Nissan during the 1980s was the first major manufacturer to employ turbocharging in the Australian Touring Car Championship as the Bluebird became a title contender, however a small coupe was entered in the class ranks to shake up the established competitors.
The Pulsar EXA appears an unlikely entry into the touring car ranks at the time due to it being a small coupe, but it proved rapid on the track.
Front-wheel-drive race cars were a foreign concept back in the early-1980s as the likes of GTV6s, Capris and Celicas were all rear-wheel-drive.
The EXA enjoyed a relatively short life in competition due in part to it debuting a year before the end of the Group C regulations in 1983.
Nissan and its Bluebird had been developed considerably by 1983 as early on the turbo technology proved potent yet unreliable. Rally star turned circuit racing contender George Fury was enjoying the fruits of the Nissan team’s labour as he nearly scored the 1983 touring car crown.
Led by Nissan’s then product planning and race team manager Howard Marsden, the manufacturer’s touring car program was beginning to hit its stride as Group C came to a close just like it had done in rallying during the ‘Golden Era’ of the 1970s.
The EXA was not as successful in the Under 3.0-Litre Class as the Bluebird was in the outright competition due in part to its limited development.
It was a scarily quick in a straight line, but handling was another matter as the enormous power produced thanks to a large turbocharger being sent through the front wheels and a locked diff ensured the EXA was a difficult beast to handle.
In charge of the EXA for the majority of its career was Christine Gibson, who had Bob Muir and a young Glenn Seton join her in the endurance races.
Replicating the early form of the Bluebird by being very quick and also achieving high unreliability.
Aimed to bring the Pulsar brand some excitement for female buyers by having the EXA on track and Gibson behind the wheel, it also featured some Australian ingenuity.
Locally developed, the 1.5-litre turbo engine was equipped with a three-stage dry sump, Cosworth pistons, E15ET crankshaft and connecting rods, large diameter heads and a big dump pump.
Although the road-going version utilised the Garrett T02 turbocharger, Marsden was able to homologate the larger T03 resulting in power being triple of the standard model as it was estimated the racing edition of the EXA produced in excess of 300bhp.
Of course it had plenty of turbo lag!
Holinger provided the race gears for the five-speed box as it sent power to a locked diff and custom driveshafts.
Four-wheel disc brakes and multi piston calipers provided the stopping power, while Tokico supplied the suspension components.
On the outside, the EXA joined all the other Group C models by featuring large body additions including front splitter and large rear deck spoiler.
Combine the 300bhp output and a weight of only 800kg, the EXA Turbo was a potent pocket rocket.
Debuting at the 1983 Castrol 400 at Sandown, the EXA was in the lead of the Under 3.0-Litre Class until a mechanical failure ended its race.
When Group C ended, Nissan didn’t enter the new international Group A regulations straight away and elected to run a one-make series utilising the best of Australia’s driving talent and the new Pulsar ET.
But this ended in little more than a crashfest due to wild driving as its reported some rounds cost $50,000 in repairs.
Nissan was glad to return to the touring car title field in 1986!