April this year is a festive time for fans of Nissan and Infiniti. Factory-supported heritage parts, restomod kits, and more are on the way. This is the outcome when fans suddenly fill key executive roles.
In Yokohama, Japan, Ponz Pandikuthira, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, shared exclusively with The Drive on the newest episode of The Drivecast that the company is launching into the heritage parts and restomod sector at an “industrial level.”
Check out the full discussion starting when Pandikuthira makes your day below.
It’s well-known that I have a blue-on-blue 1990 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 parked in my garage right now. When I detailed to Pandikuthira the struggle of sourcing parts, even when OEM parts are available, and the ordeal it took to acquire new mufflers, the executive quickly disclosed what many classic Nissan and Datsun enthusiasts have long wished for.
Pandikuthira replied, “Listen, Joel, give me about six to twelve months, and I’ll connect you with someone who will directly assist with this at an industrial level. That’s all I can disclose right now. There is indeed someone working on this through Nissan, who we’ve purposefully set in place; he’s currently gathering information on how this can be accomplished at an industrial level. He’ll address exactly what you’re discussing.”
When I clarified that this implies heritage parts returning to production to support enthusiast vehicles, Pandikuthira nodded affirmatively and added, “Along with doing restomod-style builds.”
Pandikuthira remarked, “Many other brands are doing this, and we haven’t excelled in that area.”
This is accurate. Toyota began down this road in 2022 and has been experimenting with some new AE86 engine components. Honda is launching a program of its own featuring NSX heritage parts. Now it’s Nissan’s turn.
“We won’t be just dabbling. We’re stepping into an actual facility capable of this work, collaborating with various tuners, and making the parts accessible. So this person, who has experience in making these things happen and a motorsports background, is working on it. And once significant progress is achieved, I’ll put you in contact,” Pandikuthira stated.
Earlier in the conversation preceding this discussion, Pandikuthira said, “Who knows, we might even roll out a Datsun kit for enthusiasts wanting to convert the original Z into its original Datsun version from back in the day with the genuine Datsun logos. I believe that could be quite a profitable business, Joel.”
Indeed.
As the owner of a 36-year-old 300ZX with blue plastic components, I say let’s do it; I can’t wait, and please ensure the availability of the plastic retainer clips for the rear sunshade. I only have one or two left on hand.
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