6/20/97 - Headers!!! I just called PaceSetter yesterday and had a little chat with one of the reps over there. Their short throw shifter for the 95+ Max is on the way and should be arriving at distributors in 2-4 weeks time. I also mentioned about the possibility of some headers, and they say it is very feasible depending on demand. Check out there home page at www.pacesetterexhaust.com and hound them about the headers. On a high output V-6, we should expect roughly a 20HP gain alone...

6/15/97 - Nissan is developing a CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) for launch in a 2.0L car in Japan this fall and in U.S. and European models by 2000. The system is based on conical power discs (intake and output each side) and a pair of disc rollers than the conventional CVT setup, which uses a series of metal belts and pulleys. Nissan engineers believe the system will allow them to fit a CVT to cars with engines displacing as much as 3.0 liters. Nissan's new CVT will also feature a manual mode for motorists who want a sportier driving experience.- Automobile Magazine July 97'

5/28/97 - Nissan Awarded for Smithsonian Exhibit - The Smithsonian Institution has honored Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A with the first annual Corporate Leadership Award. Nissan was recognized for its support of the traveling educational exhibit, "Earth 2U, Exploring Geography" and "America's Music at the Smithsonian" program. Nissan also received a personal letter of recognition for its outstanding efforts from Vice President Al Gore, who is a member of the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian Institution.
The Corporate Leadership Award will be conferred annually to an outstanding corporate supporter that enhances the Institution's mission of promoting education and world-wide understanding, while preserving the Nation's rich heritage.
"Nissan is honored to be the first recipient of this special award," said a Nissan representative. "Our company recognizes the Smithsonian's many cultural contributions that have enriched all our lives. Nissan is proud to be partners with an institution that is one of America's national treasures."
The "Earth 2U, Exploring Geography" traveling exhibit, started in 1995, will tour 40 cities by the year 2001. To date, the exhibit has traveled to nine cities, reaching more than 700,000 young viewers. A collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the National Geographic Society, the unique exhibit is supplemented with a World Wide Web site, a CD-ROM, and free educational materials available to every fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classroom in America.
"America's Music at the Smithsonian" is a program that brings award-winning musicals, traveling exhibitions, orchestra performances and radio programs to millions of Americans nationwide. Notable exhibits sponsored by Nissan under this program include: "Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions" (currently touring), "The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914 - 1940" (currently touring), and the 1997 radio season of "Jazz Smithsonian."

5/23/97 - Nissan Invests in Computers for Kids - Nissan North America, Inc. has announced that it is donating $50,000 to the Detwiler Foundation Computers for schools Program. The donation will be used to help defray the costs associated with obtaining, refurbishing and placing computers in schools throughout the state. In addition to the company's financial contribution, Nissan recently donated 450 computers to the program.
The announcement took place at "Los Angeles Online!" an event sponsored by Nissan to showcase the Detwiler Foundation Computers for Schools Program's presentation of 500 computers to 50 schools in Los Angeles. John Muir Middle School served as the site for the event.
"Nissan is proud to be associated with the Computers for Schools Program," said Jerry Florence, vice president of communications and strategic development at Nissan. "Every dollar and computer we contribute is an investment in our students and the workforce of tomorrow."
Currently, California ranks 45th in the nation in students per computer. The mission of the Detwiler Foundation Computers for Schools Program is to provide California kindergarten through 12th grade schools with the technology tools necessary to prepare students for the challenges of the modern world. The program is making strides to improve the state's ranking from almost last to first by the year 2000.

5/19/97 - Nissan launches new Tennessee plant - DECHERD, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE) via Individual Inc.
Nissan now runs on all cylinders at its new Tennessee engine assembly plant in Decherd. Today, Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation U.S.A. (NMMC) formally launched operations at the $80 million Franklin County facility with more than 200 employees. This is the first expansion of NMMC outside of Smyrna, Tenn. "With this new plant, we will build high-quality engines that will enhance the value of our vehicles," said Jerry L. Benefield, NMMC president and CEO. "Over time, this plant should allow us to increase the localization of parts in the United States. That's good for us, for our suppliers and the American economy." The first team of 200 technicians have already begun assembling the first of 200,000 engines a year for the 1998 Altima, which will be launched in Smyrna later this month. At the same time, Nissan is expanding the Decherd facility to add transaxle production and another 200 employees by next spring. Governor Don Sundquist joined technicians, local community leaders, representatives from supplier companies and Nissan executives from the U.S. and Japan in dedicating the new plant, officially known as Nissan Powertrain Assembly, Decherd. "We're proud to now be a part of Franklin County," said Vince Sorgi, vice president of Manufacturing and the top executive at the Decherd facility. "We're committed to being a good corporate citizen, to providing good-paying jobs with excellent benefits, to being active in the community with both corporate contributions and our time, and to operating this facility in harmony with the community and the environment," he said. Long before today's dedication, Nissan's engine plant has been a sparkplug for the local economy. Two years of construction and months of hiring and training have served as a catalyst for growth in Franklin County. "A third of our workforce must leave the county to work," said County Executive Clinton Williams. "With Nissan and the businesses it's attracting, our residents can work close to home and spend more of their money here, too." The dedication begins the first of three days of public activities at Nissan's Decherd plant. On Friday, business leaders from the community will tour the facility, and on Saturday, the doors will open for a public open house from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Local children are also taking part in the activities. More than 1,500 coloring sheets, posters and essays were received in contests conducted over the past three weeks. Entries will be displayed on the walls of the plant on Friday and Saturday. "We hope to make a good first impression on people here as we begin a long-term partnership with this community," adds Sorgi. Nissan Powertrain Assembly, Decherd, is part of Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation U.S.A., which represents an investment of $1.43 billion. Its 6,000 employees manufacture Altima midsize sedans, Sentra passenger cars, 200SX sports coupes and Nissan pickup trucks; assemble engines and rear axles; produce plastic bumper fascias and fuel tanks; and provide stampings and engines for the Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager minivans.

