Nissan is a big name among Japanese automakers. Based in Nishi-Ku, Yokohama, Japan, the brand has had a striking international presence since its inception in 1933. Originally called Nissan Zaibatsu, it is now famous as the Nissan Group. And sells its vehicles under Infiniti and Datsun brand names, in addition to its own.
Initially, the Nissan brand was associated with manufacturing homely, family, and economy sedan cars. Later, the company’s engineers broke all the associated stereotypes and started designing various vehicles- from modest sedans to exotic sports cars.
So if you are looking to race with Lamborghini and Ferrari owners in a car that does not cost you an arm and a leg, then a Nissan car would be perfect for you.
19 Fastest Nissan Cars
If you are a car enthusiast, who wants to buy a fast car, but one that doesn’t cost you a lot, then you should definitely have a look at some of the fastest cars of all time from Nissan. Following are the 19 Fastest Cars from Nissan; let’s have a look at each one briefly:
- Datsun 1600 Fairlady Roadster
- Datsun 510
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- Datsun 240 Z
- Nissan 240 SX
- Nissan Maxima
- Nissan Skyline GTR
- Nissan 300 ZX
- Nissan 370 Z
- Nissan 370 Z Nismo
- Nissan AMS Ronin GT-R
- Nissan Greddy GR43 GT-R
- Nissan Juke-R
- Nissan GT-R 2015
- Nissan GT-R 2013
- Nissan R390 GT1
- Nissan Silvia 200 SX Spec- R
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
Let’s now learn about each of the aforementioned Nissan cars in detail in the coming sections.
1. Datsun 1600 Fairlady Roadster
Datsun 1600 Fairlady Roadster is one of the cars released by Nissan in the 1960s as part of the Datsun Sports series. The series was called ‘Datsun Fairlady’ instead of Datsun Sports in Australian and Japanese markets.
This line was built in two generations. The former was handcrafted primarily in limited numbers, while the latter was manufactured in large numbers.
The Datsun 1600 Fairlady is an open two-seater roadster in many attractive colors. It is one of the classic Nissan cars that laid the foundation for the brand’s name and fame. When the car hit the roads, it competed with European roadsters from MG, Fiat, Triumph, and Alpha Romeo Sports cars.
An inline 1.6-liter engine powers the car. The engine type was spark-ignition 4-stroke. The four cylinders accounted for 96 horsepower.
All of it was connected to a synchromesh manual transmission that gave the car an edge in agility. The vehicle was equipped with efficient brakes, fuel, clutch, and a transmission system.
Though the car seemed more cuddly and cute instead of being fast and ferocious, the car was quite fast, as it could go to 60 mph from 0 within 10.8 seconds and from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.5 seconds. Its quarter-mile drag time was about 17.9 seconds.
2. Datsun 510
Datsun 510 car model from Nissan was released as a part of the company’s Datsun Bluebird series, which was sold between 1968-1973. Often dubbed as a poor man’s BMW’, the car was a kind-of Japanese alternative to its European Sedan competitors from BMW, i.e., BMW 1600-2.
Though the name of this inexpensive Japanese car can remind you of Woolworth’s five and ten-cent stores in the US, this association didn’t harm Datsun’s performance and popularity.
Nissan Company’s US Prez, Yutaka Katayama, worked hard for this model’s success, striving to make it the very first Japanese Sedan widely accepted by Americans. The car aimed to deliver beyond its customers’ expectations.
The car’s design was modeled on its European counterpart and thus featured an overhead camshaft engine, semi-trailing arms, and a MacPherson strut suspension. The car was initially released as a four-door sedan stylized in a wagon body. But later, two-door models became prevalent.
The Datsun 510 featured a 96-horsepower, 1.6-liter engine, and a system of front-disc or rear-drum brakes. The power and torque were 96 hp @5600 rpm and 100 lb-ft @3600 rpm, respectively.
The car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 14.5 seconds. The quarter-mile drag time was 19 seconds. These exotic features were made available at a low price, making the car a dream come true.
3. Nissan Sentra SE-R
Nissan’s Sentra SE-R is another car that features in the list of the fastest Nissan cars. The car, considered an underrated driver of the 1990s, was released as a part of a series of automobiles produced by Nissan under the name ‘Nissan Sentra.’
Later renamed Nissan Sunny, Nissan Pulsar, Nissan Tsuru, and Nissan Sylphy, the Sentra series was categorized as a subcompact class but was later included in the compact car class.
