We enthusiasts perhaps unkindly remember the K12 Micra for its questionable pink hard-top cabriolet and lukewarm 150SR warm hatch. The less said about those two, the better.

But in its native Japan, the Micra enjoyed more than a little success in motorsport. That thread was pulled back in 2002 by Nissan GB and its BTCC racing team. The fruits of their labour was an unhinged, V6-powered, mid-engined Micra weighing as little as 1,200kg and packing over 320bhp. And although it was never intended for production, it was far more than a show car or a concept – the 350SR was fully road legal, indeed Nissan even loaned the car to EVO Magazine as a long-termer.

Now, 23 years on, the one-off 350SR has been given a sympathetic refresh to mark its so-called ‘Ni-San’ anniversary (23 in Japanese).

Behind the seats sits a naturally aspirated, 3.5-litre V6 from the Nissan Murano, fitted with exhaust manifolds from the 350Z, NISMO cams, and a revised ECU, significantly raising the standard 265bhp output. Power is sent directly to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

To update the car for 2025, Nissan GB turned to the same team behind the upcoming MICRA EV: Nissan Design Europe in London. They opted for a light-touch ‘restomod’, giving the car a new finish, refreshed trim, and a few additional mod cons.

Originally red, the 350SR now wears satin ‘liquid silver’ wrap with blue detailing and graphics inspired by Nissan’s new =III 23 branding. That iconography references both the 300ZX and the NISMO racing number. Refurbished 18-inch RAYS wheels, gloss black grille inserts and LED lights bring the look up to date while respecting the original spec.

Inside, new seats, harnesses and a 9-inch touchscreen offers Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and speakers. No doubt most drivers will still prefer the soundtrack from the engine bay. The car stole the show at this year’s SMMT test day, where we were invited to experience the 350SR from the passenger seat.

Mark, the lucky so-and-so behind the wheel, wastes no time taking us out to Millbrook’s handling circuit, the tyres already up to temperature from previous stints. The V6 sounds glorious over the shoulder at full throttle – feeling as if the open-air intake cone is plumbed directly into your ear canal – tinnitus has never been so pleasant. The acceleration is visceral, as you’d expect with just 1,200kg to hustle.

Even from the passenger seat you can feel the car communicating its balance, sense the limit of adhesion, which Mark expertly tiptoes over. The unique layout doesn’t come without its challenges, as Mark fights lock-up from the rear under hard braking as the weight transfers onto the nose. But what a little machine, and what a project – it leaves you spellbound and dreaming of a mildly sanitised production version that might have given the Renault Clio V6 something to think about.

I can only imagine the ruckus within the walls of EVO magazine on a Friday afternoon when the keys were allocated for the weekend. It’s even crazier to think the first build of the car featured a genuine 2.0-litre Super Tourer engine and sequential transmission; the V6 was only substituted after the BTCC lump was deemed too extreme.

The 350SR will be seen at other events across the summer as Nissan gears up to launch its next-generation Micra, an EV based upon the acclaimed Renault 5, the styling of which is said to draw heavily from the Micra K12. Who knows, maybe we'll see a new 350SR based upon the Renault 5 Turbo 3E...