The Nissan Altima Supercar will run at the Sandown 500 this month dressed in Nissan’s Calsonic GT-R R32 livery…
NISSAN WILL DRESS its Altima Supercar for this month’s Sandown 500 in the livery of the Calsonic GT-R R32; a vehicle that dominated the Japanese Group A racing in the early 1990s. The #23 car of Michael Caruso and Dean Fiore will, as you can see from the picture, be decked out in blue; to gain some traction with Gran Turismo fans who’ve been flocking to race the Calsonic GT-R.
The Calsonic Nissan GT-R R32 took 15 victories, as well as the 1990 and 1993 titles in Japense Touring Cars. In addition, the R32 holds the record of remaining undefeated in all its 29 races, from its debut at the start of the 1990 season through to the end of the Group A era in 1993. The original Calsonic GT-R resides at the Nissan Heritage Museum, in Japan.
The Nissan GT-R R32 also achieved success in Australia winning the Bathurst 1000 twice and the Australian Touring Car Championship on three occasions.
“Nissan has achieved a lot in global motorsport and there are so many great liveries to choose from,” said Michael Caruso. “The Calsonic livery is one of Nissan’s most famous and perfectly represents its racing heritage.
“The original Calsonic GT-R was so successful on the track. A perfect record is unheard of in motorsport, so this definitely elevates this car to legendary status.”
Calsonic has been a key sponsor of Nissan’s, partnering with the Japanese car maker for more than 30 years in Super GT, major endurance events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
September’s Wilson Security Sandown 500 is the first event of the Supercars’ endurance season, followed by the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the Vodafone Gold Coast 600, both staged in October.
It’s pretty sad indictment of Nissan how far their styling has plummeted when the 25 year R32 looks a lot better than the modern garbage. GTR is the only decent looking car they make, then it’s all down hill.
Azmodan. Yeah the 1992 Skyline was a good looking car. But that’s not the issue for me. What bugs me is that I can’t buy a V8 RWD Altima at my local Nissan Dealer. If they don’t have a VERY similar car for sale they shouldn’t be allowed to race it. I think the rules should insist that Nissan races what it sells – a V6 FWD Altima. That brings howls of protest from tace drivers. FINE! Let them build what they like to dtive … and enthusiasts can sod off to find a more entertaoning form of motor sport because ir has STRONG links to enthusiast’s street cars.
This is not an anti Nissan rant. I’d LOVE to see Nissan make a RWD Altima preferably with a V8 but a turbo six would be OK. Nissan needs something like this to compete against the Kia Stinger S. And Nissan! I celebrate every GTR victory in the Bathurst 12hr because your almost affordable GTR mops the floor with cars costing 2, 3 or 4 times as much!!