Interviews with Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada

[Spilner]

FWIW, it was Nissan's Design boss who made those claims. And he said, "Whether we go to a lot of electrification or none at all, we can achieve a lot power-wise" and then he goes on to say, "The challenge is on the engineer, to be honest. We will do our jobs when the time comes to make the car is something really special. But we’re not even close to that yet."

Meanwhile we just received news about the LEAF NISMO

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[Jdmuscle]

See that's the exception though, Camaros and Mustangs sell like absolute crack...

I think I read earlier that Ford sells 80k mustangs per year and chevy sells about 65k Camaros.

So there is a market for those cars lol. Japanese niche market cars? Yeah, no.

Well.. if Nissan updates the Z to even 375hp it would compete well. Post 2011, the mustang GT was 300hp and the 370Z was well placed in the market and you can see in that in the sales figures. But once coyote came out the game was over for the 370Zs and Nissan never did anything to rectify that.

If Toyota comes out with a 375hp 3300lb car.. price it in the 40s and you’ll see that the car won’t stick around at the dealer lots much. But a 375hp 3300lb 60k car on the other hand is another story. You are leaving the regular Mustang GT and Camaro SS buyers segment and are looking at the ZL1 and Shelby buyers.. granted this car is not going against those cars, it’s hard not to see what money can buy you elsewhere.

 

[A70TTR]

The 370z barely hit 10k its first year and averaged 6-7k from there on out, which is exactly what I expect for the Supra (super unprofitable in relative terms to the Mustang and Camaro).

 

[Jdmuscle]

The 370z barely hit 10k its first year and averaged 6-7k from there on out, which is exactly what I expect for the Supra (super unprofitable in relative terms to the Mustang and Camaro).

Yup.. you can see 09 (~12k) and 10 (~11k) were higher and 11 (~6) there was a sharp decline which is what I was referring to.

Toyota went toe to toe with all other segments with the domestics (once best seller Taurus is almost dead now), Tundra did well in the 1/2 ton segment initially, Highlander hauls ass, why not compete in the mustang/Camaro segment is what I’m asking.. there is money there. Can’t discount it all together.

 

[tha7osavage]

Aw man, if you knew how hard Tada-San and his team fought to make things their way, you'd be distraught. There's a reason he's got the gray hairs, let me tell you. He went to bat for enthusiasts and has taken more than a few proverbial punches in the process. The respect I have for him is genuinely immeasurable, and there are very few people left like him in the car industry that I know of.

Because of stories like these, i'll definitely be purchasing this car. I previously owned at GT86, and loved that damned little thing. For what it's true purpose was, it was truly astounding. Thanks for sharing, Guff.

 

[A70TTR]

Yup.. you can see 09 (~12k) and 10 (~11k) were higher and 11 (~6) there was a sharp decline which is what I was referring to.

Toyota went toe to toe with all other segments with the domestics (once best seller Taurus is almost dead now), Tundra did well in the 1/2 ton segment initially, Highlander hauls ass, why not compete in the mustang/Camaro segment is what I’m asking.. there is money there. Can’t discount it all together.

Well, as you said it definitely has to do with catering to what people want, but those two cars have such a deep and storied history.

It's kind of like how the 911 sells well despite minor changes for decades.

 

[Jdmuscle]

Well, as you said it definitely has to do with catering to what people want, but those two cars have such a deep and storied history.

It's kind of like how the 911 sells well despite minor changes for decades.

And I sincerely think Toyota can do that.. hearing about the hardship Tada went through with the car is something that draws me to the car. Similarly Ralph Gillis and his passion to make the GenV Viper a reality. Driving the Viper will make it clear that there was a ton of passion that went into building that car. Just give me a manual and I’m all there.

Supra does have that same storied history .. just took a pause in between

 

[Modal170]

And I sincerely think Toyota can do that.. hearing about the hardship Tada went through with the car is something that draws me to the car. Similarly Ralph Gillis and his passion to make the GenV Viper a reality. Driving the Viper will make it clear that there was a ton of passion that went into building that car. Just give me a manual and I’m all there.

