06/03/09 - Budget Classic of the Day

Model:1989 Nissan March Super Turbo
Price: 290,000 Yen

It now seems to be accepted wisdom that it was Volkswagen, with the advent of their 1.4TSI engine in 2005, who popularised the idea of bolting both a supercharger and a turbocharger to a small capacity petrol engine for added fuel economy and performance.

In actual fact though the Japanese, and in particular Nissan, have been practicing this little trick since the late '80s, and arguably to more dramatic effect.

In 1988, Nissan decided that its future lay in participation in rallying's 1600cc class, and through the workings of its own obscure logic decided that the vehicle most suitable to achieve these ends was the boxy, diminutive March (aka Micra). There was however a slight issue; at this stage in its life the March was only equipped with a scrawny 987cc engine which would have seen it duly humiliated by its better endowed 1600cc competition. Nissan's solution to this problem was to hit the March's powerplant with a little forced induction in the form of both a supercharger and a turbocharger. Confident that it had duly outwitted the competition, Nissan came up against another brick wall in the form of the rallying rule book. The rule book in the 1600cc class stipulated that any vehicle making use of forced induction was required to have its engine capacity multiplied by a factor of 1.7. Sadly for Nissan, 987 x 1.7 does not 1600cc make. Nissan was therefore forced back to the drawing board, reducing the March's displacement down to an even more trifling 930cc. The result was the birth of the 8-valve, 110bhp MA09ERT engine.

For homologation purposes this twin-charger equipped engine was bolted into a stripped out base-grade March, given the March R nomenclature, and put on sale for motorsport use. A year later in 1989 the R was dressed in a complementary body kit and graphics, equipped with such creature comforts as electric mirrors and rear seats and launched to the Japanese public as the March Super Turbo. The additional equipment pushed the Super Turbo's weight up to 770kg from the R's 740kg, but the wall of torque provided at low revs by the supercharger and at high revs by the turbo ensured that a 0-62mph time of a staggering 7.7 seconds was achievable, the car powering on to a top speed of 112mph.

With only 10,000 Super Turbos produced, and with the car now becoming a cult classic both at home and abroad, it is becoming increasingly rare to find one of these pocket rockets in the classifieds. Although this example has covered a not insubstantial 156,000km, at this price it remains sorely tempting. If only the Yen wasn't quite so strong and I hadn't been hit quite so hard in the face by the recession.

Okuriguruma

In these troubled times for the automotive industry, what can car manufacturers do to increase market share and diversify in the world's most rapidly ageing society?

While Nissan's design team has been hard at work restyling its vehicles to suit the ergonomic needs of the elderly, Mitsuoka, that most idiosyncratic of manufacturers, has taken a rather more macabre approach to answering the question very few thought to ask. It has used its singular design language to create a hearse - the Mitsuoka Limousine type2-04, to give it its full grandiose title.

We shouldn't really be surprised by Mitsuoka's move into a new niche market; it is after all a prolific purveyor of the frivolous automotive niche. Take for example the recent Himiko, whose obtuse blend of old and new sees Panther Kallista mixed with Mazda MX5 to create every automotive purist's wet dream.

Rather than bore you with a list of Mitsuoka's past experiments in aesthetics, I am sure you are all eager to learn the specs of this new funereal wagon.

The type2-04 not only belongs to the dark side, but it's also a little bit sexist. Based as it is on a Toyota Corolla Axio, the 2-04 is smaller and more manoeuvrable than your average hearse, allegedly making it an easier more wieldy drive for the female employees of funeral parlours who are increasingly likely to be found behind the wheel of such vehicles. As such Mitsuoka are marketing this car as the first hearse designed to meet the needs of female undertakers - yet another new niche. The 2-04 is still a large car though at a fraction over 5 metres in length, and powered by a choice of 1.5 or 1.8 litre petrol engines its pace is likely to be suitably funereal. The price for all this morbid manoeuvrability - 5,229,000 Yen. But with nearly 20,000 Japanese citizens making it to the ripe old age of 100 in 2008 alone, it shouldn't be too long before it's paying for itself.

In carving out this new niche, Mitsuoka hopes to sell a hundred 2-04s every year, increasing its share of the Japanese hearse market from 10 to 20% in the process. As for the other vehicles which make up Mitsuoka's eclectic line-up of hearses, I shall save these for another rainy day.

Toyota Prius: Toyota Launches 10th Anniversary Edition

The Toyota Prius S "10th Anniversary Edition"

Could the unthinkable be happening in the boardroom at GM? Could Hummer be attempting to rebrand itself as the manufacturer of choice for those in the market for a more environmentally conscious ride, by pitching its most diminutive offering, the still leviathan H3, as a genuine, thinking-environmentalists alternative to Toyota's greener than green Prius? Such conjecture may not be quite as implausible as it first appears, with GM’s Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, recently promising that within three years the entire Hummer range will be capable of running on biofuel, and similar sentiments being conveyed by the UK's sole Hummer dealer - a representative from which outlined the possibility that the Hummer H3 could be more carbon efficient than Toyota's Prius, should one consider the vehicle's lifecycle in its entirety, from initial manufacture through to final disposal.


Toyota's Prius and the Hummer H3 - Two Green Peas in a Pod?

Toyota, whether consciously or not, seemingly unwilling to concede any sales in the eco-car sector to the H3, has risen to the gargantuan challenge and upped the ante, today releasing the Prius S "10th Anniversary Edition", which aims to match the H3's blend of ostentation and specious environmentalism by mating the Prius' lauded green credentials to a modicum of extra bling. While the new Prius may lack the war-inspired D-rings of its American rival, duly making the attachment of parachutes, and hence a spot of automotive base-jumping, sadly out of the question, the special edition Toyota is thankfully replete with a host of other accoutrements aimed at luring the medallioned away from their Hummers. First up is the Anniversary Edition Prius' unique hue, which while perhaps not garish enough for certain tastes, nonetheless boasts a splendidly protracted and grandiose name: Light Purplish Blue Mica Metallic - sounds enchanting, but personally I find it to be more of the light blue, and less of the purplish. Meanwhile, technologically, the 10th Anniversary Edition is equipped with a raft of supplementary gadgetry, including gas discharge headlights, complete with a self-levelling function and Toyota's Intelligent Parking Assist System, not to mention a new smart entry and ignition system. For the directionally challenged, the 10th Anniversary is also equipped with an HDD Navigation System with voice recognition and hands-free compatibility, while standard cruise control allows compulsive multi-taskers to make alternative use of their right foot. Finally, a leather-trimmed four-spoke steering wheel and illuminated entry system - consisting of myriad external and internal lamps aiding entry to the vehicle in the event of a lunar eclipse - add the proverbial cherry on top. Those who take delivery of the Prius S "10th Anniversary Edition" will also, quite appropriately, receive a special 10th anniversary case to house the key for their trusty new Toyota.

If all this sounds as tantalising as a carrot dangling from a stick to a dim-witted donkey, the Prius 10th Anniversary Edition can be yours in Japan for a mere 2,730,000 Yen (£11,700). While, this limited edition Prius stands as little chance of dragging purveyors of bling away from their Hummers, as the Hummer does of becoming the environmentalists weapon of choice, the new features of the 10th Anniversary model go some way toward giving palpable form to the Hollywood cache it has attained since its introduction in 1997 as the first mass-produced hybrid car. I shall however be waiting for the appearance of a track-honed, superleggera, club sport version of the Prius before heading to my local Toyota dealer to put down my deposit.