Down Shift Magazine

In A Greener More Energy Efficient Tomorrow What About Performance?

An Electric GT-R? Really? Carlos Tavares, recently promoted to COO of Renault, hinted at as much at the 2011 New York auto show. “Of course, it’s going to be zero emissions.”

The Leaf NISMO RC marries a Leaf’s lithium-ion battery pack and 80-kW, 107-hp AC synchronous motor to a unique chassis that features body panels and a monocoque rendered in carbon fiber. The curb weight is a claimed 2068 pounds, some 40 percent lighter than a standard Leaf. Bride Racing seats, a pair of safety harnesses, a giant wing, and 18-inch aluminum wheels complete the illusion. The end result hits 62 mph in a claimed 6.9 seconds, has a top speed of 93 mph, and makes the ordinary Leaf look as sexy as a moldy Big Mac.

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An inspiring look back at the more than forty years of Nissan’s “Z” car innovation and development. Sized 18″x24″ and printed on premium high gloss poster paper with a durable aqueous coating for added shine and long lasting fade resistance and durability.

Celebrating 40 years of “Z” history, community and culture the 2013 “Our Fairlady Z” limited edition poster celebrates the Japanese sports car that has defined eras and set the bar for all competitors. Purchase one today for $13 with $2 off coupon code “Deals on Wheels” www.store.downshiftmagazine.com

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It’s no secret that here at Down Shift we are all huge fans of the innovative Nissan DeltaWing Le Mans racer, little surprise then that it was one of our favorite cars at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The DeltaWing was designed to reduce aerodynamic drag dramatically, to allow a marginally faster straight and corner speed than a 2009-2011 Dallara IndyCar on both ovals and road/street courses with half as much weight, engine power and fuel consumption. As the name suggests, it has a delta wing shape, with an unusually narrow 2ft  front track and a more traditional 5 ft 7 in rear track.

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A guilty pleasure for any Nissan Motorsports enthusiast, the annual Z Nationals track day is one of the few times you will ever get to see all generations and all models of Nissan sports cars racing together on a track.

Russell Floyd of Z1 Motorsports takes his modified Nissan 370Z for some laps mid-day at the amazing Barber Motorsports Park just outside of Birmingham, Alabama.

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The #46 Thiret TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan edges through a corner just ahead of the #67 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at this years pivotal Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

The TDS Racing Oreca-Nissan piloted by Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Christophe Tinseau finished in third.

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It wasn’t all that long ago that we were all following Nissan’s development and production of their first GTR inspired Juke prototype with bated breath and awe. How would they manage to translate the design and performance of the definitively Japanese super-car into the very European styled Juke cross-over? How well would the smallish SUV actually perform in anything but a straight line? Would this be something that people would actually be interested in owning?

A unique success for Nissan, the first production model Juke-R finds it’s way to it’s new home this week.

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As has become an annual Autumn tradition around the Down Shift offices, recently we  made our yearly trip up to Z1 Motorsports in the scenic foothills of northern Georgia (Metro Atlanta) to participate, photograph and enjoy all of the sights, sounds and activities afforded by this most spectacular annual Nissan enthusiast extravaganza. 

You would be hard-pressed to find a more diverse gathering of North American Nissan enthusiasts in one spot. Pulling attendees from across the United States and even across our northern border into Canada, the weekend long Z Nationals event had grown into quite the multifaceted celebration of all cars Nissan. 

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One of the clear fan-favorites at the 2012 Z Nationals Track Day was Melissa Miller in her cross country driven Z32 Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo.

A true enthusiast Melissa drove her Z32 from her Southern California home to Z-Con in Phoenix  Arizona and on to the Z Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia / Birmingham, Alabama. Check out Melissa’s personal webpage for more information on her project cars and upcoming events.  www.melissadrifts.com

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