Supra does have that same storied history .. just took a pause in between

Shower thought.

It would be easier and cheaper to make a bare bones inline 4 with a manual that can have a fantastic suspension, weight and base for engine swap be the goal for enthusiasts while the inline 6 is a display of tech and innovation. Not saying the i6 is not for enthusiasts but very attainable and cheap as an entry level if 40k is to be believed

While I am not knowledgeable if it is doable, a 40k manual car won't cut into the szr and rz trims when they have a whole lot more going for them. Just a gut feeling I have that might come true.

 

[Spilner]

Aw man, if you knew how hard Tada-San and his team fought to make things their way, you'd be distraught. There's a reason he's got the gray hairs, let me tell you. He went to bat for enthusiasts and has taken more than a few proverbial punches in the process. The respect I have for him is genuinely immeasurable, and there are very few people left like him in the car industry that I know of.

Can someone here invite Tada to have a drink?
P.S. someone needs to strip the bean counters of their power

 

[Guff]

And I sincerely think Toyota can do that.. hearing about the hardship Tada went through with the car is something that draws me to the car. Similarly Ralph Gillis and his passion to make the GenV Viper a reality. Driving the Viper will make it clear that there was a ton of passion that went into building that car. Just give me a manual and I’m all there.

Supra does have that same storied history .. just took a pause in between

This is an aside, but I met Ralph Gilles when I was in college. He came to give a presentation and I had the chance to sit down with him and chat about cars. We talked about his passion for the Viper and the need for more focused drivers cars in the world. This was around when the FRS had just came out and he said he loved the FRS/BRZ platform and ideology. I told him to make a competitor and he said he was strongly considering it. Sad that it never happened.

Great guy though, another true enthusiast. Sad that he's still not running the show there.

 

[Jdmuscle]

This is an aside, but I met Ralph Gilles when I was in college. He came to give a presentation and I had the chance to sit down with him and chat about cars. We talked about his passion for the Viper and the need for more focused drivers cars in the world. This was around when the FRS had just came out and he said he loved the FRS/BRZ platform and ideology. I told him to make a competitor and he said he was strongly considering it. Sad that it never happened.

Great guy though, another true enthusiast. Sad that he's still not running the show there.

He still is.. at a higher level and gets hands on with all the models. Once they dissolved SRT he took his current role. Great guy, still comes to all the national events. Tracks both his SRT and ACR regularly. Sergio is a total douche on the other hand, after ACR made the rounds in the American tracks and even destroyed 918’s laptime at Laguna Seca, they really wanted to take it to Nürburgring. That never happened because, Sergio didn’t want the ACR to reign dominance in the European tracks. He said to leave that to Ferrari and wouldn’t approve funding.

In a way FCA does have a FRS/BRZ competitor.. it’s called the Fiat 124 Spyder. JV with Mazda, based on the ND Miata but uses their own powerplant. Great little car. Drive it and you’ll see it’s a direct competitor to the FRS/BRZ in topless form.

 

[mas921]

The same rigidity of the LFA is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, to say the least! that's ~40,000 nm/deg. or almost 5x the MKIV supra @ 8,100 nm/deg (IIRC its been quite awhile ).given this fact, IMHO it doesn't matter if its 3300lb, rigidity over weight anytime.

interestingly, that's the exact figure of 981 Cayman (and F82 M4)

 

[Matador]

The same rigidity of the LFA is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, to say the least! that's ~40,000 nm/deg. or almost 5x the MKIV supra @ 8,100 nm/deg (IIRC its been quite awhile ).given this fact, IMHO it doesn't matter if its 3300lb, rigidity over weight anytime.

interestingly, that's the exact figure of 981 Cayman (and F82 M4)

That rigidity at 3090-3300lbs without the use of CF..........

 

[BrettS]

So does the car have zero carbon now, I thought it was coming with at least a cf roof?

 

[Modal170]

So does the car have zero carbon now, I thought it was coming with at least a cf roof?

A70 said this contradicts what he was told. It's possible a the highest trim has the CF, away from the base Supra.

We have no clue what trim or drivetrain was used at Goodwood either since the engine couldn't be seen.

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