Multiple Japanese manufacturers have been looking to or have revived past nameplates, and Nissan could soon be joining the fray with a modern throwback of its own.
Nissan global product strategy vice president, Ivan Espinosa, told Top Gear a new entry-level sports car could be on the cards to would slot in underneath the GT-R, acting as a stepping stone for younger customers.
Mr Espinosa said that model could be a new Silvia, which he admitted would be a “far-fetched idea” but had the potential to be a popular re-addition to the brand’s sports car lineup.
“A far-fetched idea would be something like a new Silvia positioned [beneath the GT-R] with good enough power at the right price that customers find attractive,” he told Top Gear.
“There’s a lot of Silvia fans everywhere. As soon as I say the name, people start nodding. This is my dream.”
Silvia S12
The Nissan Silvia was introduced in 1965 and produced in seven generations all the way up until 2002, aside from a brief hiatus from 1969 to 1974.
It was a rear-wheel drive sports car and proved to be a popular option as a stepping-stone to the mighty Skyline GT-R.
Its last generation, the S15, was sold in Australia as the Nissan 200SX.
Mr Espinosa previously told media he wants a small, electric sports car to slot in under the Z and GT-R, which, like those full-fat performance cars, would also offer a hot Nismo variant.
That suggested the brand was interested in a coupe or convertible, rather than a hatchback. As the historic Nissan cheap coupe (with convertible options once available), the Silvia nameplate could be an appropriate name for such a car.
Silvia S10
“The chances are there, but in the end, it’s a business, so I need to find ways to make this sort of proposal interesting to the company,” Mr Espinosa told Top Gear.
“Sometimes cars like this do struggle a bit because the audience isn’t that big, but it can work if we find the right idea that can be run everywhere in the world.”
Mr Espinosa was careful to not suggest a new Silvia would be coming, but he did suggest the interest was there if Nissan were to go down that path.
We cannot do these products regionally or as one-offs because it just doesn’t make sense. But there is a chance,” he said.
“It’ll be a challenge, but it’s my job to find ways to do stuff like this because I think it’ll be great for customers and the brand, and if I can put the right formula in place we could make it work.”
IDx Freeflow concept
The last time Nissan previewed a modern Silvia successor was with the 2013 IDx Freeflow and Nismo concepts.
These were two different versions of a small, rear-wheel drive coupe to rival the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins that appeared to pay homage to the iconic Datsun 510/1600. Sadly, it never reached production.
It’s not the first time a classic Japanese sports car has been considered for revival. Honda recently confirmed its new Prelude would be entering production for the European market, while Toyota has previously shown off a possible electric MR2 successor in the form of the FT-Se concept.
Mazda also revealed its Iconic SP concept late last year, which is a rotary-powered, range-extended electric coupe with hints of RX-7 sprinkled in.
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