Nissan MID4

The MID4 was an experimental sports car produced by Nissan.

History

First unveiled at the 1985 International Motor Show Germany, the MID4 was a concept car designed by Nissan to originally go on sale in the mid-late 1980s. Nissan had aimed the MID4 to compete with European supercars from Porsche and Ferrari. It featured a mid-engine, all-wheel-drive layout as well as a wide array of technology and features that would eventually find their way into other Nissan production cars. The MID4 would be succeeded by the MID4 II, though it would also never be having into production.

Early Development

The responsibility of creating the MID4 was given to a team of designers headed by Shinichiro Sakurai in the spring of 1984. The first four prototypes were completed by March 1985.

MID4

The MID4 was first unveiled at the 1985 Frankfurt Autoshow. The design was inspired by the contemporary mid-engine European sports cars of the time such as the Lotus Esprit and the Ferrari Testarossa. Its all wheel drive system distributed the power from the newly designed VG30DE engine with 33% to the front and 67% to the rear, and was the predecessor to the ATTESA system. The naturally aspirated V6 engine was rated at. The MID4 was also the first car to feature Nissan's brand new HICAS four-wheel steering system and had a claimed top speed of. A multi-link rear suspension and the double wishbone front suspension were added for better handling. The ATTESA and the HICAS systems would eventually make their way to the Nissan Skyline GT-R in 1989.

MID4-II

The MID4-II made its debut at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show and featured many revisions to the previous design. The most significant change apart from the design, which resembling to Honda's later NSX, was the intercooling twin turbocharged VG30DETT which was rated at and of torque. The MID4-II was ultimately never produced due to cost. The engine would later make its way in the Nissan 300ZX which debuted in 1989.