NISMO is coming to the US.

Nissan to Sell NISMO High-Performance Parts For Nissan and Infiniti Vehicles Beginning in Fall 2002
LAS VEGAS, (October 31, 2001) - Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced it will produce and market NISMO high-performance aftermarket parts for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles in the U.S. market. NISMO parts, which will be available next fall, cater to Nissan enthusiasts and will offer a factory warranty.

"We're excited to be joining one of the fastest growing niches in the specialty automotive equipment industry," said Jed Connell, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. "NISMO has nearly 20 years of experience developing and producing high-performance parts and accessories and shares Nissan and Infiniti's uncompromising commitment to quality."

Increasing popularity in manufacturer-backed performance parts and the requests of Nissan and Infiniti enthusiasts led the way for NISMO to enter into the U.S. market. NISMO originated in Japan in 1984 and has established itself as the premiere supplier of high-performance aftermarket parts and accessories for Nissan vehicles in Japan.

"The name NISMO stands for NISsan MOtorsports - a fitting name since NISMO parts will offer cutting-edge performance," said Connelly.

NISMO branded parts will cover three areas - NISMO Performance Parts, designed for Nissan vehicles; Infiniti R-Spec performance parts designed for Infiniti vehicles; and NISMO racing parts designed for off-road/race-track use. NISMO also will offer performance parts for current and previous model Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, including the Sentra SE-R and the forthcoming Infinti G35 and Nissan 350Z.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissandriven.com and www.infiniti.com.

oh HELL YEAH!!!! i hope they come out with a turbo charger for the sentra and help boost it up to 300 plus horses!!!! OH YEAH!!! hahahahahahahahaha well it's good to see more nissan stuff

I know I've been on top of this since the word broke out and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Nismo.....I hope They plan to help us out in the Sentra community )

A prudent move, since Toyota already offers TRD parts, and Subaru is importing the STi parts. Paying attention Honda?

Honda pushes their "dealer option parts" so much that, it's a wonder why they don't just make genuine performance parts (not polyurethane bodykits and OEM foglights). It would have been smart to run a campaign like this when Mugen stopped making engines in Formula One, to be replaced by Honda.

TRD = Supercharged Siennas. Hahaha...

The last time I was in a Honda parts dept., they had APC crap behind the counter. :apuke:

Maybe they don't feel that they need to step into this area, since the aftermarket's main support in North America is for Honda cars already--it might be too competetive for them, especially since a lot of the parts are available cheap already. Plus, I think the Honda dealers aren't as enforcing about warrantee issues as other automakers, but that's just from what I've seen.

Originally posted by Pharty012
oh HELL YEAH!!!! i hope they come out with a turbo charger for the sentra and help boost it up to 300 plus horses!!!! OH YEAH!!! hahahahahahahahaha well it's good to see more nissan stuff

Why wait for nismo. Other people like FMAX make turbo kits for Sentras right now

Originally posted by CHRIS200T

Why wait for nismo. Other people like FMAX make turbo kits for Sentras right now

Yeah, and most of them have CARB certification too. The only thing you don't get is the warrantee satisfaction, but I don't think Nismo will make turbos for their factory cars anyway. Too much potential risk for premature engine wear (unless it's a low psi supercharger like TRD's). Plus, some of the aftermarket turbos come with warrantees for the kits, another plus for the aftermarket. But Nismo should still provide many useful extras.

I find it interesting in Japan, Mugen has it's own dealership.

It's about time Nismo starts selling North America some of their hot parts. I would like to see some parts for the Maxima, though.

hmm
this is great!
but will nismo bring over some aftermarket silvia parts for the 240SX?

NISMO will definately provide backwards-support for older Nissans (i.e. older SE-Rs), and this should include 240SXs, as well. However, most people who have 240s don't have SR20DETs. From that perspective, NISMO would feel that a greater profit could be achieved by developing/porting parts for other aspects of the car, such as suspension. But there should be some support for the KA, but turbo-SR parts for the 240 seem highly unlikely. Oh well, just hope that Motorex speeds things up with their SR20DET plans. They should also deal upgrades for the SR once they finally do (and the prices should be comparable to the high Nissan/NISMO dealer mark-ups).

hmm
i really hope moterex does speed things up
how much do u think we'll be lookin at for a SR20DET swap?

