The Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo was one of the most formidable GTP cars in the class from 1985 to 1990, even managing to eclipse the dominant Porsche 962. Geoff Brabham secured the 1988 drivers' title behind the wheel of a GTP ZX-Turbo, and Nissan would secure the constructors' title the following year.
Now an original example is set to wow audiences at this month's 2024 Monterey Car Week.
Nissan on Thursday announced a GTP ZX-Turbo will make an appearance during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which runs at Laguna Seca from on Aug. 14-17. It will be chassis number 8801, which recently underwent a full restoration at Z Car Garage in San Jose. This was the car driven by Brabham together with John Morton in 1988, a season in which it enjoyed eight straight wins.
The first examples of the GTP ZX-Turbo were built by Lola Cars in the U.K., and originally referred to as the Lola T810. Later examples were fully developed by Electramotive Engineering in California, which Nissan partnered with for its North American racing effort. The aim was to help build up the Nissan name after Datsun was phased out in 1986.
Wearing the doorstop-like bodywork characteristic of prototype race cars of the time, the GTP ZX-Turbo featured a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 loosely related to the engine in the 300ZX sports car on sale at the time, hence the use of the “ZX” in the name. While competitive in shorter races, longer events like the 24 Hours of Daytona saw the GTP ZX-Turbo struggle with reliability.
Nevertheless, the car and its successor, the NPT-90, marked the high point for Nissan in prototype sports car racing. Multiple attempts to win in top-level endurance racing in the 1990s failed, as did a later campaign in 2025 with the ill-fated GT-R LM Nismo LMP1.
