Students at the Nissan Gakuen (Nissan Automobile Technical College) in Japan have answered the question that no one was asking: What would it look like if you smashed the Fairlady Z (as the new 2023 Nissan Z is called in Japan) and a Murano together and made a crossover version of Nissan’s famed sports car?
The result of this unholy union, you may not be surprised to hear, is something that looks a little dopey, but is so odd you can’t look away. Dubbed the Fairlady X, by the students who made it – and who, to be perfectly clear, did an outstanding job of combining these two polar opposite vehicles, the crossover features some of the Fairlady Z’s sporty appeal with the Murano’s crossover proportions.
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Sporting the headlights, and grille of a Z, with an extended front bumper, as well as taillight section of a Z, again extended to account for the taller body, the vehicle keeps many of the sports car’s best features, albeit not its best: the coupe profile.
Because the students chose a second-generation Murano as the basis for this project, though, it does have a rear window that sweeps upwards at the back, just like on the Z. The hood helps sell the illusion, too, and comes from the sports car, according to a video of the build published by Nissan Kaguen.
I can’t see a katana blade trim piece, unfortunately, but the extremely widened arches that blister out and away from the standard body make up for that and give this Fairlady X a more menacing presence and more athletic stance.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear at this juncture whether the Nissan Z’s 400 hp (298 kW/405 PS) V6 engine has been stuffed into the front of the Fairlady X, but a tour around the interior of the vehicle shows that it has been gutted and is being thoroughly reworked to include a sportier steering wheel and seats (as well as an automatic transmission).
We will likely find out more about this weird beast when it is presented to the public at the Tokyo Auto Salon and the Osaka Auto Messe, which are taking place in January and February, respectively.
