The theme of the new car event in Yahiko Village, Niigata Prefecture, is “cute cars”
The theme of the “GFGS CARLIFE IN YAHIKO Vol. 1” event held in Yahiko Village, Niigata Prefecture, was “cute cars from the 1980s to 2010s that are used for everyday purposes. Among the many Nissan pike cars gathered, we talked to the owner of a cute 2nd generation “Cube”, who turned out to be the designer of this car himself!
Nissan’s unique cars, including pike cars, participated one after another
“GFGS CARLIFE IN YAHIKO Vol. 1” was held on June 9, 2024, at the multipurpose facility “Yahole” in Yahiko Village, Niigata Prefecture. The event’s entry requirement was “a cute car made in the 1980s to 2010s that is used for everyday purposes. The event was characterized by a large number of Nissan “Pike Cars” in addition to past Fiat “Pandas” and “500s,” Renault “Kangoo” and “Twingo,” relatively old Rover “Minis,” new Citroens, and others.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Nissan sent out cars called “Pike Cars. They were all design-conscious “project cars” made by using components from Nissan’s basic cars such as the “March”.
The Be-1, Pao, and Figaro are three specific examples. In addition, the Racine, the Escargot commercial vehicle, and the second and third-generation Cubes, which were developed from motor show concept cars, can also be included in the context of pike cars in a broad sense.
In any case, these cars were born in an era when various restrictions and regulations on automobiles were more lax than today, and when the bubble economy was booming, which encouraged Nissan’s youth and vitality.
The owner of the Cube, who drove from Kanagawa to Niigata on his own, is …….
In one corner of the event site, there was a Be-1, two Paos, three Figaros, a Racine, two 2nd generation Cubes (Z11), and a 3rd generation Cube (Z12), a sight rarely seen at other events. Among those Nissan cars, the Cube, which was produced as a regular production model rather than a limited production or pre-order model, is probably still a familiar car to many people.
The second generation Cube debuted in 2002, incorporating the concept car “CHAPEAU” exhibited at the 28th Tokyo Motor Show in 1989 and the “Chappo” concept presented at the 2001 Geneva Show into a production car. The revolutionary asymmetrical design and large interior space were the talk of the town at the time.
When I looked at the cubes displayed at the event, one of them had a license plate number from Kanagawa Prefecture. Thinking that the owner had come from a long way away, we decided to talk to him.
“I am an employee of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing (NMC),”
said Hirotada Kuwahara, a designer at NMC.
“I used to be a designer at the head office, and I designed this second-generation cube.”
translated by DeepL