The Nissan Safari Rally Z Is A Modern-Day Tribute To A Rally Icon

The all-new Nissan Safari Rally Z  (right) arrives as a modern-day tribute to marque's rally icon, the Datsun 240Z  Rally Car (left)

Nissan is giving a well-deserved tribute to its rally icon – the classic Datsun 240Z Rally Car – by unveiling the special Nissan Safari Rally Z. Based on the current-gen Nissan Z sports coupe, this latest build by Nissan for the 2023 SEMA show features proper off-roading chops and gear, aside from the overall visual.

Built by renowned American customisation firm Tommy Pike, the Safari Rally Z is equipped with a raised damper setup featuring beefy KW Safari adjustable suspensions, alongside a slew of Nismo-specific parts. This includes the quad Nismo off-road LED lights at the front, 17-inch Nismo Safari off-roading wheels shod in Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 tyres, and many more.

Aside from the increased ride height, the Safari Rally Z also gets proper off-roading protection like customised underbody armouring by Tommy Pike, front bumper guards and skid plate. Meanwhile, its cabin is equipped with Recaro Pole Position racing buckets with four-point harnesses, while its front dash features the map of the original East African Safari Rally course.

The Safari Rally Z's tuned twin-turbo V6 mill is capable of delivering over 400 HP

As for the mechanical upgrades, the Safari Rally Z is still powered by the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 mill as its road-going twin, though it has been tuned by AMS to deliver more than 400 HP. Other mechanical upgrades bestowed on this rally car are a new cat-back exhaust system, cold air intake, carbon fibre engine cover, twin-disc clutch, and more.

More importantly, the Safari Rally Z is draped with similar livery design as we’ve seen on the 240Z Rally Car, featuring a main red body hue with blacked-out hood and roof part. While the 1971 East African Safari Rally winner wore racing number #11 on its body, the Safari Rally Z comes with racing number #23 instead.

The new Nissan Safari Rally Z will be showcased alongside a replica of the 1971 Datsun 240Z Rally Car at the upcoming 2023 SEMA auto show in the US

The show car for this special Nissan Safari Rally Z is set to make its inaugural public appearance at the upcoming 2023 SEMA show, where it will be paraded alongside the replica of the 1971 East African Safari Rally-winning Datsun 240Z Rally Car built by an unnamed private collector.

As for now, Nissan has yet to reveal any plans regarding this special edition build, though we’d reckon many would like to see the Japanese marque turn this tribute model into a proper production rally model, just like what Porsche and Lamborghini did with the 911 Dakar and Huracan Sterrato respectively.