Eight generations of vehicles have been released under the Sentra series, and Nissan’s Sentra SE-R forms a part of the third, i.e., the B13 generation.
At heart, this Sedan released by Nissan is an economy car. Though it looks like a primary vehicle, it is characterized by immense speed.
It is considered Nissan’s ultimate hidden weapon, owing to the company’s engineers’ precision and adeptness, which can combine fancy and speedy suspensions with modest exteriors. Driving this car can give you a lot of thrill, while it would seem to others that you own a dull car.
The car is equipped with Nissan’s classic SR20DE engine, whose capacity can be 1.6 liters (1,596 cc), 1.8 liters (1,838 cc), or 2.0 liters (1,998 cc), along with a four-stroke gasoline internal combustion system.
The vehicle offers 140 horsepower (104.4 kW) at 6400 rpm and 132 lb-ft (179 N⋅m) of torque at 4800 rpm. Its speed has a quarter-mile drag time of 15.8 seconds and can go from 0 to 60 mph within just 7.6 seconds.
4. Datsun 240 Z
The Datsun 240 Z was sold with different names in different regions. It was called the Nissan Fairlady Z in Japanese markets and was later even called Datsun 260Z and Datsun 280 Z.
It was a first-generation vehicle released as a part of the Nissan’s Z series, a series of Grand-Tourer Sports cars, which was a coupe and had three doors.
The series was one of the most successful sports car lines ever released. Nissan’s US President, Yoshihiko Matsuo, was behind its success. The car sought to compete with its established European counterparts, like Britain’s MGB-GT.
The vehicle had modern engineering, elegant styling, excellent performance, and considerably low pricing, making it an instant favorite among the people. Motoring press and buyers gave their thumbs up to this model and started waiting for the upcoming models under the Z series.
The 240 Z was equipped with a smooth inline engine, whose capacity was 2.4 liters, along with a rear-wheel-drive-chassis, independent suspension, and a system of front disc brakes.
This was, thus, a tunable and tough sports classic. Talking about its speed, the car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph within 8 seconds, with a top speed of 125 mph.
5. Nissan 240 SX
Nissan 240 SX is another high-performing car released by the company. This car sought to replace the erstwhile prevalent 200 SX model. It was a compact sports car designed to be introduced in the American markets.
Two vehicles were produced under this model, S13, and S14, from 1989 to 1994 and 1994 to 1998, respectively. These series were introduced on the Nissan S platform.
These 240 SX vehicles had an inline-four engine capacity of 2.4 liters. These were KA engines produced by Nissan that had four-stroke inline-four gasoline pistons.
The cars were powered by 140 horsepower and 152 lb. ft of torque. Four-wheel brakes were standardized in the vehicle, and optional anti-lock brakes were. However, it is one of the slowest accelerating cars, with a top speed of 180 mph.
Nissan’s declining reputation then affected this model’s popularity and sales. The rival companies started gaining more influence and prominence.
Honda ascended in terms of excellence, Mazda became remarkable in its performance, and Toyota emerged as Japan’s most significant car manufacturing company. Consequently, Nissan slipped off from its second place among US car sales imports.
6. Nissan Maxima
Nissan manufactured another car model, the Nissan Maxima, which proved to be one of its highest-performing models. Nissan Maxima was a full-size or large car, which was a sedan.
It served as Nissan’s flagship product in the field of sedans in China, the Middle East, and North America. This car has had eight generations so far.
The car was initially released as Datsun Maxima in 1982 to replace the earlier prevalent model Datsun 810. The name Maxima was adopted in 1991, owing to the success of this model in the US.
The Bluebird series released by Nissan inspires this model. The brand name Nissan was adopted when the ‘Datsun’ brand name was phased out.
Most of the vehicles of this model were built in Japan, while few were assembled in the USA. The model is sold and marketed as an alternative to Nissan’s Altima. As such, it’s often called Nissan’s four-door sports sedan.
Nissan Maxima offers features such as a premium interior, a 6-speed transmission system, and a V-6 engine. Its layout has a system of front engine and front-wheel drive.
With these features, the car has a top speed of 132 mph and an estimated acceleration of 5m/s2. The vehicle can reach up to 0 to 100 mph in 5.8 seconds.
