Japan-Only Nissan Skyline Nismo Gets Distinct Looks, 414 HP

Nissan revealed a Nismo version of its Japan-only Skyline sedan (sold in the U.S. as the Infiniti Q50) on Tuesday complete with more horsepower and a bunch of specific performance upgrades.

Under the hood of the Skyline Nismo sits Nissan's familiar VR30DDTT twin-turbo V-6 engine, turned to 414 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque thanks to variable valve timing, direct fuel injection, and a water-to-air intercooler. The best version of this engine we get in the Q50 is in the Red Sport 400, which came out back in 2016.

There are bigger brakes to handle the extra power, along with stiffer suspension and specifically tuned safety systems like ABS and traction control. The Skyline Nismo even uses a different type of high-rigidity adhesive for the front and rear windscreens to improve body stiffness without adding stiffening parts that would increase weight.

The 19-inch aluminum wheels, supplied by Enkei, are exclusive to the Skyline Nismo. They're wrapped in staggered Dunlop SP Sport MAXX GT 600 performance tires—the same rubber you get on the Nissan GT-R. Inside there are Nismo-exclusive bucket seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a red 12 o'clock mark, and diamond-stitched leather seat inserts.

Nissan plans to sell just 1000 examples of the Skyline Nismo for the Japanese market, which means unless you're reading this from the automaker's home country, you won't be able to get your hands on one for the next 25 years. Sorry Nissan fans.

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