Still no information on their website, and no further announcements in any publication (that I've seen, at least). It's still probably being developed right now, and I'd think the pricing would be anywhere from $5000-7000, at most. The need another product, something for the masses since most cannot afford a $30,000-95,000 GT-R, and the SR is it. All I can say is keep your eyes and ears peeled for more information.

Originally posted by SledgehammerVette
I find it interesting in Japan, Mugen has it's own [B]dealership.



I've seen used car dealerships in Japan that offer only modified cars!
On the windshield they'll write things in marker like 'LSD, Greedy Turbo,...etc', it's pretty badass. Too bad living is so high in Japan (since I'd have to start fresh and all) or I'd already be there.:smoker2:
Maybe I could finish school over there.....

As for the real subject of matter, the Nismo announcement is great. They could offer a supercharger kit for the sr so that it'll cover a wide range of cars at once, sort of like TRD. Things like real exhaust's and body kits would be real nice. How about Nismo helping Motorex with the sr conversion their doing, that would top everything.:devil:

NISMO COMING TO AMERICA!!!!!!!! hell yea!!!!!!!!
about time we got something good over here.. anyway thtas all i have to say

whoa.......nismo.......that's pretty cool.....yea..i wish mugen would come to the states too, but i guess honda doesn't want to make extra money.......anyways.....i hope nissan makes a lot of money.........ii guess that new CEO is really smart.......

Just so my hopes didnt get raised for no reason, I wanted to specifically ask if this covers the earlier G20's?

I'm not gonna act all official so IMO I think they would come out with stuff for the g20. I mean if they make things for the b13 or 14 sentra se/se-r's than they should for the p11 (the early g20?) too.

Oh yeah. Expect the SR20 powered cars to receive full support. After all, the majority of the Nissan drivers who make modifications are driving SR-cars, or Z-cars.

SSSSHHHIIITTTT!!!!
I just had a wreck in my Altima. Curse that damn NISMO. I now wish I had my ALtima still. :eek:

Originally posted by tenzoracerevovii
whoa.......nismo.......that's pretty cool.....yea..i wish mugen would come to the states too, but i guess honda doesn't want to make extra money.......anyways.....i hope nissan makes a lot of money.........ii guess that new CEO is really smart.......

He's a hell of a lot smarter than hondas new CEO. That guy is dumb as a sack of bricks. We honda owners should pray that Honda realizes there is a huge market for performance products. Maybe then we can get a break. I already miss my Nissan.

I cant wait to see what kind of parts Nismo is going to make for the P11 Infiniti G20.

Originally posted by gqmac2


He's a hell of a lot smarter than hondas new CEO. That guy is dumb as a sack of bricks. We honda owners should pray that Honda realizes there is a huge market for performance products. Maybe then we can get a break. I already miss my Nissan.

HEY!! what are you talking about......honda knows theres a lot of money to be made for performance parts.....yea right :rolleyes: ....
that's why they stuck us with that slutty ass HOE (honda optional equipment)....wise up honda!!!!!bring mugen!!!bring the civic, accord, and nsx type-r's!!!.............dammit!!!!!!

i hope Nissan of America gets it act together and start selling more of there models from Japan like the S-15 Silvia and Skyline GT-R, i know the Skyline is coming to america soon, but why in the hell did they make such a ugly ass car, i love styling of the R32, R33, and R34, but this new radical design is too tacky for American enthusiasts and probably won't sell as many of them as they hope to. Now if they start main streaming more cars like the S-15 Silvia and the R34 Skylines here in america, i would most defineatly be at my Nissan dealership in a heartbeat to order one, especially if they sold them for prices like they have in Japan, more of the under $50,000 margin unlike the $90,000+ ones that MotoRex sells. I hope Nissan is listening to this post because i know hundreds of people just in my own town that would sell everything they got to get there hands on a new S-15 Silvia or a R34 Skyline. also, whats with the new look on the 350Z, why is everything these days turning into more of a retro look of the future, i think it looks like rhino dung to me!!! they need to have more enthusiasts like us to run the show of the big Japanese automotive corporations who actually know what kinds of cars would sell here in America, its like come on!!, why can't we have the sr20det's and rb26dett's put in our cars here. bottom line is, Nissan is doing a smart move by bringing there Nismo high performance line here, but isn't time they bring there best of the best cars here too??? if they want cars to be sold like hotcakes on a cold winter day, bring us the goods from Japan, and cut the bullshit already!!!