7. Nissan Skyline GTR
Nissan’s Skyline GTR is another company product that added another feather to its cap. It is a flagship product that showcases Nissan’s performance and its capabilities.
This is a sports car produced by Nissan, under the Skyline Range. The first cars produced under this line became successful in many Japanese car racing events. Vehicles were manufactured under this line in two generations, the former under model KPGC10 and the latter under model KPGC110.
The Nissan Skyline GTR is remarkable in terms of the technological innovations that it embraced. The car featured SUPER HICAS four-wheel steering, an all-wheel-drive system, circuit track, import-wheel drag racing, and time attack.
The car was replaced by GT-R (R35), which was released on an enhanced platform of Skyline V36 after Skyline GTR’s production ended in 2002. Though they were aesthetically different, they seemed similar. Its manufacture was in Japan only, though it was exported and sold in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
The Nissan Skyline GTR was a sedan with two doors, powered by a 160-horsepower inline 6-cylinder S20 engine, with a strut suspension and 177 Nm of torque. There was a disc system of front and rear brakes and a manual transmission system. The car lent a top speed of 119 mph.
8. Nissan 300 ZX
With time Nissan’s Z series started becoming outdated in the 1980s. Nissan’s 300 ZX, in its updated version, emerged as a savior of the company’s reputation. This car, a corvette competitor, was often dubbed as one of the most fantastic cars of the 1990s. In its initial release, it was more of a comfortable cruiser, but later it emerged as an outright sports car.
Nissan’s 300 ZX was a sports car manufactured as a part of the Z series produced by the company. The car was built in two generations. In the domestic markets of Japan, the car was sold under the name Fairlady Z, similar to the other models of the Z series.
The numerical convention in the name 300 ZX followed the original debutant, Nissan S30, while the addition of X was adapted as a carryover from its predecessor, Nissan 280 ZX. The car received immense love and appreciation from the buyers and achieved the highest sales volume among the vehicles in the Z-series.
The car was characterized by sleek styling, a twin-turbo V6 engine, SUPER-HICAS rear-wheel-steering system, and a manual transmission system, which delivered 300 horsepower. Talking about its speed, the car could accelerate to 60 mph from 0 in less than 5.3 seconds, making it one of the fastest Nissan cars.
9. Nissan 370 Z
Nissan’s 370 Z is another vehicle the automaker company produces under its high-performing Z series. This car was a two-seater and two-door sports coupe manufactured by Nissan.
Like other Z-series vehicles, this car was sold with different names in the international and domestic markets.
While it was known as 370 Z in the global market, it was called Fairlady Z Z34 in the domestic market of Japan. The car is a successor of the 350 Z model released under the Z series, manufactured under the sixth generation of vehicles in the Z-series.
This model has a smaller exterior length as compared to the 350Z model. It also uses lightweight materials, which help reduce its overall weight.
Moreover, it uses aluminum in its sub-frame, engine cradle, door panels, hood, and hatch. It has improved front, and rear body torsional rigidity reduced front body lateral bending, and used carbon fiber radiator housing.
The car has a front double wishbone suspension, steering knuckle, and aluminum control arms. The vehicle is equipped with a 3.7-liter V6 engine, having 6-speed manual transmission, delivering 332 horsepower. In terms of speed, it is pretty remarkable, as it can achieve a top speed of 257 km/h.
10. Nissan 370 Z Nismo
While the vehicles from the Z series, especially the 370 Z, were already popular among the people, the company released the Nissan 370 Z Nismo, which proved to be another milestone in Nissan’s journey. This model instantly appealed to the audience, owing to its muscular front engine and rear drive.
The name ‘Nismo’ is a short form of ‘Nissan Motorsport.’ Nismo, thus, is an embodiment of an excellent performance of Nissan, inspired by the racing track.
Nissan’s 370 Z Nismo is handcrafted by Nissan’s engineers, who strived to create a thrilling and authentic experience for its buyers. They prepared this model after taking test drives and the opinions of various customers.
The 370 Z Nismo has a signature interior featuring a performance-driven design and a red tachometer. The vehicle is designed for minimum drag and is characterized by zero-lift and proven aerodynamics.
The 370 Z Nismo is characterized by H-pipe free-flow dual exhaust, chassis reinforcement, vibration-dampers, forged alloy wheels, massive brakes, and race-ready suspension.
It is powered by a VQ V6 engine with a capacity of 3.7 liters, which delivers a pulse-raising 350 horsepower and 276 lb-ft of torque. Its top speed is around 155 mph, while it can reach up to 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds.
