Do you have a lucky number? Well, Nissan does...sort of.
For the longest time, Nissan would put the number 23 on its race cars, whether it’s a touring car, endurance racer, or a GT. If you’re noticing it just now, take a pause and Google some of its most iconic and endearing racers.
There’s the R91CP that won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1992, the 1998 JGTC-winning Pennzoil R33 Skyline GT-R (as popularized by Gran Turismo 2), and the humble Nissan Primera that dominated the 1999 British Touring Car Championship. There are loads more examples of the number 23 plastered on the cars, and Nissan still carries that tradition to this day.
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So, what gives? The answer is pretty simple, and no, it's not because folks from Nissan are massive Michael Jordan fans (as far as we know). The numbers two and three are pronounced as ‘ni’ and ‘san’ in Japanese. There’s no deep dive back story behind it or mysterious lore. It’s just good old-fashioned wordplay. You have to give props to Nissan for being witty when it comes to that.
That said, if you’re big into JDMs, then this bit of information isn’t new to you. But why are we bringing this up now, you ask? Nissan recently filed a trademark for what appears to be a secondary logo. It consists of two vertical bars and three horizontal bars beside it. Again, we see the two-three (ni-san) theme here, so it’s possible that it could be something motorsports-related. It might even be a performance division loge, no one knows for sure.
Still, it’s nice bit of trivia from Nissan that also carries a lot of significance for the brand. And, who knows, the 23-Nissan connection might be a question in a quiz show someday.
