Nissan Philippines kicked off a year of exciting and daring plans with the first-ever Nissan Festival. Around 1,500 attendees flocked to the Clark International Speedway in a full day of cars, culture, and community.
The Nissan Festival brought together the brand’s rich motorsports heritage. The day started with a heritage parade lap and a display of iconic models curated by Stance Pilipinas—a community driven by car enthusiasts who love to showcase Filipino car culture. Among those that made their appearance were several iterations of the S-Chassis (Silvia), the Z, and of course, the legendary GT-R.
The special day also marked a grand meet of various Nissan car clubs such as the Manila GT-R Owners Club, GT-R Club, and Club Fairlady Z Manila. And proving that Nissan passion runs deep and isn’t just limited to sportscars, humbler models were also rightfully given the spotlight at the Nissan Festival. Car club displays from models, past and present, made their appearance from the Sentra, Cefiro, X-Trail, Frontier, Terra, Navara, and Kicks.
Flying in from Japan, Hiroshi Tamura, known by fans as the “Father of GT‑R,” added a special highlight to the Nissan Festival. Having been involved with the “R35” GT‑R since its earliest concept phase, Tamura-san helped shape the model from a bold idea into the high-performance icon it is today. Throughout the day, Nissan Festival goers had the chance to meet him in person, take selfies, participate in a Q&A, and for a lucky few, joined him for hot laps around the track.
Another big highlight was the unveiling of two special projects done by long-time fans of the Nissan Z. The first is a special collaboration with renowned Filipino toy designer, Quiccs Maiquez. Himself an owner of a Nissan 350Z, Quiccs blended elements of Japanese mecha, hip-hop, and urban art transforming the Nissan Z Nismo into a rolling piece of art. The second is a clean build done by Alex Lim (Banawe Boy). For Alex, his personalized Z is a childhood dream come true.
In the afternoon, Nissan’s influence in the local motorsport scene was put in full display with track and drift exhibitions from Ashley Sison, Inigo Anton, Marlon Stockinger, and Nissan ambassador Matteo Guidicelli.
There were brand displays from Nissan Festival partners, Motul, PIAA, Sonax, Little Trees, Overland Kings, Auto Performance (Brembo), Shell, and Yokohama.
Even as the first-ever Nissan Festival closed to a resounding success, heritage, performance, and technology will remain the focus of Nissan Philippines this 2026. Coming from a challenging 2025, both locally and globally, a car community centered event was the first way for Nissan Philippines to let the world know that they’re thriving and that they’re daring to take on challenges this year.
More than anything, it’s also the most impactful sign that they want to start things off on the right foot. With three all-new models confirmed to arrive by the middle of the year—one e-Power, one plug-in hybrid, and one pure electric, momentum is certainly on Nissan Philippines’ side.
Photos by Anton Eudela
