NISMO is the abbreviated form of Nissan Motorsport International Limited. It is the department within Nissan that deals with tuning, motorsports, and performance. The name itself is coined by combining Nissan and Motorsport (NIS+MO) to get NISMO. The story behind the conception of NISMO is very interesting.

In the early 1980s, Nissan decided to merge two of its departments – the Oppama works (known commonly as Publication Division 3) and Omori works (Special Car Testing Division). The idea behind the merger was to get into the sportscar racing scene in a big way and to also provide support to teams participating in the Domestic F3 series. So, on 17 September 1984, the merger took place, and NISMO was founded.

The first complete car that NISMO rolled out was called the Saurus. The next to be manufactured was the Skyline R 31 and then the Skyline GT-R. All-in-all, NISMO manufactured 20 such cars.

NISMO also manufactured NISMO-branded consumer vehicles. These include:

Nismo 350Z, Nismo 370Z, GT-R Nismo, Juke Nismo, March Nismo, Pulsar GTI-R Nismo, Sentra Nismo, Nismo 270-R, and Skyline GT-R Nismo.

What else does NISMO manufacture?

Besides cars, NISMO also manufactures a range of performance-enhancing parts for its Nissan cars. These include aerodynamic parts such as diffusers, spoilers, alloy wheels, suspension parts, and engines.

Performance parts are also available for Datsun and Infiniti cars.

NISMO has made several types of tuning packages.

Does NISMO take part in car racing?

Yes, Nissan has consistently taken part in motorsports since the 1960s. NISMO entered the FIA GT1 World Championship (1990) with the Nissan GT-R and won the championship in 2011. NISMO now sponsors its own fleet of drivers through the Nismo Global Driver Exchange. These drivers are small-time drivers vying for a spot in global championships.

Is GT-R still a Skyline range?

No, the GT-R is not a part of the Skyline range anymore.

Can I test drive a Nissan Rogue in North Charleston?

Yes, you can test drive a Nissan Rogue in North Charleston and a Nissan Maxima in North Charleston. There is a whole range of Nissan models that are available for test driving in North Charleston as well.