Nissan’s Secret Stash…
What Lies Behind The Bright Red Door

In a non-descript warehouse inside one of Nissan’s many factories in Kanagawa Prefecture is one of the most mouthwatering car collections on the planet. This isn’t a museum or anything, but rather a private collection that Nissan has put together over the years – accessible only by invitation.

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There is nothing secret inside, and in fact, a lot of the cars are on constant rotation at various displays that the company organises throughout the year – many of which have previously appeared on Speedhunters. But while seeing them at events like the Nismo Festival is quite impressive, nothing can ever prepare you for the sight of almost every single Nissan car and racer ever made under one roof…

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Open that red door and I guarantee your jaw will drop to the floor – mine did. Where to start? Which direction to head in? The production cars? The race cars? The classics?

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It’s nothing short of mesmerising to see so many Nissan and Datsun cars all neatly sitting in the same space. In fact, during my visit there were actually quite a few cars missing, as they had been moved elsewhere while the warehouse was undergoing a renovation – but it was still very impressive.

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Nissan may not have a public museum to show off all of these cars like Honda has at Motegi with their Collection Hall, but at least they’re doing a good job of collecting them and keeping them all in tip-top condition.

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Believe it or not, but most of the maintenance on these cars is taken care of by a group of retired ex-Nissan employees who put time aside every once in a while to come in and work on them. Everything from general upkeep to full restorations are completed here, as well as the archiving all the documentation and paperwork on the cars.

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Where did I begin? Well call me boring but it was the Skylines I was instantly drawn to, starting off with this 1987 KHR31 2000 GTS-R which was sitting in a very long line of Skylines spanning all the generations.

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I then checked out this BCNR33 V-Spec and the BNR34 M-Spec sitting next to it. It was fun looking over a couple of bone-stock GT-Rs and getting that whiff of new car smell from inside the san-yon!

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The final piece of the puzzle wasn’t too far away: the 2007 R35 sitting right next to its Super GT counterpart.

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Because the racecars are probably the most interesting and impressive part of this collection, I’ve decided to make a separate post on those – coming later this week – so that I can share as many images as I can with you guys.

Homologation Specials

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Ah, don’t you just love homologation regulations? For racing purposes, they have helped manufacturers create some of the craziest cars ever to grace the road – and the R390 GT1 was one of them. This car was one of only two road car examples built to homologate the race version for Le Mans, and the other one has since been sold off to a private collector. Words can’t describe how imposing the thing is – it sits half as high as the R33 GT-R next to it and just looks nuts. Is it me though, or does that front grille remind you of a Primera from the same era?

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Okay, so if you know your Nissans then you will have noticed that the R33 next to the R390 is actually another homologation special. And like the badge suggests, this BCNR33 was built for Le Mans too.

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Like your cars wide? Then the Nismo GT-R LM won’t disappoint… Aside from the fattened body, what actually makes this car special is the fact that it’s rear-wheel drive.

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The body was designed and developed by Nismo to boost the car’s aerodynamics, with an RB26 providing the power of course. If you’re a long-time Speedhunters reader you may remember the Spotlight I ran on this very car when it was on loan to the old Prince and Skyline museum in Ibaraki.

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Fuel Cell X-Trail? I actually drove this car many moons ago during a technology-oriented event that Nissan held for the media. I remember it having a massive hydrogen tank in the trunk so that enough high-pressured gas could be stored. Nissan ended up going with electric power in the end, but they are still continuing their R&D with fuel cell technology.

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And from way back before the Nissan alliance came to be there was of course Datsun, which had been making cars in Japan since 1914 when it was still called DAT Motors.

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There is pretty much the entire line-up of Datsun cars from the ’30s here, starting off with the Datsun 12 Phaeton.

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I often wonder what amazing cars would come to be if Japanese manufacturers joined forces with Italian designers. Well, it turns out I wasn’t the first to think of this, and many years before I was even born Prince collaborated with Giovanni Michelotti who penned the lines of the two-door Skyline Sports in 1962. Only 60 cars were built, but it was by far one of the prettiest machines to wear the Skyline badge.

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Here’s another example sitting next to the ALSID-1 (also known as the very first Skyline), which was built in 1954 under the Prince brand.

