It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to take a look at Nissan’s famous Heritage range, so, in honor of Japan Month 2025, let’s delve into some of the automaker’s best achievements.
Despite its current financial problems, Nissan has one of the most storied automotive histories in Japan. Along with this rich heritage comes a treasure trove of iconic vehicles, each playing a role in shaping Nissan’s past.
Fortunately for me and a small group of 30 others, we were given an exclusive hour-long window to roam freely in the Zama Heritage car garage. This was another experiment organized by ISO-SAN from Nissan’s prototype division. I’ve previously discussed ISO-San’s passion for keeping Nissan fans engaged, most recently through his work at the Tokyo Underground Meet, where he organized a rare public appearance of the Pennzoil R34 GT-R JGTC alongside the IDX concept.
At the entrance to the lot, we were greeted by Shirasaka-San’s R33 GT-R LM Edition and R35 GT-R Nismos. Treet Car Touch was a fascinating meeting of the manufacturer and aftermarket worlds, something you rarely see in Japan.
Before we lose ourselves in the group, we’re treated to a brief history of both Nissan and NISMO, presented by four of the company’s main characters: Shinyogi-san, Kakimoto-san, Aiba-san, and Kiga-san.
Then, the gates to the Car Heaven were opened. The first look at the collection is nothing short of overwhelming – it’s a sea of Nissan history, from iconic race cars to rare production models that most people don’t know about.
It would be impossible to cover every car here, and while each of these vehicles deserves its own post, we’ll leave some of the excitement for your own visit. See how you do it here.
The first half of the collection is dedicated to production cars. They are presented chronologically, starting with the first Phaetons and open-wheelers, and extending back to the early 2000s.
One of my first stops was at a pair of Fairlady Z models: a 1969 S30 Z432 in Signature Orange, paired with a 1970 S30 ZL.
Straight through the Z cars was an impressive lineup of early Skylines, from the base 1971 C10 all the way up to the impossible-to-drive KPGC10 GT-R.
During the 1970s Nissan really started to take off, and this enthusiasm is reflected in the sheer number of vehicles from this era on display.
The range also included GT-R variants, as well as cedrics, cherries, Glorias, Sunnys – almost everything you’d expect. There was even a 1972 Fairlday 240Z-G Kanagawa patrol car that had an amazing 370,940 kilometers on the clock.
But there was one section that caught my eye, and lured me to take a closer look – Nissan’s beloved Silvia models.
S-chassis cars are those that are strongly associated with Nissan’s history. Released during Japan’s economic boom, the Silvia quickly cemented its place as one of the greatest sports cars of all time.
Positioned behind Silvias, I found the 1987 Mid4 II concept four-wheeled Marvel four-wheeler, built for the Tokyo Motor Show. This car debuted the steering system at Nissan, which would go on to produce the R32 Skyline GT-R.
Naturally, the RB-powered Horizons were well represented. The R32 was offered in three variants: GT-R, GTS-T and Autech.
The Skyline R33 and R34 models followed suit, with examples ranging from the four-door GTS-4 to the R34 GT-R-Spec Nür.
Moving on, I came across the ultimate hot hatch pairing—the March Super Turbo twin-turbocharged, and the Pulsar GTI-R.
What makes this collection special isn’t just the production models; It’s Nissan’s lineage for cars. Hidden in this one corner of the hall are race cars representing decades of Nissan’s competition heritage.
Instead of diving into every single model (or risk turning this article into a mini-novel), let’s skip over some of the racing machines that Nissan considers among its most important.
From Le Mans to JGTC to Group A, Nissan has left its mark on almost every major racing series.
Whether complete GT1 race cars or racing TS Sunnys, this collection carries the tangible history of Nissan’s racing ambitions.
But don’t miss the R35 GT-R test car and the Usain Bolt Special in the corner.
Nissan’s racing success was not limited to the tarmac. The automaker made waves at the rally.
This March and Z combo was a favorite. The Z was used as the official Omori Factory test car, and a Nismo rental car for the March Little Dynamite Cup race.
The Super Silhouette cars built for the 1979-1983 Group 5 races were hard to miss. These inspired the famous machines we now know as Kaido racers.
Of course, no Nissan collection would be complete without the Pennzoil GT-RS, and both R33 and R34 versions were offered.
Modern race cars are also represented in the collection, with the lineup of R90, R91, R92 and R390 models expanding on 1990s racing. Among them was one of the road-homologated R390s.
Then there was the rare R33 GT-R 400R, a car that graciously allowed us to inspect up close.
With only 44 units built, this car is as rare as it is impressive, featuring a 400HP RB-X GT2 engine.
The Nissan Heritage Collection is one of the most remarkable displays of automotive manufacturing history open to the public anywhere in the world. An hour of unsupervised access was a dream, and only the passionate efforts of enthusiasts like Iso-San, Nissan once said, could keep the dream alive.
Alec Binder
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