Nissan declares that May 6 shall henceforth be known as V6 Day

Despite all the silly holidays we’ve covered it’s still a rare occasion that an actual carmaker declares its own. Well, Nissan has decided to plant a flag on May 6, which shall henceforth be known as V6 Day (the “V” being the roman numeral for “5”). It’s a celebration of an engine configuration that has powered Nissans for over four decades, in everything from sedans to supercars to SUVs.

Nissan’s first V6 also Japan’s first. The VG-series found in the 1983 Nissan Cedric and Gloria twins were the first mass-produced V6 engines in Japan. The compact, smooth-firing 60-degree design was chosen to accommodate both naturally aspirated and turbocharged applications, as well as both front- and rear-wheel-drive configurations.

The V6 soon found its way into the Z31 Fairlady Z, front-drive Bluebird and Maxima sedans, and the D21 Nissan Hardbody and Terrano/Pathfinder. Even as Nissan’s straight-six RB-series powered some of the most legendary cars in its lineup, the VG was developed with equal passion within the company. It was rare for an automaker to produce two 6-cylinder high-performance engines simultaneously but Nissan forged ahead with the VG, culminating in the twin-turbo VG30DETT powering the Z32.

In the end, it could be argued that the V6 triumphed over the inline-six. The RB that powered the Skyline GT-R was the last of its breed, but Nissan succeeded the iron-block VG with a new aluminum-block VQ. The Skylines all went to V6s, and even the R35 GT-R supercar switched to a V6, albeit a hand-assembled VR series.

The VQ has been in production for over 30 years now. Say what you will about the it, but you can’t deny its versatility. It’s a mill that’s propelled everything from the Altima to the Z. In between there were Cefiros, Stageas, Skylines, Xterras, Patrols, just about every Infiniti model, and even the NV2500 commercial van.

These days it sometimes gets a a bad rap, with one car show in Omaha, Nebraska banning all VQ-powered Nissans from their event, but perhaps that’s just a testament to how much bang for the buck these engines provide. After all, the VQ was on WardAuto’s rankings of 10 Best Engines from 1995-2008, an unprecedented 14-year streak.

So now Nissan can join the ranks of Rubber Day, Croquette Day, and Adhesive Carpet Cleaner Day. To celebrate the first V6 Day, a gathering will take place at the Bob’s Big Boy drive-in burger joint in Burbank, California. Known for its muscle car and hot-rod meets, the venue will host Nissan V6 cars from 6-9pm tonight.