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During the ’70s design gave way to functionality and actual performance, and the GT-R was born. The boxy shape quickly became synonymous with speed and success in racing.

We Can’t Forget Datsun
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The other legend was, of course, the Fair Lady. The model arrived in the early ’60s with this 1961 SPL213 convertible, which replaced the SPL212 ‘Sports’ with an updated twin-carb motor.

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The car evolved and by the late ’60s it had become the choice for open-top performance motoring.

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Eventually, the S30 chassis was born and the 240Z really put Datsun on the map. As the years have gone on, these cars have become increasingly sought after by a variety of enthusiasts – those that want to maintain them in their original condition, and those that have prefered to use the sports base for a modified build.

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As tuning was beginning to get popular, the police too had to upgrade their pursuit fleet in the ’70s.

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Follow the historic line up of Zs and eventually you get to the Z32 – the twin turbo V6 machine that’s still a favorite with some tuners.

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But what about the Silvia I hear you ask?

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Well, don’t worry about that. Alongside the rest of the generations, the very first model produced was sporting the nicest colour of the lot. Built on the SP311 Fairlady’s underpinnings, the 1966 CSP311 Silvia was manufactured in very low numbers and sold as more of a specialty car. It’s one of the prettiest cars that Nissan made in the ’60s.

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The big selection of cars continued with every generation of Bluebird – each with their own interesting story.

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Oh yes, and let’s not forget about the Sunnys!

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It was, however, the more curious sightings that really made me stop and take special notice. The Hakosuka wagon is one of the rarest iterations of the C10 platform, and like you I’m getting all these images of RB26 swaps flowing through my head right now!

The Best Of The Rest
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Since we’re on the subject of rarities, check this luxurious beauty out. This is a 1964 Prince Gloria Super 6, and it was the first Japanese domestic market car to be powered by an overhead cam engine – a 2.0-liter straight six that became the preferred configuration for many Nissan models throughout the ’60s and ’70s.

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Of course, no Nissan line up would be complete without the President – the flagship luxury car that was designed to take on the Toyota Crown in the mid ’60s. It shared its Y40 V8 motor with the Cedric Patrol.

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Porsche had the 959, and Nissan had the MID 4. This car was a prototype built in 1985 to develop technologies for implementation in future sports cars. Unlike the 959 Prototype from 1983 the MID 4 was never put in production, but it might as well be considered the forefather of both the new-gen GT-R and the Fairlady Z.

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The car was powered by a mid-mounted (hence the name) VG30DETT and sported an all-new 4WD system with a rear-biased torque split. Essentially, it was the first version of Nissan’s ATTESA, which was then further refined until it made its production debut in the 1989 BNR32 Skyline GT-R.

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It also had an innovative 4-wheel steer system called HICAS, which as we know was used in the Z32 and all GT-Rs, as well as a string of other Nissan cars.

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While the rare Kenmeri Skyline 2000GT-R was by far the most desirable of all vintage ‘Rs’ due to only being built in few numbers, there were many other cool versions of the car to choose from. This 1976 KGC111 GTX-E was the pick of the bunch, as it came with all the goodies from the options list as well as an electronic fuel injected L20E. This was the first Skyline to pass stringent new emission regulations introduced in Japan in 1976.

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After a tour of the whole facility I eventually found the one car I was looking for: the Z432. Of all the S30 Fairladys, this is the one to have. This particular Z432 is an early car from 1969 and was sitting on a nice set of factory magnesium alloy wheels.

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What made the 432 special was its engine: the S20 2.0-liter straight six from the GT-R. The ‘432’ name comes from the engine’s configuration, which features 4 valves per cylinder, 3 carburetors and 2 camshafts.

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I’ll end this look at the production cars of Nissan DNA Garage right here, but make sure you don’t miss the second part to this awesome warehouse tour as it will be all about the racecars…

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

is it me or is the nsx looks strangely close to nissan's mid4?

3

speedhunters_dino holy crap where's my tent becuase I'm moving in haha. really great article too.

4

This is like finding a lost treasure! I never even heard about the MID 4!  Some others like the GTR LM or R390 I only saw in Gran Turismo games.  Must be quite an experience to see these cars with your own eyes, eh?  I just hope at least some will show up at Nismo fest this year..

