Autoblog

Ryan Tuerck introduces us to the Ultimate Game of Drift

Zach Bowman — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Nissan, Humor, Racing

Ryan Tuerck has gone and put his own spin on the game of HORSE. Instead of shooting hoops, he and fellow Drift Alliance driver Chris Forsberg recently squared off in a series of drift challenges. Fail a challenge, get one letter of the word DRIFT. First person to spell the whole word loses. The challenges ranged from grazing a barrel with your car's tail end to attempting to spill the least amount of liquid while driving around a drift course. Body damage, foul language and hilarity ensue.

With both guys piloting Nissan 240SX drift cars, the field seems pretty even, but one competitor serves up a big steaming plate of domination over the other. We won't spoil the fun by telling you who comes away as the champion. You'll have to check out the clip below for yourself. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to draw up some regulations for an automotive kick ball league.

Continue reading Ryan Tuerck introduces us to the Ultimate Game of Drift

Ryan Tuerck introduces us to the Ultimate Game of Drift originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan renews talk of sub-370Z sports car to take on Subaru BRZ

Chris Tutor — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Hatchback, Nissan, Subaru

Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S got you excited? Well, it appears the new Toyobaru twins might be moving the needle at other automakers, too. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the pair may have challenged Nissan to once again reinvestigate its on-again, off-again plans for an affordable, lightweight sports coupe of its own. Nissan's Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, says his employer is looking at downsizing its Z sports car, though it isn't clear if that would mean the Japanese automaker would field two separate Z models or just replace the current 370Z with a smaller, less costly model.

"I much prefer smaller sports car," Nakamura tells the Herald. "It is the time to look at that. With 370Z, we still don't know next generation will have a larger or smaller engine."

If Nissan were to reduce the size of the 370's powerplant, it would be the first time that model's displacement has dropped. Since the Z gets its model designation from the size of its engine (3.7 liter V6), Nissan could have a problem marketing a smaller Z called the 300Z, since the last time a new 300Z was sold in the States was way back in 1986.

More likely would be the revival of long-forgotten nameplates like 200SX or 240SX. Either would almost certainly be direct competition for the Subaru and Scion rear-drive coupes.

Nakamura reminded fans that even if the 370Z loses some cubic inches, Nissan will still have the young but already legendary GT-R. When asked if Nissan would be willing to support three sports cars, Nakamura says, "If there is a market, we will do it."

Nissan renews talk of sub-370Z sports car to take on Subaru BRZ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch this Nissan 240SX roll during a drifting exhibition

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos

Probably the less said about this video, the better. According to the video uploader, the event takes place during the "Still Ballin' Car Club Nite Out" (yes, really), but we aren't sure if it's a proper race or just for show. Heck, we can't even figure out where the event took place.

At any rate, a pair of drivers are seriously going at it when what looks to be a 240SX pulling up the rear clips a corner and does some unintended tumbling. Thankfully, the Nissan driver was apparently alright. We'll leave it at that - follow the jump to see what happens. Beware, there's some explicit language in the video, including the music.

Continue reading Watch this Nissan 240SX roll during a drifting exhibition

Watch this Nissan 240SX roll during a drifting exhibition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan-wielding Bloodmasters wreak havoc on Raceway Park

Zach Bowman — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Nissan, Racing

At some point, drifting made the shift from counterculture revolution to the sponsor-laden vehicular equivalent of figure skating. We're not sure when it happened, but we certainly miss the days of watching grainy videos of mountain pass heroes piped over from Japan. The Bloodmasters crew seem to get where we're coming from. The guys just turned out a new video showing what happens when the crew gets together for a little fun at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. Let's just say there isn't a single booty-short wearing energy drink peddler or tube-chassis manufacturer vehicle in sight.

Instead, we're treated to some good old-fashioned fender bashing and tire shredding orchestrated under a mighty fine soundtrack. These guys are the kind of crazy that brought drifting across the Pacific in the first place, and from their ludicrous camera angles and similarly insane sideways antics, it looks like they're having considerably more fun than the Formula D crowd. We love that they don't seem to care how many dings and dents their Nissan 240SX coupes get, and they don't seem bothered by a few missing body panels, either. The whole film is well-shot, with portions looking downright Mad Max-like. Hit the jump to check it out.

Continue reading Nissan-wielding Bloodmasters wreak havoc on Raceway Park

Nissan-wielding Bloodmasters wreak havoc on Raceway Park originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan's MX-5 Miata rival back in the plans?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Rumormill, Electric

Nissan's on-again, off-again MX-5 Miata rival is... on again, at least according to the blokes at Auto Express. What form a potential two-door sporty coupe from Nissan may take - if it happens at all - is still widely debatable; it could be as simple as a cut-down Sentra or as crazy as a sporty take on the all-electric Leaf.

Did that last little tidbit catch you off guard? Remember that Nissan showed off just such a machine in the form of the Esflow Concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, though we wouldn't expect any potential production model to share much with that highly conceptual design.

In any case, Auto Express seems to think this sporty 2+2 may ride on a midsize platform sourced from Mercedes-Benz (the two automakers signed a partnership in 2010) that would be shared with whatever replaces the 370Z (along with its Infiniti G Coupe) and even the next-generation GT-R.

Another bit of wackiness? AE says Nissan is considering turning to the experts at Lotus for help in tuning the chassis for added sportiness. We suppose all of this is possible, but for now, we're taking it with the largest grain of salt we can get our hands on.

