Nissan Safari Rally Z tribute is another dream off-road sportscar

31st October 2023

Ethan Jupp

SEMA is a beautiful outlier in the wider car industry, in that it’s one of those very rare moments when the OEMs engage with the aftermarket, both in terms of brands and the community of car enthusiasts and modifiers. The latest evidence of this, is Nissan’s Safari Rally Z, which in addition to being a tribute to the classic 240Z rally car, as campaigned in the 1971 East African Rally, is a nod to a loyal community of Nissan-loving modders.

What a glorious thing it is, too. Wearing the same red and black livery as the classic 240Z rally car, the Nissan Safari Rally Z Tribute sits high-up, loud and proud, on special retro-looking Nismo Safari wheels wrapped in Yokohama Geolander tyres.

The suspension is a custom KW setup that features a two-inch lift, while modified bumper guards and skid plates protect the underbelly. Cutting through the dust and darkness of a long-running rally are the Tommy Pike off-road LED lights mounted at the A-pillars, on the bonnet and on the front bumper.

In terms of the engine, Nissan reckons it’s been tickled for over 400PS (294kW), thanks to a track spec cat-back exhaust, a cold air intake and improved cooling. The latter makes the most sense, given running on sand can often entail high wheel speeds and revs, with low actual speeds and therefore, low airflow.

Obviously on the inside, it’s basically race spec, with four-point harnesses, Recaro seats and a custom roll bar. The most important bit? The physical, paper map, of course.

As for the car it’s inspired by? Well, the 1971 East African Rally winner triumphed with Edgar Herrmann and navigator Hans Schüller at the wheel over the course of no less than 3,800 miles of running. So yes, this thing had better be sturdy to live up to that legacy.

We’d love to see the new one made as a celebration of that triumph. These days, that’s not such a silly request, is it? Look at the 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. Nissan has more heritage in this arena than Lamborghini, that’s for sure. It’s not likely but if you don’t ask…