5
speedhunters_dino

TokyoCarGuy A lot definitely will!

6
speedhunters_dino

DjaranJones speedhunters_dino Will do, thanks!

7
speedhunters_dino

@james doe That front light strip on the corners of the bumper sure does....

8

Second part ? :">
I'm so hyped right now :"3

9
speedhunters_dino

KennedyCao lol

10

I think I just wet my pants a little. Give us more!

11

Awesome! I had the good fortune to visit earlier this year; but the 30min tour was too damn short! I believe they've increase the time limit due to popular demand..

12
StevenSkwarkowski

I have a dvd collection full of all the photos from someone elses trip there. Closest I can get to it

14

Maaaan, I wish this was open to the general public!

15

Is it just me or does the headlights on the R390 remind me of the ones from the 300ZX ;)
(haha the grill does indeed!)

16

the Skyline wagon.....Dear Lord A SKYLINE WAGON HNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

17
JMax Paint Garage LLC

R390 GT1 
PERIOD. END. OF. STORY.

19

Went here last summer twice, the mechanic staff is so nice it really surprised me. Usually they won't let you touch anything but opened the 432 Z in the corner and the Hakosuka GTR as soon as I asked.
Dino did you do the Skyline tour?

20

Went here last summer twice, the mechanic staff is so nice it really surprised me. Usually they won't let you touch anything but opened the 432 Z in the corner and the Hakosuka GTR as soon as I asked.
Dino did you do the Skyline tour?

21
speedhunters_dino

surly1911 No what is that? I wasn't part of a tour btw

22
speedhunters_dino

@PerilousActs Yeah strange but there were lots of cars missing due to renovations

23
speedhunters_dino

JMax Paint Garage LLC LOL

24
speedhunters_dino

D1RGE EXE haha

25
speedhunters_dino

tokuku They need to build a museum in Yokohama close to the HQ!!

26
speedhunters_dino

@tom No they didn't!  Lots of cars were missing due to renovations so they might well have one somewhere. Always loved that one for its weird looks. Oh and Leopard base

27
speedhunters_dino

azmedaj That's good!

28

Literally a 5 min Skyline video, kind of a joke. Had hopes for a special skyline collection compared to the standard tour but it was the same.

29

Go the EXA wagon!!!

30

tokuku It is actually, just make a reservation ahead of time http://nissan-heritage-collection.com/TOUR/

31

Buff out that rear fender dent on the MID 4! Dino, thanks again for allowing us to tag along.

32

Awesome!!!

33

Honestly...I don't say this very often, but wow. Speechless. Amazing garage with pretty much cars that tick every single box. 

That R390....wow. And the mid 4? Berserk.

34

Dino, as usual , just great. I wonder what is the street value of a brand new R34... And, all those retired engineers that work on those cars...they got paid? It's like keeping the cars alive and the men's that have built them active? Or is it like giving them an opportunity to do what they loved when they were young, to feel that they still are part of Nissan today?
Very interesting what is happening down there, from a social point of view.

35

Oh god!! Just one of these cars please a z a kenmeri a hakosuka,the bcnr33 I forgot about this car used to use it on gran turismo haha

36

Dino, you have me @Nissan! I cannot explain using words how happy I am with this feature! Yet another epic job with the Nissan stuff! Can't wait for part 2! *Speechless* Thank you so much Dino, you just made me extremely happy and jealous at the same time. :D

37
Gianluca FairladyZ

Just Great!! Grande macchine di un altra epoca!

38

surly1911 tokuku Cool! thanks for that. My wife, who is Japanese, had actually called Nissan to ask if we could get a tour about 2 years back and was told it was a private collection and not open to the public. Maybe they changed their policy?

39

WoW i don´t think that Nissan have full love and passion fot the cars, i love the sroty, but i wish saw more silvia´s haha

40

is it just me or does that mid engined joint remind you of a NSX..?

41

surly1911 Just applied for a spot on the tour. Looks like it's a limited time thing. Hopefully they'll let me in when I'm over there in January.

42

What is the red car sitting next to the presidents? And the yellow and red roofless cars in the same pictures?

43

MID4 and NSX look extremely similar

44

Right?

