Nissan’s Coolest Japanese-Exclusive Cars Are Officially Going Global

While many automakers look to their legacy vehicles for little more than marketing purposes, others are finally giving classics the service they deserve by ramping up production to keep them road-worthy.

It’s a trend that’s resulted in everything from remanufactured NSX parts to full-on factory-restored Land Rover Defenders, with each OEM bringing something a little different to the table.

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Admirable as each of these initiatives are, I’d argue that they still don’t compare to what Nissan has brewing. The brand is truly global in its NISMO ambitions, and it’s about to take a massive step.

Nissan

A spot for your NISMO needs

That’s because Nissan has announced it will be building a series of dedicated NISMO Performance Centers in Australia, marking one of the first markets outside of Japan to offer Omori factory expertise.

In practice, these locations will essentially function like specialized dealerships for Nissan performance nuts. So, along with providing a direct link back to the mothership in Japan, they’ll also enable a range of services and experiences.

Nissan

Among those being supporting heritage vehicle restorations, offering upgrades and accessories and keeping factory-certified NISMO Meisters on-site for technical assistance. Suffice to say, the automaker has some big plans for its first facility at Ferntree Gully in Victoria. 

After all, this degree of support isn’t just a first for Nissan. While Honda and Toyota also offer restoration opportunities through their respective heritage programs, those are only available in Japan and on a very select basis. 

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Moreover, Nissan’s initiative is all the more impactful because it promises to expand the NISMO brand through increased physical presence. Even with expanded availability, Honda’s Heritage Parts don’t offer that same kind of reach.

Building on a growing catalog

Now, it’s worth noting that this announcement is but the latest in Nissan’s efforts to bolster its support for the NISMO banner around the world.

As part of its Re:Nissan product strategy brief last year, the automaker confirmed that it would not only deepen its motorsport involvement but also grow its restoration, restomod and parts sales businesses.

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In the time since, Nissan has delivered on its word. From front fenders and wiper pivots to brackets and mudguards, the brand has steadily rounded out its catalog of heritage parts for legends like the R32, R33 and R34.

In fact, that latest drop spanned a total of 37 different components across each of these classic GT-Rs. With both interior and exterior part numbers included in the mix, it brought consumables and cosmetic refreshments alike.

For the moment, Nissan is prioritizing Skylines as part of its NISMO Heritage parts production, but it will eventually expand its offerings to accommodate other models, too.

Nissan

Toward that end, while Australia may be among the first regions outside of Japan to benefit from physical service centers, it’ll hardly be the last. According to a recent podcast with The Drive, Nissan is getting into this venture on an “industrial level,” promising plenty of US support to come.

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