Nissan's MX-5 Miata rival back in the plans? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Nissan abandons thoughts of 240SX revival, ponders Sentra coupe instead

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Nissan

Nissan Foria Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

As much as we'd love to see Nissan hearken back to its performance roots with a remake of the classic 240SX coupe, it seems the Japanese automaker is content to earn sales by sticking to the tried-and-true approach of offering competent vehicles at attainable prices. In other words, if Nissan has a sporty-looking coupe in the pipeline, it'll be more of a Scion tC competitor than a Hyundai Genesis Coupe-challenger.

This revelation comes by way of Larry Dominique, chief product planner for Nissan North America, who tells Wards "he would be more inclined to do a derivative of the Sentra than introduce an entirely new nameplate." Nissan's internal data suggests that it could only sell about 30,000 240SX coupes in America per year, which isn't enough to make a convincing production argument. Sad, sure, but very likely also true.

In related news, Dominique also says that the next generation of Nissan cars in the States will share a great deal of design DNA. At present, there is very little visually that ties the Versa, Sentra and Altima together in any meaningful cohesive way besides the Nissan badge on the trunk. Expect that to change in the coming years as the nameplates receive their next rounds of styling updates.

Gallery: Nissan Fiora Concept

[Source: Wards]

Report: Nissan abandons thoughts of 240SX revival, ponders Sentra coupe instead originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, Again: Nissan rumored to be reviving 240SX, bringing it to the U.S.

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:26:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Japan, Nissan, Rumormill

Nissan Foria Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan's plans to revive the 240SX (Silvia in JDM parlance) has almost become a running joke, right up there with the fake moon landing and Tom Cruise's heterosexuality. But still, this old chestnut carries forth, with a new report from Insideline's editor in Japan who says the coupe's revival is due to hit the market sometime in 2011 or 2012.

Details, per usual, are both scarce and obvious. The next-generation Silvia will supposedly be built atop Nissan's popular FM platform (370Z, Infiniti G, etc.), come in a 2+2 seating configuration and tip the scales around 2,800 pounds. Naturally, as the S15's successor, it will be a front-engine, rear-drive setup, and is rumored to be packing a turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four putting out around 200 horsepower. A naturally aspirated variant will also be available to keep the cost of entry low, but the turbo'd model is obviously the pick of the litter and should deliver a 0-60 time of between six and seven seconds.

IL's man in Japan points to the Nissan Foria concept (shown above) as the stylistic inspiration, but notes that the coupe would only be "loosely based" on the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show concept. Judging by Nissan's recent design endeavors, we doubt the Foria -- or as previously rumored, the Urge concept -- will be a heavy influence on this supposed Silvia revival.

Although we're all for more budget-oriented FR sports cars, the popularity of the Toyota FT-86 is sure to be a factor in Nissan's decision to bring the 240SX back to life. That, coupled with the unknown demand for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Hyundai doesn't break out Genesis Sedan from Coupe sales in its monthly reports) makes the proposition of a new 2+2 from Nissan even more hazy. So until we hear something solid from Ghosn and Company, we'll resume our normal respiration routine.

Gallery: Nissan Fiora Concept

[Source: Insideline]

Yes, Again: Nissan rumored to be reviving 240SX, bringing it to the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infiniti to get entry-level coupe based on Z

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Infiniti

Along with the impending refreshening of Nissan's modern-day Z, the internet has been abuzz for about a year with rumors of a new smaller and less expensive coupe based on the same platform. This rear-wheel-drive coupe would compete against the upcoming Toyota/Subaru sports coupe, which also are also to be driven by the rear wheels. What we haven't expected, though, is an Infiniti version of this 240SX revival. According to rumors, the Nissan version would get a small displacement four-banger while its big brother from Infiniti would get a V6 displacing 2.5 liters.

Inside Line reports that this new entry-level Infiniti will be displayed at an as yet unnamed auto show sometime within the next year. Color us awfully excited at the prospect of RWD coupes from the likes of Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and now Infiniti, all of which are set for the American market. Affordable performance never goes out of style, even when gas prices are this high.

[Source: Inside Line]

Infiniti to get entry-level coupe based on Z originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: Nissan Silvia on comeback trail?

John Neff — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:21:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Nissan

Last December we reported that Nissan was seriously considering a rear-wheel-drive replacement for the much missed 240SX, a.k.a. the Silvia in Japan. Rumors have continued to surface since then of Nissan's plans, with Winding Road even posting spy shots of a mule this past summer that may have been such a car undergoing testing. Another blog by the name of Rocket Punch Auto Blog claims to know that a new Silvia has gotten the green light and will arrive by 2010 with a price point between ¥2,000,000 and 2,500,000 ($18,435 and 23,044 USD). These renderings (click here to view rear shot) show what a new 240SX and Silvia might look like when it debuts on a modified version of the 350Z's platform. Regardless of how the car looks, the prospect of a new reasonably-priced rear-wheel-drive offering from any automaker is exciting news to us. We await the day in the near future when Nissan's 240SX/Silvia descendant shares a stoplight with a new incarnation of Toyota's famous AE86, which is also rumored to be in development. Throw in a Pontiac Solstice Coupe for good measure and we have ourselves a new bang-for-the-buck performance segment.

[Source: Rocket Punch Auto Blog via Motor Authority]

Rendered Speculation: Nissan Silvia on comeback trail? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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