Video: Nismo 400R screams up Pikes Peak

12th June 2024

Ethan Jupp

The Pikes Peak hillclimb might be paved now, but for the longest time the famed Race to the Clouds was conducted over a partially loose surface. Back in 1998, the likes of the Volkswagen ID.R, the all-electric, low-slung, bewinged prototype that currently holds the record, simply wouldn’t have cut it. This specially-prepared Nissan Skyline GT-R, however… This is more like it.

Based on the incredible Nismo 400R (an extraordinary rare edition that’s frighteningly valuable these days) this hillclimb monster ran in the open division. Prepared by BEST Motorsports, the 2.8-litre turbocharged straight-six revs to a screaming 8,200rpm. Being turbocharged, that power is dependable at Pikes Peak’s rapidly rising altitudes, too.

And driver Akira Kameyama uses every last one of those revolutions as he grabs the Skyline by the scruff and slingshots it up the Hillclimb. You can hear the car’s specially shortened gear set for hillclimbing, given he rattles between ratios in the slower sections with frightening frequency. Mostly, though, it’s about being in the right gear, pitching the car’s nose in and forcing all that power through each of the four wheels, letting the Skyline’s sophisticated all-wheel-drive system distribute accordingly.

The car had actually been to Pikes Peak before, in 1996, when it and Kameyama won the unlimited class. This clip might not be of the winning performance, but the pace is clear to see. What a driver and what a machine.

Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: This F1 track invasion caused absolute chaos at Imola in 1996