It has been a while since we had the opportunity to take a look at Nissan’s iconic Heritage Collection, so let’s enjoy the most beautiful performance of the car manufacturer in honor of the Japan month 2025.
Despite the current financial problems, Nissan has one of the most celebrated car districts in Japan. Together with that rich legacy, there will be a wealth of iconic vehicles, each playing a role in shaping Nissan’s legendary past.
Fortunately for me and a small group of 30 others, we got an exclusive hour walking freely in the Zama Heritage Car Garage. This was another experience organized by ISO-SAN of the Nissan prototype department. I have previously discussed ISO-San’s passion to keep Nissan enthusiasts involved, most recently through his work at the Underground Tokyo meeting, where he was a rare public appearance of the Pennzail R34 GT-R JGTC car in addition to the IDX concept orchestrated.
At the entrance of the collection we were greeted by the R33 GT-R LM Edition of Shirasaka-San and the two R35 GT-R Nismos from Meme-San. The street car feeling was a nice meeting between the manufacturer and aftermarket world, something you rarely see in Japan.
Before we were released in the collection, we were treated to a short history of both Nissan and Nismo, given by four of the most important personalities of the company: Shinyogi-San, Kakimoto-San, Aiba-San and Kiga-San.
Then the gates to the car sky were opened. The first view of the collection is downright overwhelming: it is a sea of Nissan history, from iconic racing cars to rare production models that most people don’t even know.
It would be impossible to describe every car here, and although each of these vehicles earns its own post, we leave part of the excitement for your own visit. See how you can do that here.
The first half of the collection is devoted to production cars. These are shown chronologically, starting with the first phaetons and roadsters with open wheels, and continuously to the heroes from the early 2000s.
One of my first stops was with a few Fairlady Z models: the S30 Z432 from 1969 in its characteristic orange color, combined with an S30 ZL from 1970.
Immediately opposite the Z cars was an impressive series of early skylines, from the C10 base from 1971 to the extremely desirable KPGC10 GT-R.
It was in the 1970s that Nissan really got off the ground, and that enthusiasm is being reflected in the large number of vehicles from that time that is exhibited.
The collection also included GT-R variants, Plus Cedrics, Cherrys, Glorias, Sunnys-almost everything you would expect. There was even a Fairlday 240Z-G Kanagawa police patrol car from 1972, which had no less than 370,940 km on the clock.
But there was one part that attracted my attention and encouraged me to look at it closer: Nissan’s beloved Silvia models.
Cars with an S-chassis are the cars that I so strongly anchor in the history of Nissan. The Silvia, who came on the market during the economic flowering of Japan, soon strengthened its place as one of the greatest sports cars of all time.
Hidden behind the Silvias I found the Mid4 II concept from 1987 – Nissans four -wheel drive miracle with mid -engine, designed for the Tokyo Motor Show. This car debuted with the Hicas steering system from Nissan, which would later be used in the production R32 Skyline GT-R.
And of course the skylines powered by RB were well represented. The R32 was exhibited in three variants: the GT-R, GTS-T and Autech.
The R33 and R34 Skyline models followed this example, with examples of the GTS-4 four-door to the R34 GT-R M-Spec Nür.
As I walked on, I came across the ultimate hot hatch combination: the March Super Turbo with double battery and the Pulsar GTI-R.
What makes this collection really special are not only the production models; It is Nissan’s motorsport history. In this one corner of the hall alone, racing cars are hidden that represent for decades of Nissan’s competitive fare.
Instead of diving into each individual model (or running the risk of turning this article into a small novel), we let some of the racing machines browse that Nissan to the most important eight.
From Le Mans to JGTC to group A, Nissan has left his mark on almost every major racing series.
Whether it is about full-fledged GT1 racing cars or TS Race Sunny’s, this collection contains the tangible history of Nissan’s racing ambitions.
But don’t miss the R35 GT-R test car and the Usain Bolt Special, tucked away in the corner.
Nissan’s racing success was also not limited to the asphalt. The car manufacturer has also caused a furore in rally sport.
This combination of March and Z was a favorite. The Z was used as the official test car of Omori Factory and the March as a Nismo rental car for the March Little Dynamite Cup Race.
The Super Silhouette cars that were built for the 5 races of 1979-83 for the group 5 were difficult to miss and breathtaking in real life. These iconic, angular machines inspired what we know now Kaido racers.
Of course, no Nissan collection would be complete without the Pennzail GT-Rs, and the R33 and R34 versions could both be seen.
Modern racing cars are also well represented in the collection, with a series of R90, R91, R92 and R390 models that radiate racing perfection from the nineties. Among them was one of the two R390s built for homologation for the public road.
Then there was the rare R33 GT-R 400R, a car that was kindly inspired by ISO-SAN.
With only 44 copies, this car is as rare as impressive, with the 400 hp RB-X GT2 engine.
The Nissan Heritage Collection is one of the most remarkable exhibitions about the history of car production, where also accessible to the public in the world. Getting access without supervision for an hour was a dream that became reality, which was only made possible by the passionate efforts of enthusiasts such as ISO-San, who, as Nissan once said, keep the dream alive.
Alec Pender
Instagram: No Planco
