Concept Car of the Week: Nissan Nails (2001)

Japan's unique culture and lifestyle provides a fertile environment for some of the strangest ideas to blossom. The oddly named Nissan Nails is one of these eccentric concepts that shows typical Japanese thinking.

Halfway between Gundam and a Pokemon, it was designed in Creative Box. This Nissan-owned studio is based in the heart of Tokyo and uses its buzzing location to provide advanced design proposals. This one clearly takes inspiration from the streets of the Japanese capital and the inhabiting fauna. The brief for the project was "Booster" but internally designers called it the "Pocket Rocket".

The paradoxical urban pick-up truck is based on a simple flat platform stretching the entire length of the car. At the front, the cabin is formed by two A-shape arches leaving the remaining space as the load bed. The skeleton is partially surrounded by specially treated scratchproof body panels finished in bright blue.

Unlike conventional pick-ups, the load bed is placed in between the wheels rather than above. As a result, it is much easier to load and unload large objects such as surfboards or bikes. The soft rear partition between cabin and rear deck is made of tough, waterproof fabric that can be unzipped, rolled up and maintained by hooks and fasteners. The flat floor connecting the bed and the cabin makes it easy to carry long items.

A thin translucent mask floats over the headlamps looking like trendy protective goggles, while also revealing parts of its mechanicals. At the back, the side rails provide both support for the load and rigidity for the platform. The wheels have been designed to appear solely made of rubber, and are flanked with a thin blue ring matching the body.

Inside you can find the same minimalist but functional approach such as the theme from the wheels applied again on the steering wheel. All the elements of the IP are mounted on the curved crossbeam, which visually lightens the interior. The "comb-frame" driver seat is fixed and the passenger seat extends sideways from the driver's seat to create a wide bench.

The driver could dock his phone in a pocket on the dash to sync it with the car. He would then be able to have conversation with multiple friends and even check their pictures. A large screen in the centre of the dashboard looks like a 1969 TV set, but displays all the contacts and driving information. Way before the explosion of social media, the Nails offered maximum connectivity and radical thinking as to what Japanese youth aspired to. 12 years later, it is still a valid proposal.

Length 4,250mm
Width 1,720mm
Height 1,470mm
Wheelbase 2,580mm
Engine 1,497cc, I4 DOHC
Power 105bhp
Transmission FWD
Presentation 2001 Tokyo Motor show

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet