Some Nissan/Datsun racing history for the Nissan fanboys (and others who might be interested)

[mAdD INDIAN]

First off, all the info comes from DatsunHistory.com

About Nissan/Datsun racing:

Nissans and Datsuns hold a manufacturers record of over 80 SCCA racing titles. That they have not only competed at Le Mans, but they have won it. That they won Daytona not just 4 times, but 4 years in a row. That Nissan sports cars, sedans, and Prototype racers have over 200 IMSA Victories.

Geoff Brabham leads Nissan to IMSA GTP championship, and with a record nine consecutive wins . Nissan is declared the winner of the 1989 GTP manufacturers title; they would win again in 1990 and 1991, making it 4 consecutive Manufacturers Championships. Nissan is also victorious at the 12 Hours of Sebring for the third straight year....

....Nissan's team repeats at the Daytona 24 Hour, taking the overall victory for the second year in a row, while the IMSA GTS 300ZX team claims manufacturer's crown for Nissan. They also venture back to Le Mans with great success, winning their class and placing 5 th overall.

1995 sees Nissan win their third consecutive 12 Hours of Sebring in the 300zx.

About one of my favorite car's, the Datsun 510:

In its final year the 510 still managed to sell 30,688 units, bringing the total number of 510's sold to over 400,000 worldwide. The 510 series is in hindsight, one of Nissan's most loved cars....but the 510 holds a special place in the scheme of things. The 510 was supposed to be an unassuming looking car that delivered a little more than it appeared it should. It ended up delivering about 400,000 sales around the world, knocking the VW Beetle from the top spot for a year or two, two SCCA Trans Am championships, an East African Safari championship and class win, plus thousands of national and international rally and racing wins(they're still happening to this day- ask SCCA G prod champ Jeff Winter). Though often snubbed and overlooked by auto enthusiasts, racing historians, and even by other Nissan collectors, the 510 has proven itself as one of the greatest Giant Killers in automobile history.

A nice little bit about a special 510 racing in SCCA:

One truly inspiring Datsun story involves Tom Wyatt III, otherwise known as Turbo Tom. Turbo tom built a rather fast Turbo powered L20b Datsun 510 and entered in the "Walter Mitty" at Road Atlanta one year. The engine developed 275 horsepower at 21 pounds of boost for drag racing, with 250 more like it on the track. It featured at T04 Rotomaster Turbo and 4150 Holley carb set up.

As the story goes, SCCA officials started him out in class with similar style cars, but had to keep moving up in class as he blew the doors off each increasingly powerful group of cars. By the end of the day he was racing with the Corvettes and Cobras. He beat a Porsche 930 on a lap by nine seconds, and a race prepped 427 Cobra by 3 seconds. The race staff didn't know what to do, so they gave him a custom made trophy instead of embarrassing one of the more prestigious classes.

About the R32 Skyline GT-R & Racing: < taken from Link >

Still, the standard version makes the 0-60mph sprint in 4.8 seconds, putting it on a par with a Ferrari 355. But the GT-R was not only a great street rocket. It was basically designed to fit Japanese Group A racing standards. And racing is where Godzilla really shined. It won so many races (i.e. it won every single race - 29 altogether) in Group A that this class was abolished because nobody wanted to compete against the Skyline anymore.

About the R34 Skyline GT-R:

This GT-R held the Track Record for production cars at the N&uuml;rburgring Northloop, the most difficult racetrack of the world, until the Porsche 996 Turbo came along, and it won the JGTC championship in 1999.

Hopefully Nissan will return back to its motorsport roots onces it finds it financially feasable to do so. Also they have already said that they will officially support the 350Z in racing in the States with the help of NISMO. Hopefully once the GT-R comes to the States, it will also find itself racing again.

Hope you all enjoyed this....I know I did.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

bump!

looks like no one enjoyed it.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Uh, ok.

- M4H

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Nissan pride! Too bad the S (ilvia, X) doesn't have racing history, what with the Skyline being the same car with a different name and AWD.

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Uh, ok.

- M4H

For Christ's sake! Misuses like this are wearing out the bunny, and now you bring a monkey??

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Nissan pride! Too bad the S (ilvia, X) doesn't have racing history, what with the Skyline being the same car with a different name and AWD.

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Uh, ok.