S-15 ......drooooll..... i love that car! i wish they brought it over.. id be the first person at the dealership.. id be the day they allowed preorders.. geez... sss11555....ddrrrrooolllll... What a deprived nation and yet not.. does that make anysense.. soo much money and bla bla bla and we cant get the cars we want.. wtf?

seriously, like i said there are so many people here in the U.S. that would literally kill to have some of Japan's finest automobiles, but yet they still refuse to sell them here! what is wrong with this picture, thousands of American auto enthusiasts who want nothing but the best, and would practically sell there souls to the devil to have cars like the S-15 Silvia or the R34 Skyline GT-R. but yet we all fall subject to piece of crap domestic cars, that have no real idea of what a true sports car is (even though i cant say that my 89' Mustang twin turbo'd 5.0L with NOS dragger is a piece of shit that does mid 8's, but got my ideas from the import trends of turboization). we have such high demands of Japan's elite cars, but still we get watered down versions if even that!!! truthfully i would shit my pants the day that we finally get Silvia's and Skyline's streamlined here in America, because they are such awesome cars. sad thing is that not that many people here in the U.S. have such knowledge of such fine automobiles as us enthusiasts and have to settle with big fat ass SUV's and family sedans. its like come on, even in Japan there family sedans are turbo'd and mostly have rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive at that. instead we have to settle for front-wheel driver granny cars that only soccer moms and the elderly would ever buy. u can count me out on those deals!!! what would the world be like without our precious rice rockets from the far east??? i know that it would be one shitty life to me with out mine! at least we are finally getting Nissan to give us the Nismo line of products, and i also heard the the Mitsubishi EVO might as well be coming over seas too! im a big time WRX fan and cant wait to see the Japanese send more cars over to contend with the new Scooby. it seems like to me, ever since they released the WRX here in America more of the Japanese elite cars are finally going to make appearance here in the land of the free, because if they didn't, Subaru would run away clean with the best import cars of the century without any compitition. thank god! its about time the Japanese see what kinds of enthusiasts we are and how much we really appreciate their top performing cars, and how we despirately want them to be sold here in America!!! hopefully one day we will finally see Silvia's and Skyline's grace this side of the world in the production line!:biggrin2: :angryfire :newburn:

All I can say is this. We get the crap when it comes to import automobiles. Even in the Euro market. I know for a fact the BMW M3 does not pump out 333hp in Germany. Its something closer to 400hp. We get all the downsized stuff mostly, cause the NTA allow it. They are not concerned with style or speed, only reliablity and effeciency. Its like those dick heads can't see the load of crap before they agree to purchase it. In my book, Honda is going to take a major dive in popularity. (this is sad cause they have run the import scene for over 2 decades.) Reason why? They over charge for Mugen, SPoon, and JDM parts. Which makes Only a few buy there stuff. Stupid business move. Until Nismo puts their foot in the dirt here, noone will make a move. Honda's rep is solely built on calculation not risk. Thats why Acura came to be, (Acura = Risk) :devil:

i hate the fact that hondas are seen on practically ever single corner of the street, everyone and there grandma has one!!! i think its about time that companys like Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Mazda and so on to bring there top models over if not back. Toyota quit selling the Supra here but continues to sell them in Japan, same as the Mazda RX-7. I know the reason why they did pull out their production of these fine autos from America only because they priced themselves out. it was a sad day when the 3000GT VR-4, 300ZX, Supra, and RX-7 had to have their plugs pulled, but we will always love these cars for their power and beauty!

The sad part is, now they are trying to come back, but the power is being neglected big time. One would thik the new ZX350 by Nissan would push at least 290, nope, its so far ranged at 260? WTF? On a car this heavy, I could beat it while riding a scooter. Others are victims, to, all in all, I am simply complaining but it really is becoming a problem. There is a market that can now be dominated by Domestic cars, but these auto makers are too stupid to see it. All I can say if Ford is catching on quick with the Focus SVT, the 2003 Cobra mustang (its pushing 390HP ddddaaammmnnn), and of course the F150 lightning and Harley Davidson editions. Power is still a big part of the driving experience. Until foriegn automakers realize this and stop giving us the pussy cars, we will continue to see the import compacts getting tuned. ( IMO the best thing to do anyway.)

i have seen the SR20DET engines for under $3000

khrys771 i have seen the SR20DET engines for under $3000






where? and wit how many miles? they in pieces or something?

