Not a huge surprise they settled. Cases like this only go to trial once in a black and blue moon.

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for reading, everyone! Mike and I will do our best not to ruin things. More great stories yet ahead.

So basically.. They keep putting it off and haven’t started an actual final design.

Before I left, I asked Nakamura-san if he had any insights into the next Z, and he laughed and leaned back in his chair and said this:

We start with “package.” What is the size of the car? What is the size of the engine and the tires? One side looks for the functional aims, and another looks like the emotional ones. Then we merge the two.

I am not sure Kei cars would do well in America. For the American environment, they might be too small, and the power isn’t enough. You have people driving 80 miles per hour here! Even with a turbo engine, you need more size and more power in the U.S.

I have a GT-R, and also a Q50. And a Cube, my wife drives that.

I think he clearly said never.

In reality, even with electric cars, the vehicle is still generating heat. You need air intakes to cool it, always. However, I think the grille is sort of a symbol of a brand. In the 1970s, I remember we were trying to eliminate the grille from some of these cars (with air intakes or wedge design.) It’s never been…

Side question: When is the iDX coming out?

At Nissan we have some brand identity with with the “v-motion” grille. Now it’s much more obvious, less subtle than it was. I think it’s important for it to be obvious as a Nissan, when there are so many brands out there now.

We are not interested in bringing back the old heritage designs, but I always say, we are more inspired by heritage designs. It could be the 510, or the GT-R, or the 240Z. We have many great vehicles in our past.

Well, IDX is a somewhat specific design. It’s sort of us respecting our heritage vehicles, not just the 510 but several of the Nissan cars of the time. We have been discussing why that period was so attractive. It’s more of an homage than anything else.

When you’re designing, do you start with form or function? Do you make a cool looking car and then figure out how to make it user-friendly, or do you start by asking what functional needs a car has and then tailor the look of the car to that?

Most of the time, when someone goes through multiple Subaru engines, it isn’t Subaru at fault...

It must be the luxurious, soft-touch interior ammenities that keep him coming back.

It should be noted that it’s only on the SOHC normally aspirated models due to a single layer graphite coated head gasket design that flaked and corroded over time and failed. Turbo models use multi-layer steel gaskets that hold up much longer than the piston ring-lands and rod bearings do in boosted versions ;-)

For the price of a new Porsche 911, you can buy this gunship.

Crack pipe...

Counterpoint: Hold drinks in both hands. Do not further propogate business for “Big Handshake”.