Nissan prepares the Note Nismo

Nismo, Nissan's official tuning arm, has announced that it will build a sporty, modified version of its Note mini-MPV. It's called the Note Nismo.

Yep, you can brush aside you GT-R Nismo and 370Z Nismo; now the game's all about mini-MPVs. Nissan has confirmed that this little speed-merchant will be available in two grades, the Note Nismo and the Note Nismo S.

It's been built to celebrate Nismo's 30th anniversary, and will feature a "specially tuned engine" with a five-speed manual gearbox, providing a "fruitful supply of low-end torque". We are crossing all fingers and toes that this specially tuned engine is the GT-R's twin-turbo V6. We appreciate just how unlikely this is, but whatever.

The body has been reinforced, and you'll notice it features a new front bumper, side sills and rear bumper, a roof spoiler, different alloy wheels, sports seats inside and Nismo's signature white and red colour scheme.

"The development concept of this model was to build a car that makes you want to keep driving," explains Nismo product chief, Hiroshi Tamura, "no matter where your destination may be. Nismo is confident that the Note Nismo will enhance your driving experience."

So, that just happened. It'll only be available in Japan, mind, and will go on sale later this year. It's certainly no 1100bhp Qashqai R...