ARD

http://209.15.197.96/store/shop/index2.html

Originally posted by gqmac2
The sad part is, now they are trying to come back, but the power is being neglected big time. One would thik the new ZX350 by Nissan would push at least 290, nope, its so far ranged at 260? WTF? On a car this heavy, I could beat it while riding a scooter. Others are victims, to, all in all, I am simply complaining but it really is becoming a problem.

Hmmmm... Motor Trend's sources state that the new 350Z's VQ35DE will have 280-290hp. The new Altima has 240hp and gets to 60mph in the 6-second range. Impressive for a family car. Now tack on 40-50hp, subtract the excessive weight of the massive family sedan, and you've got power equateable to the previous 300ZX twin-turbo's VG30DETT, but naturally aspirated (or maybe more). And all the extra torque from the big 3.5 liter engine can only help the 350Z be a more driveable car. Beat that in your scooter. Furthermore, there are some signs that a future turbo-Z model will enter the lineup, and/or a GT-R to be using a turbo V-6, or the Q45's V-8.

The same goes for the coming RX-8. The Renesis 13B delivers almost as much performance as the RX-7's 13B, but does it without forced induction.

Toyota is REALLY astir with rumors and concepts leaking out from here and there for their upcoming V-8 or V-12 GT beast.

We've already got the WRX with hopes for limited STi models, and the Evolution VII is en route, as well. Even though they are blown 4-bangers, aren't they a nice step up from the Eclipse/Talon days?

And these are just to name a few in each category. The automotive sports car slump has been over for a year or two now, and things really are looking up. Power tricks are cascading down even to lower end cars like the Celica GT-S.

To comment on your statements, apparent some of my email was left off. I finished with, I have no problems with Nissan coming up for a change, my only peeve is the new designs which are haboring to whiners of speed being bad and agility being good. The 350ZX IMO really sucks. But its sucks to the point that its all good. Instead of trying to go for a retro-active look, nissan should have used what they did in applying to the other vehicles. All I am saying (which I am entitle with no feedback or sass) is that the 350ZX is still heavy (the Altima can't be compare being the 350 is almost 4000lbs vs the Altima at 3500lb.) To be fair, you have good facts, but really think about the last 300ZX, it could have moved so much quick if it were not for the over weighing of it.

:confused: :confused: question.... why is the 350zx heavier then the Altima??? :confused: :confused:

:D :D :sun: :flash:

EH?! The 350Z will not weight near 2 tons! That's Mercedes S-class territory.

Furthermore, the Altima 3.5 SE 5-speed weighs in at 3,178 lbs. a few hundred lower than your 3,500 lbs. estimate. The Z should be around the same. What makes you think it will be 500 lbs. heavier than the Altima? They share the same structure, same engine, and the Z has fewer components (i.e. rear seats, 2 more doors, etc.). Even Road & Track estimates the 350Z will have a curb weight of 3150 lbs.

This is about the 350Z at Nissan's corporate website:

The new 350Z(TM) represents nothing less than the birth of a totally new car that blends Nissan's sports car tradition with cutting-edge technologies and a fresh design. This 350Z embodies many new features for a sports car, all of which have been perfected to exceptionally high quality. At the same time, the 350Z embraces all of the essential Z® virtues: performance and handling, value, design, and durability. Highlights of the all-new 350Z include:


•24-valve, 3.5 liter DOHC V6 producing 280-plus targeted horsepower and 260-plus lb-ft of torque
•NDIS (Nissan Direct Ignition System)
•CVTCS (Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System)
•6-speed close-ratio manual transmission or Electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode
•Dual outlet exhaust
•Estimated 0-60 time of less than 6.0 seconds
•4-wheel independent multi-link suspension with use of lightweight aluminum components
•Available Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and Traction Control System (TCS)
•Long wheelbase (104.3 inches) and wide stance
•Raised rear deck for enhanced aerodynamics

0-60 in under 6? Looks like Nissan made a Turbo Z without the turbo.

Originally posted by gqmac2
The sad part is, now they are trying to come back, but the power is being neglected big time. One would thik the new ZX350 by Nissan would push at least 290, nope, its so far ranged at 260? WTF? On a car this heavy, I could beat it while riding a scooter. Others are victims, to, all in all, I am simply complaining but it really is becoming a problem. There is a market that can now be dominated by Domestic cars, but these auto makers are too stupid to see it. All I can say if Ford is catching on quick with the Focus SVT, the 2003 Cobra mustang (its pushing 390HP ddddaaammmnnn), and of course the F150 lightning and Harley Davidson editions. Power is still a big part of the driving experience. Until foriegn automakers realize this and stop giving us the pussy cars, we will continue to see the import compacts getting tuned. ( IMO the best thing to do anyway.)

