Nissan Design America Applies Innovative Car Design to Create an Extreme Gravity Racer
GARDENA, Calif.--Aug. 20, 2004--| Nissan Creates Gravity Racer for Competition that Benefits Local Southern California Foster Kids Charity |
Nissan Design America (NDA), known for such cutting-edge vehicles as the 350Z and Titan, has used its automotive design acumen to build a sleek and silent race car, known as the Nissan Gravity Racer. Nissan and five other automotive manufacturers will compete for charity at the fourth annual 2004 Extreme Gravity Racing Series, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2004 at Premier Automotive, 1 Premier, Irvine, Calif. Racing begins at 10:00 a.m.
Nissan's participation in the event supports America Works for Kids, a charity organization founded to provide paying jobs for foster kids as well as help to develop their professional skills and introduce them to the field of car design.
A team of designers from NDA's La Jolla studio sketched out a sleek, 8'x3'x3' aerodynamic racing machine built strong enough to compete on the 75-foot wooden ramp and 200-foot straightaway. After months of concept work and design renderings, designers built the lightweight Nissan Gravity Racer composed of carbon-graphite tubing and covered with a translucent canopy, leaving nothing hidden on the frame, including the computer-generated CNC milled aluminum knuckles. In an innovative approach, the racer features wheelchair racing wheels complete with smooth bicycle tires inflated to 160 psi to optimize rolling resistance and reduce friction.
According to Ray Devers, NDA color designer and lead manager on the Gravity Racer project, Nissan was eager to participate in the event as a means to support the foster kids program and to take advantage of a chance to create something unusual.
"We always look for opportunities to participate in design projects that will enhance our creativity and give us an opportunity to think outside the realm of traditional automotive design," Devers said. "As creators at Nissan, we constantly look to bring design elements into our work from all facets of life -- from furniture to camping trailers to race cars."
Original design renderings of the Nissan Gravity Racer and merchandise will be sold at the event to support inspirational training workshops for the foster kids. In addition, Nissan has donated a second model to America Works for Kids to auction off at a later date.
"While the Nissan design team hopes for a victory this weekend," said Tom Semple, NDA president. "We all agree that the real winners are the kids. The team had a lot of fun designing and building the racer, and we hope that all the youngsters involved come away excited and inspired about design, teamwork, and the process of creating something new."
In addition to the design of the Nissan Gravity Racer, NDA recently expanded its design canvas to include furniture. In keeping with Nissan's forward-thinking, cutting-edge design, Nissan was the first automotive manufacturer to create and exhibit two unique living environments at the 2004 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York last May. The exhibit featured contemporary furniture elements such as the Living Cube, an 8 cubic foot lounging space with seating built into the structure's walls, built-in digital music and projection screen; an integrated chess board made of felt and acrylic materials; and a teabag shaped Tea Light made of silicone.
Other non-automotive designs created at NDA include laptop computers, vacuum cleaners, a speed yacht and day-care furniture.
About Nissan Design America
Nissan Design America (NDA), with studios in La Jolla, Calif. and Farmington Hills, Mich., works to create designs that are both exciting and intelligent. Nearing completion of a significant expansion of its automotive design studios in Farmington Hills, Mich., NDA will nearly triple in size and enhance the capabilities of the facility. The expanded Farmington Hills studio adds to the global design capabilities of Nissan, which in addition to La Jolla, has studios in London and Atsugi, Japan.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusa.com.
