Photography Courtesy Nissan
I'm getting Isuzu Impulse front and S10 Silvia rear vibes. The whole thing looks so lost. Like if Nissan wanted to make a 1st gen Honda Insight with parts they had laying around.
Can a sports car be both efficient and fun to drive? That seems to be the question Nissan tried to answer when it unveiled this, its AP-X concept, at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show.
The car’s styling–courtesy of Marcello Gandini, the man that also designed the Lamborghini Miura and Lancia Stratos–wasn’t just for some rad looks, as it also helped bring the AP-X’s drag coefficient to 0.2. To put that into perspective, that’s in the same ballpark as the Porsche Taycan, and a few steps ahead of the 300ZX’s 0.32 drag coefficent.
Power came from a 3.0-liter V6 rated for around 250 horsepower. That’s virtually all the information available on the concept’s powerplant, though that power was then sent to the rear wheels through a continuously variable transmission.
Inside, there was a fairly standard ‘90s car layout: traditional gauge cluster, easy-to-operate HVAC controls and a shift lever that wouldn’t look out of place in any car of the era. The only thing that might stand out is the relatively large screen for a head unit.
Naturally, the AP-X was never anything more than a concept, though what would it have been like if it did enter production? Would it have rivaled the likes of the 300ZX or S13 Silvia, or would the car’s CVT held it back from hitting its true potential?
I'm getting Isuzu Impulse front and S10 Silvia rear vibes. The whole thing looks so lost. Like if Nissan wanted to make a 1st gen Honda Insight with parts they had laying around.
In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) :
The wraparound taillight strip was kinda recycled in the J30:
Remove wrap around lights, fix grill/headlight area and if you squint its like a more modern 300zx. I see the SVX inspired windows... want to dislike them.. but can't its SOO 90s.
Totally passable it with T-Tops
Upon further review... More SVX than I thought, wrap around headlights, tail lights.
Grab some Z32, throw in some Honda insight and SVX and you have it!
Can you say Citroen ? I knew you could.
300zxfreak said:Can you say Citroen ? I knew you could.
I agree- And generally very French (In the best ways of being French).
In reply to Colin Wood :
The overall shape and the headlight slot remind me of a VW Corrado...also of a JDM Mazda coupe I can't remember the name of right now, it was available with their tiny V6.
Edit: Was thinking of the 323/Lantis coupe:
That clear radiator fan is really cool, it should have some LEDs pointed at it so it will look even cooler until the blades get coated in dust, which unfortunately will happen even faster than it does inside a gaming PC 
Displaying 1-7 of 7 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