11. Nissan GT-R Premium
Nissan GT-R Premium is another vehicle with remarkable speed, enabling it to feature in the list of fastest cars manufactured by Nissan. This model is a two-door coupe.
The rigid and lightweight body of GT-R Premium is cast in steel, carbon fiber, and aluminum. The car is fuel-efficient and has a twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24 valve engine. The vehicle has enhanced suspension, structural bracing to lower body reflex, minor tweaks in stability controls, and electronic suspension.
Additionally, the car has a rear-mounted transaxle, which shifts the car’s weight over the wheels in the rear. This assists in minimum load shifting while cornering, braking, or accelerating. Its dual-clutch transmission system enables the undisturbed flow of torque to all wheels.
The GT-R Premium is empowered by a V6 turbocharged engine, having a capacity of 3.8 liters. This engine delivers 530 horsepower at 448 lb-ft of torque.
Besides, the car has a 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifting mode. Regarding its speed, Nissan’s GT-R Premium has a top speed of 191 mph. The car can race to 60 mph from 0 mph within 2.9 seconds.
12. Nissan AMS Ronin GT-R
The Nissan AMS Ronin GT-R is a vehicle under the GTR type. The idea behind this model’s inception was to develop a car that could perform efficiently both on the road and on the racing track.
Another idea at the back of the head of Nissan owners was to build a car that would beat its contemporaries in the market and would not require many updates later.
The AMS Ronin GT-R has a manual shifting mode. Besides, there is a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic system. The car’s design is updated regarding fuel system, blow-off valves, the intercooler, turbo with custom compressors, and Garrett GT35 turbine wheels.
The word ‘Ronin’ in the model’s name translates to a master-less warrior. This car features a twin-turbocharged engine. And guess what? You get an inter-cooled DOHC 24 Valve.
The vehicle has a V6 aluminum block and heads machine. Owing to this, the car delivers 1000 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque. This also gives the vehicle immense speed with which it can reach up to 60 mph in merely 2.7 seconds and hit 100 mph in less than 5.1 seconds. Its top speed is 149 mph.
13. Nissan Greddy GR43 GT-R
Nissan’s Greddy GR43 GT-R is also one of the fastest cars produced by Nissan. It is a sports car. This car by Nissan is exceptionally well balanced and stable. It doesn’t stumble while taking turns and has a quick and precise power steering system.
Its stylish interior is characterized by racing seats, a 7-inch display, handy dials to operate the radio and AC, and Bose Entertainment System.
Besides, the car is designed to handle more power and speed and hence includes many tweaks, for instance, a custom titanium exhaust system, lightweight pistons, a new intercooler, and a 6-speed twin-clutch transaxle, which is rear-mounted.
The car has a V6 engine with a capacity of 4.3 liters, which is twin-turbocharged and has a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. This engine generates 900 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque.
Besides, the car delivers a top speed of 144.5 mph, and its quarter-mile drag time is 9.9 seconds. It also has quick acceleration and can reach up to 0 to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds.
14. Nissan Juke-R
Nissan’s Juke-R model is a part of Nissan’s Juke series, released in two generations, i.e., F15 and F16, in 2010 and 2019, respectively. The Juke-R is a part of the first generation.
Under this Juke series, Nissan produced subcompact crossover SUVs, a class of sports utility vehicles. The debutant model was released at the Geneva Motor Show.
The cars were released in markets outside Europe and Australia in the first generation, while they were introduced there in the second generation.
However, their introduction in the European market marked their departure from erstwhile markets to open opportunities for the successor Nissan Kicks series.
The word ‘Juke’ in the model’s name is derived from ‘Jukebox’ and refers to the display of agility through dancing or changing directions. Owing to its design, it is often considered a compact crossover, with the heart and speed of a GT-R supercar.
The car seems to have a coke-bottle styling, having prominent wheel arches and a high-waistline of the body contrasting with its slim-side windows.
It is nearly a coupe, owing to its rear door handles, located near C-pillars within the window frame. The front end is characterized by an array of lights and a curved grille below it.
The car is equipped with a GT-R-type engine that delivers 485 horsepower. The vehicle’s top speed is 257 km/h, while it can reach up to 0 to 100 km/h within 3.7 seconds.
