Nissan Celebrates Over 40 Years of NISMO: Championing Performance from the Racetrack to the RoadThe Middle East reinforces its deep connection with the performance brand through the launch of the all-new Patrol NISMO and Z NISMODubai, UAE (08 January 2026

Nissan Celebrates Over 40 Years of NISMO: Championing Performance from the Racetrack to the RoadThe Middle East reinforces its deep connection with the performance brand through the launch of the all-new Patrol NISMO and Z NISMODubai, UAE (08 January 2026) - Nissan is celebrating more than four decades of Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. (NISMO). Since its founding in 1984, NISMO has served as the brand's dedicated motorsports and performance arm, bridging the gap between factory racing dominance and high-performance road vehicles. This legacy continues to expand today, with a specific focus on the Middle East following the regional launch of the all-new Patrol NISMO and Z NISMO in less than a year ago.In September 1984, NISMO was founded in Omori, Tokyo, born from the merger of Nissan’s Advertising Division in Omori and the Special Car Testing Division in Oppama. The goal was to consolidate Nissan's racing capabilities. Yasuharu Namba, the brand's first president, established the philosophy that guides the division to this day: “The technology developed through motorsports needs to be fed back into production cars.”In 1985, NISMO tuned Nissan's VG30 turbo engine into a powerful 3.0-liter V-6. This powerplant led to a historic victory at the WEC-JAPAN race - the first-ever win for a Japanese engine and driver (Kazuyoshi Hoshino) in the World Endurance Championship. By 1986, NISMO entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans, laying the groundwork for future endurance success. The early 1990s saw NISMO achieve victory at the Spa 24 Hours (1991) and the Bathurst 1000 with the R32 Skyline GT-R. In 1992, the R91 CP secured the overall title at the Daytona 24 Hours.As the Group C era concluded, NISMO leveraged its expertise to create high-performance components for street cars like the S13 Silvia and R32 GT-R. This era birthed the NISMO 270R and the globally renowned NISMO 400R in 1996. The 400R featured a heavily modified 2.8-liter RB26DETT engine delivering 400 horsepower. NISMO’s first official volume road car arrived in 2007 with the Fairlady Z NISMO. This paved the way for a portfolio of performance vehicles including the GT-R NISMO and the JDM Fairlady Z NISMO Type 380RS.On the track, NISMO entered the Formula E championship in 2018, becoming the first Japanese manufacturer in the series. The team secured six podiums and five pole positions in its debut season. In 2021, Nissan committed to Formula E through the