Their most serious challengers, the BMW brigade, will wish to alter that status quo at Killarney. Leading the onslought will be veteran racer Robby Smith in his Firestone Firehawk BMW 328i. On this occasion his efforts will be backed by those of Touring Car ace Shaun van der Linde, in the Kaye-Eddie BMW 328i. The BMW team will hope that recent test sessions with their cars will prove fruitful in closing the current gap between them and the Nissans. Rounding out the class will be Colin Hastie in his 3M Nissan Maxima and Roelf du Plessis in his Hydroseal Mazda MX-6...
- Nissan has a long and proud motorsport record in South Africa- both in circuit racing, off-road racind, and rallies. Last year, for instance, racing drivers Devon Juby and John Craig, driving two works BP-sponsoredSentra 200Sti's, demolished the opposition in Class B od the Stannic Group N championship to win 23 out of 23 races! A rare achievement, indeed!
- This Year Nissan has decided to enter its super-luxury sedan, the Maxima QX, into Class A of the Group N championship, and within only six races these magnificent cars, driven by Deon and John, have already shown that they are a force to be reckoned with-winning three of the six races.

5/8/97 - I stumbled upon this page about the VQ30DET turbo variant. It's at http://www.nissan.co.jp/NISSAN/CIMA/TECH/VQ30/vq30.html. It resides in the Nissan Cima, a Japanese version of our Inifiniti Q45 here. Also posted is its output, though I don't know the correct correlation to American BHP.

5/4/97 - Mulsanne straight to Main Street - The first of two prototypes of Nissan's answer to Porsche, the R390GT1, has been recently been completed at Tom Walkinshaw Racing in Britain. Three racing versions of this R390GT1 supercar will soon be on their way to France, where they will head a factory-backed assault on the 24-hour Le Mans enduro this June. Sometime later in the year, perhaps this fall, race versions of the R390GT1 will be for sale to privateers, but so far Nissan hasn't disclosed where and how they will be sold, or the price. A Nissan insider hints that the car will be less expensive Porsche's 911 GT1 Strasseversion (May 1 997 cover story), with a price likely to be just under 100 million yen. This equates to $833,000 at a ratio of 120 yen to one U.S. dollar. Per FIA regulations, roadgoing examples of the race car- which has a carbon-fiber body- must be built. And in street-legal guise, the R390GT1 has a length of 180.3 in., a width of 78.7, a height of 44.9 and a wheelbase of 107.1. Interestingly, the front track of 68.1 in. is significantly wider than the rear's 65.7. The car weighs a little over a ton, and it wears some meaty Bridgestones- size 245/40/ZR-18 in front and 295/35/ZR-19 in back. By conservative estimates, Nissan's twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter DOHC VRH35L V-8 is said to put out 350bhp at 5200 rpm in street tune, with 361 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm. For Le Mans duty, expect this 32-valve engine to be further tweaked. Mounted longitudinally amidships, it mates to a multiple plate clutch and a sequentially shifted 6-speed gearbox. The suspension, as expected of a racing car, is double wishbone at each wheel, and the stopping power comes from massive 14-in. rotors at each wheel. Jack Yamaguchi- Road & Track June, 1997

5/1/97 - From Automobile Magazine June, 1997 - After enduring years in the marketplace with only embarrassing nicknames like L'il Hustler and Hardbody, the Nissan pickup truck finally will get a real name: Frontier. It debuts on the all-new '98 truck. In addition to an outdoorsy moniker , the pickup will have a a new DOHC 2.4-liter four-but no V-6 until a 3.3-liter unit arrives later in the model year. With the redesign, the King Cab grows by more than six inches in length; the regular cab by nearly ten inches. Both are wider, too.

