In 2021, Nissan launched the new Juke - a vehicle that originally took design cues from the 240z and the latest version of one of its most loved vehicles for over 12 years. With impressive sale figures, it was a huge success, yet there was still something missing – a buzz. Nissan was simply asking us for more social media posts. But we turned to Nissan’s heritage for an evocative solution and started a social conversation and breathed new life into a legend.

The Nissan Juke Rally Tribute is first car inspired by a social conversation. We listened to our audience's demands by transforming what was just meant to be a concept car into a real vehicle - one that had the power to generate serious buzz around the launch of the Nissan Juke. But, just building it wasn’t enough, so we retraced the legendary moment in history by inviting journalists and influencers for the ultimate test run where the story began, proving that some legends never die.

With a unique design and mischievous attitude, the Nissan Juke is the Marmite of cars - you either love it, or hate it. As a result, there is a large online community of enthusiastic Juke fans. At the same time, a very different audience follows the legendary 240z. However, both groups are triggered by anything that goes off the beaten path and defies labels. So, we decided to combine the unique style of the Juke with the historic performance of the 240z to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle - a city car with the ability to take on some of the toughest conditions on the planet. Initially, we simply planned to create a CGI prototype for use on social media. But, the response went far beyond our expectations and inspired us to actually create the Juke Rally Tribute – and prove that some legends never die.

For the 50th anniversary of the 1971 East Africa Rally victory, we dropped an image online that combined the legendary 240z with the new Nissan Juke. After it went viral, we responded by actually building it and inviting journalists for the launch where the story began - Africa. From there, the story continued to grow until Nissan finally announced plans to produce a special edition model for public release.

What started as a single social media post, ended up with a special edition model being produced for public release. What got us to that point was 405 articles in 39 countries, more than 10 million views online and a further 600 minutes of user generated content online that continues to drive the 240z story forwards. It’s good to be leading rally racing onto a more sustainable path, all without compromising on the thrills.