Ever tried to win a game of Scattegories or a late-night bar trivia session and gotten stuck on cars that start with N? It’s harder than it sounds. Most people immediately shout "Nissan!" and then... silence. Absolute crickets.
But there is a whole world beyond the obvious Japanese giants. Honestly, the list ranges from legendary supercars that cost more than your house to weird, forgotten microcars from the 1950s that look like rolling eggs. If you're car shopping, or just a nerd like me, understanding these brands and models gives you a weirdly specific window into automotive history.
The Nissan Elephant in the Room
We have to start with Nissan. It's the law of the road.
Originally known as Datsun (mostly), Nissan became a global powerhouse by building things that just didn’t break. My first car was an old Maxima, and even though the leather was cracking and the tape deck ate my favorite Sublime cassette, that V6 engine felt like it could run until the heat death of the universe.
You’ve got the Nissan GT-R, often called "Godzilla." This car changed everything. When the R35 generation launched in 2008, it was embarrassing Ferraris and Porsches that cost three times as much. It uses a twin-turbo V6, hand-built in a clean room by master craftsmen known as Takumi. There are only a handful of these guys in the world. Think about that for a second. Every single GT-R engine has a small plaque with the name of the person who built it.
Then there’s the Nissan Z. From the 240Z of the 70s to the new twin-turbo 400hp model, it’s the quintessential "cool guy" car. It’s not about raw utility. It’s about how you feel when you’re downshifting into a corner on a backroad at 2:00 AM.
But Nissan also makes the Nissan Leaf, which was basically the first mass-market electric vehicle (EV) that normal people could actually afford. It’s not sexy. It looks a bit like a startled fish. But it proved that you didn’t need to be a billionaire to stop buying gas.
The Noble: Britain’s Best Kept Secret
Ever heard of Lee Noble? Probably not.
Noble Automotive is a tiny British company that builds cars for people who think modern Ferraris are too "soft" or "electronic." These are terrifying machines. The Noble M600, for example, doesn’t have ABS. It doesn’t have traction control. It has a twin-turbo V8 from a Volvo (seriously) that was tuned by Yamaha to produce 650 horsepower.
Driving a Noble is a physical workout. You can't just mash the pedals and expect a computer to save you. If you mess up, you’re going into the hedge. It’s raw. It’s analog. It is the antithesis of the modern "iPad on wheels" car trend. Most people will never see one in person because they only make a few dozen a year.
The N-Series from Hyundai
Hyundai decided a few years ago that they were tired of being "the cheap car company." They hired Albert Biermann, the guy who used to run BMW’s M division, and told him to go nuts.
The result was the Hyundai N sub-brand.
Specifically, the Veloster N and the Elantra N. These aren't just cars with stickers and fancy wheels. They are legitimate track weapons. The "N" stands for Namyang (their R&D center) and the Nürburgring (where they torture-test the cars).
I remember the first time I drove an Elantra N. I expected a boring commuter car with a loud exhaust. Instead, I got something that popped and crackled like a rally car and gripped the pavement so hard my neck hurt the next day. It’s probably the best performance-per-dollar value on the market right now. If you see that "Performance Blue" paint—it’s a very specific, pale sky blue—know that the driver is probably having more fun than you are.
Obscure Legends: NSU and Nash
Let's get weird for a minute.
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Back in the day, Nash Motors was a huge deal in America. They were innovators. They were the first to put heating and ventilation systems in cars that actually worked (the "Weather Eye"). They also made the Nash Metropolitan. It was a tiny, two-tone car that looked like a bathtub. It’s adorable. It’s also incredibly slow, but people love them because they represent a 1950s optimism that we just don't have anymore.
Then you have NSU.
This German brand eventually merged with others to become what we now know as Audi. But before they disappeared, they gave us the NSU Ro 80. It was a futuristic sedan with a rotary engine. It won "Car of the Year" in 1968. It looked decades ahead of its time.
Unfortunately, the rotary engines had a habit of self-destructing after about 30,000 miles. It was a disaster that basically killed the company. It’s a classic "so close, yet so far" story in automotive history. Collectors still hunt for them, but they usually swap out the engine for something that won't explode.
Notable "N" Models from Other Brands
Sometimes the brand doesn't start with N, but the legendary model does.
- NSX (Acura/Honda): The car that made Ferrari cry. Before the NSX came out in 1990, supercars were notoriously unreliable and impossible to see out of. Honda proved you could have a mid-engine exotic that you could also drive to the grocery store every day. Ayrton Senna, the greatest F1 driver ever, helped tune the suspension. That’s all the street cred you need.
- Nano (Tata): On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Tata Nano. It was marketed as the "world's cheapest car" in India. It cost about $2,500 brand new. It didn't have a radio, power steering, or even a rear hatch that opened in the early versions. It was a bold experiment in mobility that didn't quite take off, mostly because people didn't want to be seen in the "world's cheapest" anything.
- Neon (Dodge/Plymouth): If you grew up in the 90s, these were everywhere. They had round headlights and literally said "Hi" in the commercials. They were cheap, cheerful, and surprisingly fast in the SRT-4 trim.
The Future of "N"
The landscape is shifting toward electricity.
Nio is a Chinese company that is doing things very differently. Instead of making you wait 40 minutes to charge your car, they have battery-swap stations. You pull in, a robot takes your dead battery out, puts a fresh one in, and you’re gone in three minutes. It’s like a Pit Stop for the real world. They haven’t fully cracked the US market yet, but if you go to Norway or China, they are everywhere.
And we can't forget Nikola. They’ve had a rocky road—mostly involving some very public scandals about whether their trucks actually worked—but they are still pushing for hydrogen-powered semi-trucks. It’s a high-stakes gamble on the future of shipping.
Buying Advice: Navigating the "N" Market
If you are actually looking to buy one of these cars that start with N, here is the reality.
If you’re looking at a Nissan, check the transmission. Specifically, the CVTs (Continuously Variable Transmissions) in models like the Altima or Rogue from the mid-2010s had a lot of issues. If it shudders when you accelerate, walk away.
Looking for a Hyundai N? Make sure the previous owner didn't track it into the ground. These cars invite aggressive driving. Check the tires; if the sidewalls are scuffed, that car has seen some "spirited" weekend action.
For the collectors, an NSU or a Nash is a labor of love. You won't find parts at AutoZone. You'll be spending your Saturday nights on German eBay trying to find a specific gasket.
Final Actionable Steps
- Research the N-Line vs. N: If you’re looking at Hyundais, don't get confused. "N-Line" is just a trim package (fancy seats and wheels). The full "N" models are the ones with the high-performance engines and suspension.
- Verify GT-R History: If you’re lucky enough to be shopping for a used GT-R, get a "launch count" report. The car's computer records how many times the owner used launch control. Too many launches can mean a very tired transmission.
- Test Drive a Leaf: If you need a cheap second car for errands, used Nissan Leafs are incredibly inexpensive. Just check the battery health bar on the dashboard—EV batteries degrade over time, and a cheap Leaf with a dead battery is just a very expensive paperweight.
The world of cars starting with the letter N is surprisingly deep. Whether it's a battery-swapping Nio or a screaming Noble M600, these vehicles prove that there's always something interesting if you look past the obvious. Go drive something weird.
Next Steps for You:
If you're serious about a specific model, your next move should be checking the specialized forums. For Nissans, head to NICOclub. For Hyundais, the N-cars.net community is the gold standard for technical advice. If you're hunting for a Nash, look up the Nash Car Club of America—those guys have forgotten more about 1950s cars than most mechanics will ever know.