The Tokyo Auto Salon, which runs January 10 through 12 at Makuhari Messe this year, is an essential part of the JDM scene where trends are born, legends showcase their skills and products, and passion for Japanese car culture burns bright. For anyone who lives and breathes JDM, Tokyo Auto Salon is the ultimate pilgrimage– and a team of bodywork students from Nissan Automobile Technical College will present the culmination of their recent studies at the show this year, in the form of three custom vehicles with historic roots.
Nissan
Nissan Motor Corporation is a Japanese automaker founded in 1933 and the parent automaker of Infiniti and formerly Datsun. Nissan produces a wide variety of mass-market vehicles, including popular SUVs like the Rogue, sedans like the Sentra, and trucks like the Nissan Frontier, but is also responsible for iconic sports cars like the Nissan Z and GT-R. Since 1999, Nissan has been part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance (the name changed when Mitsubishi joined in 2016).
- Founded
- 26 December 1933
- Founder
- Yoshisuke Aikawa
- Headquarters
- Nishi-ku, Yokohama
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Makoto Uchida
Nissan’s technical college runs five campuses across Japan that offer qualification courses for automotive maintenance, a specialized motorsports program, and an in-depth bodywork program that includes components like panel beating and coating. Here’s a preview of what they’ve been working on ahead of the show.
NEO Skyline (Nissan Kyoto Automobile Technical College)
Created over 6 months by fourth-year students in the Auto Maintenance and Customization Department, the NEO Skyline is based on the CV35 Skyline Coupe and taps into a decades-old Skyline nickname with an interesting story attached. The concept is built around a modern-day Kenmary, or Kenmari, a nickname created by fans for the fourth-generation Skyline C110, released in 1972. The nickname comes from the advertising campaign of the day, which featured two characters: Ken and Mary.
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The students aimed to create a car that captures the essence of the iconic Kenmary while appealing to a contemporary audience. The NEO Skyline targets enthusiasts in their 30s to 50s, and the NEO name stands for Nostalgia, Encouragement, and Originality. Specifically, that’s nostalgia for those in their 50s who fondly remember the Kenmary Skyline from their childhood, encouragement for those in their 40s rediscovering the joy of driving, and originality for those in their 30s who seek novelty in modern vehicles.
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The students selected an original ‘Tomoaki Blue’ color for the paint, building on the original Kenmary’s bright blue metallic while adding a pearl finish to express ‘newness amid nostalgia’.
Z Lealia (Nissan Kyoto Automobile Technical College)
For their second 6-month project, Nissan’s fourth-year students tested their skills in building the Z Lealia, envisioned as a ‘sports station wagon for family journeys’ that blends excitement with everyday life. This car embodies the students’ desire to create a vehicle for fathers who love sports cars and dream of owning the iconic Fairlady Z, but need the room to enjoy driving with their families. This name combines the English word ‘lead’ with the Latin word ‘familia’.
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Built on the M35 Stagea, the Z Lealia got an exhaustive redesign where students achieved a sleek look and sporty lines reminiscent of the RZ34 Fairlady Z. To hone their creativity and welding skills, the Z Lealia had parts of its rear fenders and roof removed, and replaced with the rear section of a Nissan Leaf, with widened rear fenders.
Bluebird Kiwami: Nissan Aichi Automobile Technical College
Third-year students from the Aichi campus’s Auto Body Master Course spent 10 weeks creating the Bluebird Kiwami. This custom car leveraged their panel beating and painting skills, and provided an interesting new challenge on a particularly tight deadline.
While leveraging teamwork and efficiency in a fast-paced project, students started with a PU11 Bluebird Maxima, the top-grade model from 36 years ago. This four-door hardtop had no center pillar and was known largely for a spacious and luxurious feel. The students chose the name Kiwami, Japanese for ‘ultimate’, to reflect a desire to perfect every aspect of the Bluebird’s exterior, interior, and driving experience while staying true to Nissan DNA.
The Bluebird Kiwami’s target is a luxury car that provides a sporty driving experience, making it a great car for young drivers who enjoy sharing fun and memorable moments with their friends. The students chose ‘Aurora Flare Blue Pearl’ paint to coat their custom bodywork and evoke imagery of the sea and clear blue skies for an active vibe.