- M4H

For Christ's sake! Misuses like this are wearing out the bunny, and now you bring a monkey??

The 240SX has some racing history in teh States. I remember watching a S14 race in SCCA classes, don't know how successful it was though. I know the Silvia races in the JGTCC, but I don't know how successful they were.

Damn I thought more people would be interested in motorsports...meh..guess not.

 

[MacBaine]

My dad used to race a Datsun back when he was younger... won tons of races until it got too expensive.

 

[geno]

ssan pride! Too bad the S (ilvia, X) doesn't have racing history, what with the Skyline being the same car with a different name and AWD.

Understatement of the year

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: geno

ssan pride! Too bad the S (ilvia, X) doesn't have racing history, what with the Skyline being the same car with a different name and AWD.

Understatement of the year

Okay... same car with a different name, AWD, and one of the best engines the world has ever seen.

 

[johneetrash]

whoaa the skyline and the silvia arent the car at all

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: geno

ssan pride! Too bad the S (ilvia, X) doesn't have racing history, what with the Skyline being the same car with a different name and AWD.

Understatement of the year

Okay... same car with a different name, AWD, and one of the best engines the world has ever seen.

The Skyline & Silvia had different engines, different chassis, and different drivetrains man. You can't really compare them to be the same.

Sure their rear suspension maybe similar, but then its (vaguely) similar to the rear suspension in the 1970s Datsun 510!!!

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: geno

ssan pride! Too bad the S (ilvia, X) doesn't have racing history, what with the Skyline being the same car with a different name and AWD.

Understatement of the year

Okay... same car with a different name, AWD, and one of the best engines the world has ever seen.

The Skyline & Silvia had different engines, different chassis, and different drivetrains man. You can't really compare them to be the same.

Sure their rear suspension maybe similar, but then its (vaguely) similar to the rear suspension in the 1970s Datsun 510!!!

Different chassis? How do you figure that? I'm not talking about the latest model...

pic

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

It's still different even if the front facia looks similar.
History of the Silvia Platform
History of Skyline Platform

And this is for the older models. The Skyline is a sedan first and foremost. Only the GT-R is in a coupe form. The Silvia is on a much smaller wheelbase and started out in coupe form. The S14 & S15 are on similar platforms. Hell, the Z32 300ZX & S13 & S14 & S15 all share similar (if not same) rear suspension. Only difference is that the Z32 has double wishbones up front while the 240SXs have MacPherson struts.

The point is, the Skyline & Sivlia have different roots and different chassis.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

More on Silvia taken from: Link

Available as a 2-door coupe only, the S15 could be had in Spec-S or Spec-R versions, with SR20DE (n/a, 165hp) or SR20DET (turbocharged, 250hp) engines respectively. With suspension and braking systems lifted from the R33 Skyline, and the newest version of a mighty engine, the S15 achieved blistering performance, accelerating to 60mph in as little as 5.5 seconds, handling with poise and braking with confidence. The sad irony is that the car the US market really needed was too late to save it.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
It's still different even if the front facia looks similar.
History of the Silvia Platform
History of Skyline Platform

And this is for the older models. The Skyline is a sedan first and foremost. Only the GT-R is in a coupe form. The Silvia is on a much smaller wheelbase and started out in coupe form. The S14 & S15 are on similar platforms. Hell, the Z32 300ZX & S13 & S14 & S15 all share similar (if not same) rear suspension. Only difference is that the Z32 has double wishbones up front while the 240SXs have MacPherson struts.

The point is, the Skyline & Sivlia have different roots and different chassis.

Looks like you schooled me!

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
It's still different even if the front facia looks similar.
History of the Silvia Platform
History of Skyline Platform

And this is for the older models. The Skyline is a sedan first and foremost. Only the GT-R is in a coupe form. The Silvia is on a much smaller wheelbase and started out in coupe form. The S14 & S15 are on similar platforms. Hell, the Z32 300ZX & S13 & S14 & S15 all share similar (if not same) rear suspension. Only difference is that the Z32 has double wishbones up front while the 240SXs have MacPherson struts.

The point is, the Skyline & Sivlia have different roots and different chassis.

Looks like you schooled me!

As long as you learn something!

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: MacBaine
My dad used to race a Datsun back when he was younger... won tons of races until it got too expensive.

What kind of Datsun did he race?? Pics of his car?