4/26/97 - JD Power and Associates' survey of 43,752 owners of 1997 cars and trucks in the first three months of ownership, with number of problems per 100 vehicles: Entry Midsize - 1. Nissan Altima (77) 2. (tie) Buick Skylark (80) 3. (tie) Chrysler Cirrus (80), Premium Midsize* - 1. Honda Accord (51) 2. Toyota Camry (53) 3. Chevrolet Lumina (55), Sporty - 1. Acura Integra (60) 2. Honda Prelude (71) 3. Nissan 200SX (87), Entry Luxury - 1. Infiniti I30 (46) 2. Acura TL (52) 3. Lexus ES300 (61), Compact pickup - 1. Toyota Tacoma (63) 2. Ford Ranger (76) 3. Nissan pickup (79). * I checked their website, but couldn't find anything pertaining to the Maxima about this award. I would tend to think it didn't stray too far off it's third place finish last year.

4/9/97 - Jarod Rozullo mailed in with a picture of a 93 Nissan AP-X concept car with some description: "Nissan unveiled a possible new direction for its 300ZX in late 1993 with the AP-X. This smoothly shaped two-seater was to be powered by a lightweight 3.0-liter 247-hp V-6 with a torpoidal stepless transmission. Its ultra-efficient drivetrain promised the performance of a 300ZX and the fuel economy of a 200SX." These radical technologies could be inherited in the forthcoming Nissan coupe. Shown above is a pix.

4/7/97 -(From my local newspaper publication) Nissan is ready to weigh in with rumored supercar- Rumors of a new supercar from Japan, percolating inside Nissan's

Tochigo R&D center for the past year or two, turn out to be true. The Japanes automaker, which last year phased out its long-running Z-car in North America, is unleashing the 200mph-plus R390, a thinly veiled race-car-for-the-street that will make its first public appearance in June at the 24 Hours of LeMans endurance race. The R390's dramatic aerodynamic shape is said to be the work of Iam Callum of Britains' TWR; Callum also designed the sleek DB7 and had a hand in the new Volvo C70 (which is being built by TWR). Body panels are made of carbon fibre; underneath is an all independant, double wishbone suspension. Powering the mid-engine two-seater is twin-turbocharged 3.5 liter V-6, mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox.

4/3/97- In the May issue of Road & Track magazine, once again there is more speculation of a possible Maxima coupe debuting as a 99' model. Quote"Nissan is said to be contemplating a new sedan-based coupe to replace the 240SX, perhaps in 1999. This Maxima Coupe, a rear driver, may be that car. Power will come from either a turbocharged 4-cylinder or the Maxima's potent VQ series 3.0-liter." An artist's conception of R&T coupe version is shown here:

4/2/97- Nissan has announced the name of their new 98' pickup. Following industry trends for a more rugged suburban image, they proclaimed it the new "Frontier". In other news, people in the old Golden State will be glad to hear the rearrival of the SE-R next summer as a revised emmsion compliant 98' model.

3/14/97 - Stillen has completed their revised 97' Aero kit. Most changes are attributed to the new front grill that came with this model year's changes. Also new for 97' is the ompletion of the enhanced ECu, which by Stillen's estimates increases ouput roughly 20 horses! Only the 95' models are currently available, as the 96' exhibits some detonation problems, and the 97's have completely changed to accomodate more stringent OBDII emmsions compliancy. For more info contact Adam Hume at Stillen via email at stiladam@fia.net or call directly at 1-800-576-2131 x138. See picture above.

3/9/97 - After a glacier-like 11 year developement cycle, Nissan is finally remaking its venerable old Pickup. Built in Smyrna, Tennessee, it sort of looks like a hybrid Ford and Toyota product, with the front fascia of a Ranger / Tacoma. A picture is depicted below. Expect a 4 and 6 cylinder powertrain with 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrain offerings.

3/1/97 - Showcased below is the next generation Altima, the Maxima's little sibling. It may not hold any significant consequence to the next Maxima other than an indication of where Nissan's stylists are going. Keeping in mind that there is a sort of family resemblance in the NIssan model lineup, you can insuate almost anything. It boasts larger dimensions then the current iteration, yet retains the same 2.4L inline 4 cylinder engine. Nissan says expect a slight decrease in price.

2/20/97 - According to the February issue of Motor Trend, the Maxima's more luxuriously fraternal twin, the I30, is due for another cosmetic makeover this fall a la the 97' Maximas. By late fall 1999, we can expect another minor sheetmetal tweaking along with the front and rear fascia. Expect an all new Maxima and I30 by the year 2000/2001.

Speaking with some Nissan Marketing spokesman at a recent show, they acknowledged that woth the abandonement of the Z, the only conceivable alternative for a sports coupe at the moment is the rather lackluster 240SX . Trying to pin him down for a definitive answer, he was still non committed to an answer, though he hinted a 300SX coupe would make a lot of dollar & sense! This prospect is rather enticing having a fully tuned Maxima Coupe with possibly even the Japanes alternative VQ30DET 3.0L Turbocharged V6. A pix of a possible coupe design is depicted here :