Nissan is known by most as a maker of sensible, affordable sedans like the Altima, and SUVs like the Rogue, and also the cheapest car currently on sale, the Versa. However, to us car enthusiasts, Nissan is one of the most revered of the JDM brands, being the creator of the legendary Skyline GT-R as well as the Z sports cars. These cars have rivaled many more expensive contemporaries in terms of handling and performance while often costing less and offering far superior reliability. But what, out of all the fast cars it has made, is the fastest Nissan of them all?Fast Nissan cars have always been appreciated more for their sensational handling than for their out-and-out straight-line performance, but it might still be of interest to know what the fastest Nissan is where there are no speed restrictions. To find out, we will be ranking all the fastest road cars Nissan has ever made, regardless of how exclusive, expensive, or rare they may be, in terms of their top speed. We will be starting with the slowest, or, should we say, the least fast car in Nissan’s back-catalog, and finishing with the one that can achieve the highest top speed.All specifications have been sourced from the manufacturer, and the cars are ranked by their top speed metric from lowest to highest, and where necessary, using their 0–60 times as a tiebreaker. 2019 Nissan 370Z Nismo 155 mph 2015 Nissan 370Z Nismo front, three-quarterThe predecessor to the current Nissan Z sports car, the Nissan 370Z, achieved impressive longevity with a production run that lasted for 12 years, from 2008 through to 2020. Part of a long line of Z sports cars, which started with the Datsun 240z back in 1969, it was the follow-up to the widely successful Fairlady Z and didn’t change too much. With a 3.7-liter free-breathing V6, it provided the sorts of old-school thrills that other sports cars with their smaller, turbocharged engines couldn’t provide. The Nismo version of the 370Z featured the most powerful version of this engine, which, with a revised exhaust system and different ECU mapping, developed 350 hp. With stiffer suspension and additional chassis bracing, Nissan ensured it could cope with the extra grunt around the track, but it won’t have to deal with a super high Vmax, because the top speed is limited to 155 mph. Without said limiter in place, it can get nearer to 170 mph. 1989 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R 156 mph 1989-1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 Silver Front AngleA car widely credited with laying the groundwork for the Nissan GT-R as we know it, the R32 Skyline GT-R, launched in 1989 and entered into touring car racing a year later. One of the main ways it moved the game on was by introducing technology that was so ahead of its time, it is impressive even today. An all-wheel-drive system called ATTESA E-TS and electronically controlled torque split meant power delivery was rear-biased, but it could be sent to the front wheels at a moment's notice if required. This four-wheel-steer and a double wishbone suspension meant that it had the athleticism to keep up with the best supercars from Italy. The 2.6L twin-turbo RB26DETT inline-six engine also ensured it had one heck of a top speed at the time, which was actually quicker than that of the R33 that followed it. Like the aforementioned 370Z, this speed was technically limited, and it was possible for the Skyline R32 GT-R to eke out another 10 mph if the limiter was removed. 2002 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec Nür 155–158 mph nissan-skyline-sale (4)While the R32 Skyline version has a cult following and gave birth to the name “Godzilla” for the super-coupe, the R34 Generation is easily the most iconic. It builds on the success of the previous two generations with the same inline-six engine and wickedly clever all-wheel-drive system, but combines the pure motorsport-derived thrills of the R32 and the more tech-laden approach of the R33. It had many special edition versions, including this, the V-spec Nür in 2002, which made everything about the R34 that bit more aggressive, with firmer suspension tuning, a carbon rear diffuser and even more tech like an active rear differential. The name Nür, in case there was any doubt at all, is a reference to the Nürburgring, where the R34 was developed. 1999 Nissan Silvia Spec-R 160 mph Nissan Silvia S15The Nissan Silvia is yet another name in the world of fast Nissan cars, as well as the Skylines and the Z cars. The Silvia nameplate goes back to 1964, with the Datsun CSP311, and subsequent generations would bring with them the fastback body design and the performance the Silvia went on to be known for. What you are looking at here has always been, for American consumers at least, somewhat of a forbidden fruit, as this, the most recent generation of the Silvia (called the 200SX in Australia and New Zealand), was never sold in the United States. This is a shame, as the S15 generation, especially this Spec-R, has become a tuning and drifting hero with its light weight and 2.0-liter turbo-four engine, which sends nearly 250 hp to the rear wheels. Some reports even claim that it can hit as much as 166 mph. Its unavailability, however, hasn’t stopped people from importing it over here. 2024 Nissan Z Nismo 165 mph 2025 Nissan Z NismoThe most recent entry into the long lineage of the Nissan Z cars arrived in 2022. Simply called the Nissan Z, it is based on a heavily updated version of the FM platform the previous two Z cars rode on. The new Z features a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 rather than the naturally aspirated affair in its predecessor. In the Nismo version, it develops 20 hp more than standard, bringing the total power output to 420 hp. Aero upgrades, stiffer suspension bushings, and larger brakes ensure that the way it drives matches the power upgrade and justifies the price hike for this car over the standard car. What may be a downgrade from the normal Z for some is the fact that the Nismo is not available with the former’s six-speed manual transmission, removing some of the engagement. The nine-speed does have some upgrades over the base model, helping it shift more quickly on the way to its impressive 165 mph top speed. 