Nissan Tuning & Performance Parts

Right at the end of the 1960s, Japanese car maker Nissan - which was at that time widely selling cars under the Datsun name - introduced two lines of models aimed at more sporting and performance-minded buyers. The first was the Z range, launched in 1969 with the 240Z, which took many American design cues, and here in the UK was a serious rival to the MGB. At a time when Japanese manufacturers had little reputation for making sports cars, the 240Z laid the foundations for a series of popular cars to follow, all of which became renowned for the potential owners were given to tune their cars for improved performance using Nissan aftermarket parts. The Skyline GT-R was next. A totally different animal to the Z car, it was a family saloon offered with two and four doors, but the real interest was provided by its straight-six engine which produced 160bhp. The 240Z gained a couple of bigger brothers, the 260Z and 280Z, and by 1983 when the 300ZX arrived, more than one million Z-cars had been produced.

By the new century, the GT-R had developed along the lines of American muscle cars, where its main market had emerged and remains today. The latest of its six generations went on sale in 2007, and was the first not to carry the Skyline badge. Nevertheless, it has become a huge success, and has spawned a strong market for Nissan GT-R aftermarket parts, exploiting the full potential of - and even boosting - its 500bhp and Bugatti Veyron-beating pace.