45

Seeing the 33 next to the 34 reminded me of the lonely mans gt-r and how ridiculously clean he keeps his car. There is too much awesomeness going on in this post.

46

Seeing the 33 next to the 34 reminded me of the lonely mans gt-r and how ridiculously clean he keeps his car. There is too much awesomeness going on in this post.

47

Can't wait to see those group c and gtp monsters.

48
functionoverform

I like the yellow NX coupe in the background

49
speedhunters_dino

@zz Coming up shortly :)

50
speedhunters_dino

d_rav The cleanest!

51
speedhunters_dino

greenroadster Something like this? 

http://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU2665819949/index.html?TRCD=200002


Those guys are volunteers :)

52
speedhunters_dino

Haydos.W Glad to hear :) Race cars are pretty epic too ;)

53
speedhunters_dino

Haydos.W Glad to hear :) Race cars are pretty epic too ;)

54
speedhunters_dino

jusreggie Sooooo many people have commented on this today. Honda...got something to say?  hehe

55

jusreggie i was thinking exactly the same thing.

56

Thus really changes my perspective on nissan altogether

57

so many cars I want. would love to tour this place. great post.

58

Is it just me or does the MID4 look like it has a dent in the rear quarter panel to the upper right of the wheel? HOW YOU LET THIS HAPPEN NISSAN?!?!?!

59

any further info on 6th picture at second chapter? I see an hot-rodding opportunity on them :p

60

speedhunters_dino greenroadster

Remember some time ago a 254Km Nur was for sale for around 9.700.000 Yen.

61

SparkyR_1

Their the same thats why, also on the late model Diablo.

62

The MID4 looks like an NSX to me.. Fingers crossed you have a picture of the Calsonic Primera in the racecar section

63

I was looking for the Wonderland sign in the pictures...must be somewhere on the door...

64
speedhunters_dino

JDM_Luca Of it's there somewhere lol

65
speedhunters_dino

joshwfifty5 :)

66
speedhunters_dino

muhammadilham Hot rodded Datsun? That would be cool...needs a V8 though

67
speedhunters_dino

jhnosko Fuel filler + 80's build quality?

68
speedhunters_dino

LukeEVOVIII Gonna sell the Evo then?

69

Amazing post, simply beyond words. Couldnt even imagine being in the presence of some of those cars. This is why I love Nissan! Great work
Cheers

70

I'm not sure I could handle seeing the entire Skyline/GT-R lineage all in one place!

71

Z32 is such a good looker stock

72

speedhunters_dino greenroadster  56.500 euro? Wow, that's kind'a cheap really. Less than a Boxter

73

I don't own one mate! I'm just a 15 year old with big dreams!

74

SparkyR_1

75

Wait, where are the Patrols & Safaris?

76

im wondering why they havent put the S14 and S15 into the collection

77

im wondering why they havent put the S14 and S15 into the collection

78

Evermondy *cough cough* Dino *cough cough* :p
you can view a lamborghini and a honda collection on google street view!

79

LukeEVOVIII I'm 10 years older than you and I'm still fighting against reality to keep that dreams alive!! I hope you will be able to drive the car of your dreams one day... i will never forget the day i drove my supra for the first time

80

Cheers mate and I really hope you keep the Supra!

81

speedhunters_dino Haydos.W I just read that one and I would like to use the same comment that I said above except that I am even more jealous and happy! Thanks so much man!

82

that Mid 4 looks like it has a little NSX styling... maybe just me... ?

83

Dino, the GT-R wasn't the first production car with the ATTESSA system - that was the U12 Bluebird SSS ATTESSA hardtop....

84

Did they tell you the second R390 had been sold to a private collector or did you gather it from the internet?
I heard from people who ran the project that the first car made, the red one was cannibalised so the parts could be used as spares for the racing cars leaving the blue one as the sole remaining car.

85

Any GTi-R pictures? Saw a rally one in the background.

86

Wow, I had no idea that Nissan had a factory of cars it has produced over the years. My dad loves cars. I wish I could show him this factory in person. One of the first cars he and my mom got when they were first married was a lime green Datsun. I would personally love to drive the R390 GT1 - that is a nice looking car! Does Nissan include all makes and models in this warehouse? http://tischerauto.com/Parts.aspx

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