1997 Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R Nismo 400R 186 mph 1998 NISMO 400RBack in the 1990s, there still existed an agreement that no JDM sports car would have an advertised horsepower figure above 276 hp. The point of this was to prevent a horsepower arms race from taking place and keep the focus of these machines on handling. This didn’t stop many manufacturers from trying to find a way around it, however, and after racing the GT-R LM at Le Mans, they created what would be the ultimate R33. The 400R looks almost unrecognizable from the standard R33, with its different front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and hood. Changes are just as substantial underneath the hood, with the RB26DETT engine out and a Le Mans-spec RB-X GT2 powertrain from Nissan’s motorsport division slotted in. The standard suspension was out, too, and a new multilink system was in, and the underpinnings received extra bracing and bushings. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest Skylines of all time, but it is also one of the rarest, with only 44 having been made. 2015 Nissan Juke-R 2.0 200 mph 2015 Juke-R 2.0 Black Front Angled View Track DrivingWhile almost all the fastest Nissans on this list have been sports cars, this is the exception to the rule. Representing what must have been a mad moment over at Nissan, this special version of its ubiquitous bug-eyed crossover, the Juke, had shoehorned into it the twin-turbo V6 from the Nismo GT-R. This gave it a total power output of 600 hp, making it by far the most powerful car mentioned on this list so far. To deal with this massive grunt, the Juke-R gets bigger wheels, a lowered suspension, a ventilated hood, and carbon fiber aero elements all round. While all of this no doubt aids stability, it doesn’t stop this Nissan crossover from cracking 200 mph. Understandably, very few examples of this crazy idea were ever produced - no more than four or five to public knowledge - making the R33 Nismo-R look commonplace, and none were ever sold in the US. 2005 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R Nismo Z-Tune 203 mph Nissan GT-R z-tune exterior Nissan simply could not stop making special edition versions of the R34 Skyline. So much so that this one actually arrived after the mainline production of what would end up being the final Nissan car, called the Skyline, had already wrapped up. We can forgive Nissan for stringing it out, however, as this Z-tune version has gone on to become the most sought-after and most valuable R34 ever made. It was produced by taking an R34 V-Spec that had already been produced, and then applying significant exterior aero upgrades and enlarging the capacity of the inline-six engine, from 2.6 liters to 2.8L. As well as a resulting improvement in cornering performance, the upgrades to the engine meant it now developed almost 500 hp, which should go some way to explaining why it has a top speed of over 200 mph. 2024 Nissan R35 GT-R Nismo 205 mph Nismo GTR frontThere would be no list to determine what is the fastest Nissan without the R35 GT-R. It represented a new direction for fast Nissans when it launched almost 20 years ago, having dropped the Skyline name and being far heavier than previous cars that wore the GT-R nameplate. It also rode on its own unique platform called Premium Midship or PM for short, which was not used by any other Nissan Car. After an incredible 18-year-long production run, the R35 finally bowed out of production last year, so the most recent Nismo version is, for now at least, the fastest GT-R ever. The mighty 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 in this version produces 600 hp thanks to upgraded turbochargers from the GT-R GT3 race car. Thanks to this, and improved shifting from the dual-clutch transmission, the top speed is nine mph more than the standard GT-R. 1998 Nissan R390 GT1 Sport Prototype 220 mph Nissan R390 GT1 1Here we are with the fastest Nissan ever made, and just looking at it, it is easy to see why. There are many rare cars on this list, too, but this one has got to be the rarest, with only one ever being produced. The sole reason why this car was produced was so that Nissan could enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as the rules stipulated that it had to make one homologated road-going R390 GT1. This one-and-done street-legal version of the Le Mans challenger had the same 3.5-liter V8 with dual overhead camshafts as the racer, and sent its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. It didn’t produce the full-fat 541 horsepower like the four Le Mans cars, which all finished in the top ten, but the 345 hp it did produce was good enough for a top speed that was rated by Nissan at 220mph.Sources: Nissan
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