will act as a testbed for the brand's future tech development.

Also read: GoEV is the start of electric vehicle subscription and sharing