15. Nissan GT-R 2015
Nissan’s GT-R series is one of the company’s best-selling and fastest line of vehicles. The GT-R vehicle produced in 2015 was designed as a world-class sports car.
The car has four supportive, spacious, and comfortable seats. Though two seats are made available at the back, they don’t have enough room for the head and legs, so they are mainly for storage.
The car has an exotic interior, decked with a Bose stereo, touch screen, push start button, sports steering wheel, and a dual climate control button.
Besides, the car has an intercooler DOHC 24 valve and a twin-turbocharged V6 engine with port fuel injection technology.
This is accompanied by a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with a manual shifting mode. The car generates 545 horsepower and 463 lb-ft of torque. It has a top speed of 196 mph and can accelerate to 60 mph in just 3 seconds.
16. Nissan GT-R 2013
Another vehicle from the GT-R series became part of our list. The GT-R 2013 is a sports car at its heart. This supercar is empowered with a Bilstein Damp Tronic suspension system, giving it great control and efficient handling. It has a dual-clutch transmission system as well.
The car looks like an immense hood from the exterior; it makes it look like a muscular race car. It has the signature GT-R features, i.e., four tail lamps and 5-inch exhaust pipes. Overall, the car is elegant and comfy.
The car’s engine is similar to other GT-R engines, i.e., the V6 engine. Its top speed is 200 mph, while it can reach up to 0 to 60 mph within just 2.8 seconds.
17. Nissan R390 GT1
Nissan’s R390 GT1 is another sports car that features in the list of the fastest car produced by the Japanese car giant, Nissan. This R390 GT1 model is that of a racing car, which was primarily developed to compete in a French car racing competition, 24 Hours of Le Mans, between 1997 and 1998.
The car was supposed to be built to follow and develop a Grand- Tour type vehicle, which also had a road version, approved by the government authorities.
The mechanics and aerodynamics of the car were designed by Tony Southgate, the designer of the Jaguar XJR-9. Because of this reason, the cars’ models came to have many similarities.
Both use a cockpit, including a greenhouse, roofline, and tub, and have similar tooling. However, the chassis of Nissan’s R390 GT1 was lower. Though the prototypes were tested in England, the final products were developed in Japan.
The vehicle is equipped with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, having a capacity of 3.5 liters. It delivers 550 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque.
The power is shifted to the rear wheels through a 6-speed sequential manual transmission. This car’s top speed is 220 mph, while its quarter-mile drag time is 11.9 seconds. It can reach up to 0 to 60 mph within 3.9 seconds.
18. Nissan Silvia 200 SX Spec-R
Nissan’s Silvia 200 SX is a part of Nissan’s Silvia series of cars. It is another high-performing car with remarkable speed, so much so that this car could feature in the list of the fastest Nissan cars.
The Silvia series of Nissan was built on the Nissan S platform and consisted of small sports cars. Specific versions of this model have also been marketed and sold under Datsun’s brand name.
The Silvia 200 SX Spec-R model was introduced in the years 1998-2002. The car is a four-seater sports coupe. It has its engine in the front and is rear-wheel drive, with two doors.
The vehicle is empowered by a turbocharged inline V6 engine, having a 2-liter capacity. It generates 247 horsepower, having a top speed of 160 mph. The car can accelerate up to 60 mph from 0 within 5.6 seconds.
19. Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
Nissan’s Skyline GT-R R34, a vehicle released as a part of the Skyline series, is the last name on our list of 19 fastest Nissan cars. Before you ask, this is the one that was used in the Fast and Furious movie.
The car is built on the stock Skyline series GT-T models and is one of its generations of the Skyline GT-R series. The car is thus a sports car. Owing to its performance in racing events and in general, the vehicle was dubbed GT-R’ Godzilla’.
Like other Skyline vehicles, the GT-R R34 is also equipped with a 6-cylinder S20 engine, which has a quarter-mile drag time of 12.2 seconds. The car can reach up to 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds. It has a top speed of 186 mph.
Conclusion
Though Nissan had a reputation for producing modest and homely family cars, it has pioneered manufacturing fast racing and sports cars at an affordable price.
In this way, Nissan catered to the needs of people looking for cheap family cars, car enthusiasts looking for an inexpensive sports car, and people who wanted to have a family car that could also compete with sports cars in terms of its speed and acceleration. In this article, we looked at 19 fast vehicles manufactured by Nissan and read through their histories and descriptions.
