Nissan Employees Turned a Z Into a Race Car After Hours

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The Nissan Z Has Racing Duties to Fulfill

With the GT-R out of the picture, the Z is now flying the performance flag for Nissan. This rear-wheel-drive coupe has a legacy to uphold, and Nissan’s engineers are clearly itching to show what it can do when it’s let loose off the leash and onto the track.

Enter Project NAT2: a Nissan Z built by the Nissan Acceleration Team, or NAT for short. But don’t picture a corporate-backed race team – this is a crew of Nissan employees wrenching after hours, turning their passion for the brand into a full-blown competition car.

Built to SCCA Touring 2 specs, the NAT2 Z gets the works: upgraded powertrain, suspension, brakes, and a stripped-out cabin. The finishing touch? A custom racing livery that nods to Nissan’s glory days on the track, tying this modern coupe to its racing ancestors.

Nissan

Turbocharged Power With Track-Focused Hardware

Under the hood, Project NAT2 keeps the Z’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6, but it’s far from stock. To play by Touring 2 rules, it gets 38-millimeter turbo inlet restrictors, a NISMO cold-air intake, and a custom Z1 Motorsports tune – because rules are rules, but power is still the name of the game.

The exhaust is a NISMO GT4 single-exit stainless setup, ready to sing at full throttle. There’s also an upgraded fuel system to keep up with the action, and a laundry list of cooling upgrades – aluminum radiator, NISMO heat exchanger, oil and diff coolers – because nobody wants to see this Z overheat mid-corner.

The 2027 Nissan Z Is Going Even Deeper On Retro Design

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Nissan’s keeping the final power numbers under wraps, but all these upgrades matter when you’re pounding out lap after lap. Heat management is just as crucial as horsepower here, and the Z gets a Z1 Motorsports aluminum oil pan plus Motul fluids everywhere to keep things running smooth.

The chassis isn’t left out either: NISMO coilovers, upper control arms, sway bars front and rear, and adjustable end links all make the cut. SuperPro and Z1 bushings and mounts finish off the suspension and drivetrain tweaks.

Braking gets serious up front with Z1’s Track Big Brake Kit – six-piston calipers, massive 380-millimeter rotors, and Hawk DTC-60 pads. Out back, the stock setup stays (Touring 2 rules again), but it still gets Hawk pads for good measure. It rolls on chunky 18×11-inch forged NISMO wheels from the GT4 program, shod in sticky Maxxis RC-1 competition rubber – 275s all around.

Nissan

A Retro-Inspired Exterior and Stripped-Out Cabin

The first thing you’ll spot is the custom livery from NISMO Design Japan. It’s a tribute to Nissan’s racing legends, giving the Z a retro vibe without copying any one classic outright. Flying Lizard Motorsports took care of the wrap, so you know it’s done right. Trackspec hood louvers punch up the cooling game, and every detail outside is there for a reason – this Z means business on the track.

Inside, you’ll find the comfort features have been tossed in favor of pure race gear. Out go the carpet, sound deadening, trim, HVAC, audio – pretty much anything not essential for speed. Even the door panels are trimmed down, and the windows are gone.

Safety equipment includes an SCCA-specification roll cage, a Sabelt full-halo racing seat, a six-point harness, window and center nets, and a Lifeline fire suppression system. A Sabelt flat-bottom steering wheel, quick-release system, and paddle-shifter kit complete the driver’s controls.

There’s a custom dash, lightweight aluminum floor tray, and an AiM lap timer and data logger to keep tabs on every lap. A cockpit camera is along for the ride, perfect for reviewing sessions and catching every on-track moment.

Nissan

Project NAT2 Heads to SEMA

Don’t expect to see a price tag or order form for Project NAT2 – this isn’t a production car. Instead, it’s a rolling showcase of what Nissan’s own gearheads can pull off when they mix factory parts with the right aftermarket goodies.

You’ll catch this Z at the 2026 SEMA Show, sharing the spotlight with Nissan’s other performance projects, most notably the Sentra SE-R Spec-V. More than just a showpiece, it’s proof of what happens when the folks behind the scenes get to let their racing passion run wild.

Nissan

About the author

Jacob Oliva

Senior Editor, Autoblog

Jacob Oliva is a senior editor at Autoblog with more than a decade of experience covering industry news, price analysis, aftermarket modifications and new-vehicle reviews. He is also managing editor of Autocar Philippines.