- Homage to a victorious sports car from 1971
- Commemorate the 50th anniversary
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nissan’s victory in the East Africa Rally in the iconic 240Z, the Japanese carmaker has sketched out a contemporary rally car concept based on the new Juke. Called the Juke Rally Tribute Concept, the celebratory model coincides with the first day of the legendary Safari Rally Kenya as part of the World Rally Championship calendar after 19 years.
The Juke Rally Tribute Concept appears like it's wearing the skin of the original 240Z that ran across central Kenya and won back in 1971. The concept’s large knobby wheels accommodated in flared wheel arches, additional lights mounted on the bonnet and roof and the iconic paint job of red side and blacktop are all inspired by Edgar Herrmann’s 240Z. But being a modern-day concept, the Juke Rally Tribute’s powertrain is an electric hybrid.
In 1971, the little Japanese coupe 240Z took the victory of the gruelling East African Safari Rally driven by Edgar Herrmann with navigator Hans Schüller. Apart from that, the 240Zs came home in second and seventh positions as well. Apart from the second consecutive victory in the rally, Datsun/Nissan also went on to repeat the feat in 1973 with Shekhar Mehta at the helm.
The rally-winning, low-slung 240Z was powered by a 2.4-litre straight-six engine putting out 200bhp, all of which was sent to the rear wheels. The victorious car was restored to good order in 2013 and is now part of Nissan’s heritage collection which is housed in Zama, close to Nissan global headquarters in the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan.
