Background
Few eras of rallying have ever been as galvanizing as the Formula 2 Kit Car generation – when front-wheel-drive was the answer and revs were king.
The Nissan Sunny proved that there was another approach to building an F2 rally car, one largely devoid of visual drama and yet still a force to be reckoned with across a broad spread of surfaces – even if doing so did mean sacrificing a degree of ultimate tarmac pace.
The Sunny’s surfeit of traction and suspension travel proved a godsend for its drivers, not least as (in the early years at least) it was somewhat out-gunned by its French opposition. The SR engine initially made a solid if not spectacular 230bhp, enough to see off the early crop of F2 rivals and to give Alister McRae his British Rally Championship crown in 1995, not enough to keep pace with the rapid development of the Kit Car class as the decade progressed.
The rise of the ‘Maxis’ prompted NME to undertake a mid-life redevelopment of the Sunny, and while the changes didn’t result in wide arches and outlandish aero, they did see power climb to 270bhp come the 1997 season, with revisions to the ECU and fuel injection system credited for this increase in performance.
The newly up-gunned Sunny was able to give a good account of itself pretty much everywhere, from the snows of Sweden to the murky gloom of the British forests, something doubtless aided by the calibre of the crews NME enlisted to drive it. Mark Higgins, Alister McRae, Toni Gardemeister and Tomi Mäkinen all spent time behind the wheel of the unassuming looking Nissan, and their performances cemented the unassuming hatchback’s reputation as a dependable F2 machine, its excellent suspension travel enabling it to be flung down even the roughest of stages with relative impunity.
This car
N2 NME is a 1996 ex works F2 Nissan Sunny GTI which was driven by Mark Higgins with co-driver Phil Mills.
It competed in the 1996 BRC F2 class and achieved the following results: Vauxhall rally of Wales 5th oa; Manx international 2nd oa; Network Q RAC 4th oa. Car was upgraded to kit car spec and used under P6 on some of the1997 British Rally Championship campaign rounds (Scottish Rally, Pirelli International).
Technical Specification
Engine: SR20 1998cc Kitc car spec built by IES.
Induction system: Naturally aspirated, independent throttle bodies with 8 injectors.
Transmission: Front wheel drive, Hewland HP 2000 6sp sequential with flat shift.
Output: 289 BHP on pump fuel and 305 BHP on race fuel.