By the way, you said that I left out a part of your message...

...I left out the bold part because it was irrelevant to my point stating that the Z and other Japanese imports coming on the horizon are actually more powerful than you are saying.

AlL I have to say is will they support the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V!? Because if not then screw NISMO!!:flipa:

I don't think you've got anything to worry about; in many ways, the arrival of Nismo seems to revolve heavily around the introduction of the new SE-Rs. They've coincided at just the right time to make a strong impact on the consumers.

Originally posted by gqmac2 from Automotive Forums .com > Nissan > Nonspecific > 350zx on 02-13-2002 04:33 PM
well I stand corrected. I guess its not as heavy as earlier projections stipulated.

I think far too many people are becoming disillussioned by the fact that several upcoming Nissan models including the Z are going to be heavyweights simply due to the massive displacements. Remember, these are still not muscle cars; even the upcoming G35 is being hailed as an extremity in handling primarily with its front-midship rear-wheel-drive layout (FM). Nissan may have stumbled on its revival key yet.

So what you are saying is that, Nissan basically trying to outdo the competition where the competition has not yet started to develop.

Well, I tend to think that this decision by Nissan is essential to its survival in the industry, rather than it being a key role in any type of 'domination'. Nissan is barely hanging on by a thread, but their restructuring is helping themselves reconnect to this industry. Perhaps they are setting a new standard; perhaps they are entering forbidden territory. But to me, it only feels right that Nissan is boldly venturing blind into new automotive dimensons.

Basically, it's hard to see where they are going, but they seem to be doing something right.

Good point. I see what you mean. Maybe NISMO will make a new industy standard for Nissan. From what I have seen, its like they have injected a shot of adreniline into their company. Who knows, pretty soon the Sentra may take over where the Civic has conviently left off.

The SE-R handles amazingly well. I could easily see it dethroning Honda's double wishbones for the next few years. I'm still waiting to see what kind of power can be pulled from the QR25DE, but even stock its a great street car. The Sentra's extra 2 doors (here in the 2+2 camp, we call 'em extras) put it in a position to steal customers from quite a few other cars. Now let's see what kind of parts Nismo gives us for the 350Z...

Well, i sure hope NISMO would make some body kits for the Sentra, because I have been searching EVERYWHERE and so far, I have found almost nothing decent, except for the B15 kit at www.importfan.com, but then again, I think it is way over priced just to have 2 little side skirts for $350 US.......

$350 for skirts... welcome to the world of body kits. Trust me, I know how expensive a piece of fiberglass can be. And I also know about having a hard time finding a kit for my car. I'm still trying to figure out if I can fit a $670 Integra kit to my Pulsar. If I lived in Japan or Australia, I'd be set. But there's little respect for the lowly NX over here, so I'm SOL. Don't worry; give Nismo, Stillen, and Erebuni some time and there'll be plenty of kits for your Sentra. As for the price, well...

Originally posted by Holyterror
$350 for skirts... welcome to the world of body kits. Trust me, I know how expensive a piece of fiberglass can be.

Indeed, owning a sportbike tought me that, a tiny scratch cost me 400 dollars, for a tiny peace of cowling:mad: :rolleyes:

Hmm.. Maybe NISMO will sell some minor front diffusers, rear spoilers and some subtle skirts, but I doubt they will go all out and create lines of full body kits like most of the aftermarket 'show' partsmakers do. NISMO doesn't really even sell much in the form of bodykits in Japan. But then again, this IS the U.S. where most of the import "racing" industry lies around 'all show no go'.

One thing I hope they bring over are the NISMO LM GT2 racing wheels produced by Ray's Engineering (came with the Nismo R33 400R). You can always import them for loads of dough, but basing an inshore distributor here will help lower the price considerably.

Originally posted by Morpheus XIII

One thing I hope they bring over are the NISMO LM GT2 racing wheels produced by Ray's Engineering (came with the Nismo R33 400R). You can always import them for loads of dough, but basing an inshore distributor here will help lower the price considerably.

That would be nice, I love those wheels :)

Originally posted by Randolph_Wong
Well, i sure hope NISMO would make some body kits for the Sentra, because I have been searching EVERYWHERE and so far, I have found almost nothing decent, except for the B15 kit at www.importfan.com, but then again, I think it is way over priced just to have 2 little side skirts for $350 US.......

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/666982nismo1.jpg

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/994144nismo4.jpg

People need not worry about NISMO ignoring the Sentra. As a matter of fact, NISMO's U.S. debut started with their lightly tuned Sentra SE-R Spec V, presented at SEMA in Las Vegas. The car is equipped with a subtle and clean ground effects front-lip add-on, which follows the factory appearance while providing enough differentiation from the OEM masses. The wheel wells have been donned with simple and effective anthracite colored 18" NISMO GT-4 wheels to flow with the external enhancements, and a sculpted and painted rear deck spoiler with cleaner pedestals shows how an automaker's sidearm in-house tuner can create better OEM-finish wings (as opposed to the 'aluminum sheetmetal on sticks' approach of the aftermarket). It is not unlike the factory Skyline spoilers. Even the paint stripe on the sides of the car resemble the NISMO 400R and 270R specialty Skylines and Silvias.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/440693nismo15.jpg

Although the QR25DE's internals have been left alone, NISMO has dressed it for duty with a carbon fiber valve cover, oil/radiator caps, plus polished header and exhaust muffler bolt-ons (and let's not forget these pieces are all backed by the factory's warrantee). Other tuning enhancements include an S-tune clutch, S-tune brake pads/lines, helical LSD, all around coil-over suspension components with a tower brace and sway bars. The car connects to the ground with SP9000 Dunlops (talk about tire overkill).

Hmmm... if it was anybody but Nismo, I'd say they're giving in to the "All show, no go" attitude that is so prevalent in the states right now. But I suspect there will be some engine components in the future. I'll bet the major limitation on what they're making is whether or not Nissan wants to warranty a given part. I think it's reasonable to expect lightened flywheels, brake upgrades, carbon dash and interior trim, maybe even some pulleys. A crank pulley that omits the A/C and P/S would make sense (if you live in SoCal and like your steering raw), or perhaps underdrive pulleys, which are all the rage now. It'll be interesting to see if Nismo can compete with folks like Stillen and JWT; it just depends on how far they're willing to go with the factory warranty, I guess.

Originally posted by Morpheus XIII
Well, I tend to think that this decision by Nissan is essential to its survival in the industry, rather than it being a key role in any type of 'domination'. Nissan is barely hanging on by a thread, but their restructuring is helping themselves reconnect to this industry. Perhaps they are setting a new standard; perhaps they are entering forbidden territory. But to me, it only feels right that Nissan is boldly venturing blind into new automotive dimensons.

Basically, it's hard to see where they are going, but they seem to be doing something right.

I have to totally agree with you there. Nissan seems to be turning around once again. With the return of the SE-R, the new Altima with 240HP, and the Maxima that pumps out 255HP :smoka: And now with the Skyline GTR on it's way, Nissan is starting to come around again. Now where's that Silvia?

And since Renault bought Nissan, they are helping a lot to with the reconstruction of Nissan.

The only wierd part about it is that Renault is not a company known for performance or style. In France, England, and Great Britain they are known for reliability. Kinda like Toyota is in the US.

Isn't Renault known for decent competition in Formula 1?

Oh yeah, and don't for that F1-derived "Espace F1 superminivan". I couldn't help but gawk when I saw it in magazines for the first time. The ultimate ride in shotgun...

http://www.canalauto.com/Concepts/images/46257385.jpg

:cry: i never seen such a beautiful sentra SER

I have never seen such a beautiful minivan. I would not mind riding down the strip in that.

Yeah, I'll bet that attracts more attention than the nearest riced-out Civic. And if the Honda guy trimmed his springs, the van will probably outhandle it!

If I remember correctly from the magazine review, the Espace F1 can outhandle and outrun even many exotics. They said the drive was almost on par with the feel of a genuine F1 car, especially being that it's actually a Williams F1 body, only adding weight from having been skinned up with Espace sheetmetal. An 804 hp mid-mounted RS6 V-10 engine makes it good for 2.8 second 0-60 runs.

http://www.canalauto.com/Concepts/images/46257387.jpg

I want one. I really want one. I want that friggin' van. I'd paint it a more subtle color and race... well, everybody. Just to see the look on people's faces. How much would one of those run for? I'm sure it would be impossible to get one in the states. A while back, I jokingly suggested mid-mounting a 426 Hemi in a Dodge Caravan. I didn't think anyone would actually try it. These guys at Renault are sadistic. I'm scared.