The MID4 was an experimental

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

produced by

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

History

First unveiled at the 1985

International Motor Show Germany The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...

, the MID4 was a concept car designed by

to originally go on sale in the mid-late 1980s.

had aimed the MID4 to compete with European supercars from

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company ...

and

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

. 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 evolve into the MID4 II, though it would never be put into production.

Early Development

The responsibility of creating the MID4 was given to a team of designers headed by

Shinichiro Sakurai was a Japanese engineer inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of FameThe ...

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 The Lotus Esprit is a British sports car that was built by Lotus Cars at their Hethel factory in England between 1976 and 2004. It was among the first of designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's polygonal "folded paper" designs. Background In 1970 Tony ...

and the

Ferrari Testarossa The Ferrari Testarossa (Type F110) is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. The Pininfarina-designed car was originally produced from ...

. 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 ATTESA (acronym for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain) is a four-wheel drive system used in some automobiles produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan, including some models under its luxury marque Infiniti. The 'mech ...

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 ATESSA and the HICAS systems would eventually make their way to the

Nissan Skyline GT-R The is a sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was followed by ...

in 1987.

Nissan MID4 rear-right 2015 Motorsport Japan

MID4-II

The MID4-II made its debut at the 1987

Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show ...

and featured many revisions to the previous design. The most significant change apart from the design of MID4-II was the twin turbo intercooled 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 The Nissan 300ZX is a sports car that was produced across two different generations. As with all other versions of the Z, the 300ZX was sold within the Japanese domestic market under the name Fairlady Z. It was sold in Japan from 1983 to 2000 a ...

which debuted in 1989. Nissan MID4 II rear

References

External links