If you’re wondering what a Nissan Qashqai is, no, it’s not a nutritious breakfast cereal. It’s basically a smaller Nissan Rogue for Middle Eastern and European markets.
In reality, the Qashqai gets its name from a far more obscure source: the Qashqai are a semi-nomadic, Farsi-speaking tribe from southwest Iran. They are known for extravagant wool products. I suppose Nissan figured Qashqai buyers would be nomadic as well, (the Qashqai has serviceable off-road capabilities and is very roomy), but you got me on the Farsi and colorful carpets.
This particular Qashqai, built by Severnvalley Motorsport (SVM), isn’t exactly standard. It may look like a relatively normal five-door from the outside, but this crossover is anything but normal.
SVM’s Qashqai has a modified 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R that puts out 1100 hp. It will not only keep up with a McLaren P1, an Earth-bound spacecraft in its own right, but it will beat the Brit to 60 mph.
How, you ask?
First, SVM took a stock Qashqai+2, a seven-passenger version, and stripped it to its raw shell. Then, they removed the shell from the frame, and attached it to GT-R chassis. The entire VR38DETT engine was rebuilt and fitted with a new exhaust, propelling the grocery-getter to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds (.1 seconds faster than a P1.) It continues to 124 mph in just 7.5 seconds, and it’ll kill the quarter mile in 9.9. Excuse my language, but dang.
What I love most about these types of cars are the questions that people ask: “How does it put its power down?” “How does it handle?” “How much did it cost?” The question that nobody really asks is, “why?” And that’s simply because we don’t care. We’re just happy that such a machine exists.
“We wanted to build a Qashqai supercar and we have,” said Kevan Kemp, SVM’s boss.
Good enough for me.
(Photos via Top Gear)
