If Toyota thinks it has an ace in its pocket with the classic AE 86 that led to the birth of the successful GT-86, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ coupes, Nissan believes it has an entire deck of cards with the original predecessor of the famed GT-R, the first generation Skyline GT-R from the late 1960s, early 1970s.
While not mentioned in Nissan’s press content, it’s pretty clear that the Skyline GT-R was one of the main inspirations for a nostalgic pair of concepts for a small sports coupe series named IDx Freeflow and IDx NISMO, which made their world premiere today at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Looking at these pictures, other cars that may have influenced the design of the study could include the classic Datsun Bluebird 1600 SSS Coupe.
The Japanese automaker says that the main object of the two compact rear-wheel drive coupes is to show how Nissan and NISMO can create two very different models from the same vehicle.
If you ask us, we’ve already seen this concept with NISMO’s first vehicles such as its interpretation of the GT-R that is also making its world premiere in Tokyo, so we’re thinking Nissan may also be testing the waters for a compact sports coupe to go against the trio from Toyota, Scion and Subaru – if not in design, in spirit.
The back-to-basics IDx Freeflow is actually quite small measuring about 4.1 meters (161.4 inches) in length, 1.7 meters (66.9 inches) in width, and 1.3 meters (51.2 inches) in overall height. There’s no power plant in the concept, but Nissan says it envisioned the car to be motivated “from a powertrain with a 1.2-to-1.5L gasoline engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT)”. Agreed, that doesn’t sound very GT-R, but let’s not forget that the purpose of this concept is not to replace the GT-R.
The NISMO edition of the study is wider at 1.8 meters and gains a typical race inspired exterior and interior makeover, with bloated wheel arches, side exhausts, spoilers and lightweight 225/40 19-inch tires
As for the suggested powerplant, Nissan states: “To meet the high expectations for a powertrain equal to the task of propelling such a formidable car, one proposal from Nissan’s engineers is the combination of a high-performance, eco-friendly 1.6L direct-injection turbocharged engine together with a sporty CVT with 6-speed manual shift mode and synchronized rev control.”
I don’t know about you, but the idea of an affordable, back to basics RWD sports coupe in a compact package with a more distinct styling than the GT-86/FR-S/BRZ does sound tempting to our ears.
NISSAN IDX FREEFLOW
NISSAN IDX NISMO
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