Have The Biggest Altima Energy With This Actual Freakin’ Altima Racecar

What’s the fastest car on the road? Actually, scratch that. What’s the fastest car on any stretch of road in the contiguous 48? Chances are it’s a used Nissan Altima being driven like it’s qualifying for Talladega, its owner secure in the knowledge that their Japanese beer tin has the Kelley Blue Book value of pre-chewed Hubba Bubba, so any threats from other road users can be countered with unyielding maneuvers. Having built up a fearsome reputation on the road, it turns out there’s another thing Altimas are good at. To paraphrase Marty McFly, you made a racecar out of an Altima?

Why not? After all, the VQ35DE 3.5-liter V6 engine is a strong performer, and this one’s been dialed in with a tune making a claimed “more than 250 Hp at the wheels.” Combine that sort of punch with a stripped-out interior, and this thing will fly down the straights. Every V6 Altima driver everywhere has already demonstrated that these cars are faster than most things on the road, so BRZ drivers better watch out for this race-ready example with a manual gearbox.

Of course, there’s so much more to going fast than just hammer-down straight-line stuff, so the rest of this Altima has been beefed up to tackle corners with Wilwood front calipers to shed speed on the way in, and ultra-sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R super 200 tires wrapped around Konig Hexaform flow-formed wheels to carry speed all the way through.

This particular Altima was built for ChampCar amateur endurance racing, so unsurprisingly, it sports all the safety equipment you could possibly want. Full TIG-welded cage with straight door bars? Check. Side-exit exhaust routed away from vital fuel system components? Check. Fire suppression system? Check. FIA-certified Momo Daytona halo bucket seat? Check. Just bring a firesuit, a Snell-rated helmet, your crew of choice, and comms, and you should be ready to rock.

The best part of all? This thing has a title, and as anyone on the internet knows, “street car” means insurance, inspection, and plates. If you live in a no-inspection state or have an inspector who’s related to Mr. Magoo, you could theoretically daily this thing if you were completely and utterly mental.

Of course, out on the track is really where this Altima’s at home. In the 2021 ChampCar Endurance Series 24-Hour Enduro at Virginia International Raceway, it ran a fastest lap of 2:11.365. That’s faster than nearly everything else at that event, including Porsche Boxsters, a litany of BMWs and Miatas, and even a prepped C4 Corvette and a Mk5 Volkswagen GTI. Then again, the Altima’s already pretty much the fastest car on any road, did we really need a racetrack to cement this legacy?

If you have $18,500 burning a hole in your pocket and a Facebook account that isn’t banned from Marketplace, you can drive out to New Jersey with a U-Haul trailer and buy this Altima yourself. Sure, that’s a lot of cash for a 17-year-old Nissan sedan, but it’s also reasonable value for a winning race car with full car-side safety equipment. Oh, and it comes with a bunch of spares including an engine, just in case Uncle Rodney decides to make a prison break through the wall of cylinder four. Look, one of you lovable goofballs has to crave this thing, so what are you waiting for? Be a hero. Race an Altima.

Hat-tip to Dave!

(Photo credits: Facebook Marketplace)

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