Off-road Z recalls 240Z’s 1971 win in East African Safari Rally

Nissan is paying tribute to its rally history by customizing a new Z for off-road shenanigans.

Built by Tommy Pike Customs, the Safari Rally Z Tribute borrows its livery from the Datsun 240Z rally car that won the 1971 East African Safari Rally. (If the name of that race rings a bell, you probably read our story on another automotive participant, this one hailing from Italy: The Lancia Fulvia.) A 240Z also took second, three minutes behind the winning car; third, fourth, and fifth place were occupied by a Peugoet, a Ford, and a Porsche. Racing was a different party in the ’70s, right?

Back to the Z at hand.

The custom KW Safari suspension and NISMO suspension parts (adjustible upper control arms, outer tie rods ends, front and rear ends links, rear mid-links, and rear traction arms, in total) raise the coupe’s ride height by 2 inches, helping accommodate larger (17 x 7.5-inch) prototype NISMO Safari wheels wrapped in knobby Yokohama Geolandars.

Tommy Pike Customs was surely unfazed by the project: Last year, the South Carolina shop yanked the powertrain from a 1987 Nissan Sunny pickup and replaced it with that of a Nissan Leaf. EV may not be your thing, but it’s so, so stylish:

Tommy Pike did more than source third-party parts for the off-road Z. The harness bar inside the vehicle is a custom job, as are the aluminum hood-mounted light pods, the front bumper guard, and the skid plate. The shop had a little fun, too, with the inserts of the Recaro Pole Position seats.

There’s a bevy of NISMO parts, as you’d expect: The actual lights inside those Pike-built pods, a cat-back exhaust, as well as a twin-disc clutch and flywheel, a cold-air intake, and a heat exhanger. Output is quoted by Nissan as “400+,” meaning this is more powerful than a base Z but still bends the knee to the 420-hp version tuned by NISMO for track-day duty. At least, that’s our guess.

As of right now, the new Z is bound for the SEMA show floor. The event opens its doors today in Las Vegas and runs through November 3. The real question: How long until we see the rugged red coupe competing in a rally?

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