AR Rewind #9 - Nissan 370Z Convertible

Rewind: This is the ninth in a series of posts where I dive into detail of the work completed for Edmunds InsideLine engagements.

Creative Brief: Scott Oldham contacted me with a very exciting opportunity to render the then-just revealed Nissan 370Z as a convertible. He needed a quick turunaround and there were not yet many 370Z pictures online. Somehow he pulled some strings and procured a camo-protected prototype of the 370Z so I could get some shots of the car to use. For the convertible elements, I initially decided on a Saturn Sky but it was too easy to see that the details were Saturn. I started over with the last generation 350Z convertible as the main donor. With that element settled, significant clean up work was needed on the body and finally recolor the car blue.

Execution Highlights - Front

• Donor pieces for seats, portion of windscreen/a-frame, convertible clamshell, tunneau cover, safety rollbars, badges, and rims all came from a Nissan 350Z
• Custom brushed the removal of tape, camo, and vinyl coverings
• Changed car color to a dark blue trying to keep as much original reflections in the camo flat black paint/covering

Execution Highlights - Profile

• Donor pieces for seats, portion of windscreen/a-frame, convertible clamshell, tunneau cover, safety rollbars, badges, and rims all came from a Nissan 350Z
• Custom brushed the removal of tape, camo, and vinyl coverings
• Updated white driver's side door to match the rest of the body color and added in proper reflections
• Changed car color to a dark blue trying to keep as much original reflections in the camo flat black paint/covering

Final Thoughts: This was my hardest project to date for InsideLine. I made the publish deadline but wasn't happy with the results. I spent another two nights doing more cleanup and color correction. Scott had his team update the images the next day and I was much happier with the final product. A lot of online conversation was generated from the article so I knew we had done a good job in getting this out quickly.

Original Blog Link: First Photos of the 2010 Nissan 370Z Convertible

AR Rewind #7 - Nissan Murano Convertible

Rewind: This is the seventh in a series of posts where I dive into detail of the work completed for Edmunds InsideLine engagements.

Creative Brief: Scott Oldham contacted me regarding a rumor that Nissan was contemplating a convertible version of the Murano. He was interested in exploring the design possibilities for a two-door variant. After some discussions on the aesthetic and conceptual elements, we agreed to draw inspiration from the hoop and boot design of the PT Cruiser Convertible. Additionally, we were uncertain about Nissan's approach to reinforcing the vehicle's structure after removing the roof so we envisioned Nissan using the Chrysler as a benchmark.

Execution Highlights - Front

• Donor convertible pieces for hoop and boot came from a PT Cruiser Convertible
• 2 doors conversion
• Custom fill in of the background and windshield area where the top was chopped

Final Thoughts: This was a really fun project that received quite a lot of laughs when posted on InsideLine's website. Ultimately, Nissan did produce the convertible in a limited series from 2012 to 2014, naming it the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.

Original Blog Link: Future Drop Top: 2011 Nissan Murano Convertible

Thoughts on the 2020 Nissan Z Proto

Personal File: The new Nissan Z Proto just hit the airways this week and it is making quite a stir. It's been a long time since Nissan gave us new a Z - in fact you have to go all the way back to 2009. Much like the GT-R concept shown at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, the finer details of the Z Proto are not yet fully baked, but it does give a good indication of the overall design language, interior concepts, and structure of the vehicle.

Overall the car moves away from the past few generations and favors instead a mix of it's greatest hits. Gone are the bold (overstyled) elements like the boomerang headlights and tail lights and instead feature heavy Fairlady 240Z influences in the front and profile combined with a very miminialist 300ZX style rear end. There is no mistaking this is a Z car and that's a good thing.

Creative Brief: As much as I like the concept car there just aren't enough details in the design. The goal of this triptych was to take what Nissan started with and lay in details with what I hope the real production car might look like when revealed. Some of the highlights include:

Execution Highlights - Front

• Revised headlights from a 2019 Volkswagen Beetle
• Revised grille and lower air dam
• Added front running lights and grill ports on from from a 2017 Nissan GT-R 
• Revised hood and fascia cut lines
• Color-matched pillars to body color

Execution Highlights - Profile

• Revised headlights and tail lights
• Brightwork deleted after B-pillar window
• Color-matched roof and trunk lid to the main body

Execution Highlights - Rear

• Increased size of tail lights
• Added badge on deck lid
• Moved license plate area
• Simplified lower diffuser
• Brightwork deleted after B-pillar window
• Color-matched roof and trunk lid to the main body

Final Thoughts: I was suprised how quickly this one came together and how much better it flows from all angles of the vehicle. The detail bits and bobs were fun to add from the Volkswagen and the GTR as well. What do you think? Did I make it better or worse?

All source photos copyright original owners

Life following art? Thoughts on the new Nissan Murano CrossCabrolet

Personal File: So I was finally going back through my brochures from our annual Chicago Auto Show trip and came back upon the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Having done an early look at what it might have looked like for InsideLine, I was very impressed with what Nissan had actually done with the vehicle.

It seemed to be a hit with the ladies at the show, especially the younger female demographic. This got me thinking, since women influence over 3/4 of all vehicle sales, what if this vehicle concoction takes off? Would other manufacturers take note and start to offer SUV convertibles?

As I was pondering that question, I couldn't help but feel I've already seen this done before in the past. After a bit of digging around, I stumbled upon this old chop I did for a monthly design contest on GMInsideNews about 5 years ago. We were asked that month to chop the 2003 Centieme Concept and I went hog wild with a 2-door retractable hardtop convertible.

Funny how things work out ... I can now compare a 5 year old chop to a real life convertible SUV. Life imitates art or something like that ... ha ha ha

What do you think - should other manufacturers hop on the bandwagon? Would you consider buying a convertible SUV from Nissan, Buick, or any other brand if one was offered? Has Nissan just found their own BMW X6 niche? Time will tell :)

All source photos copyright original owners

Thoughts on the Nissan Juke - Finally!

Personal File: Finally - after a few months of staring at this chop sitting half finished on my desktop, I was able to put together a solid design. The results turned out even better than I had hoped for as there was no way to know where the design would lead.

The original design, when introduced at Geneva in '09 as the Nissan Qazana, was full of crazy design elements yet had some impressive dune buggy qualities to it as well. However as an automotive design fan, in countless times before, watched as a concept model became a watered down for production vehicle. The blade running/turn lights bloated up, the extra details on the grille were removed, along with the cool headlight LED ring treatment. I didn't care for this production look at all and felt compelled to try to "fix" it in some fashion.

After trying to put it all back like the concept, I took a step back and went another way - to make it more truck-like. Traditional headlights, traditional foglights and grille treatments were my focus. With that said, the remaining unaltered design elements seemed to actually flow together better. As a result, I think the Juke feels more like a real Nissan product instead of a one-off design study.

What do you think - better or worse? This time I showed a before and after inside the same picture with a 50/50 split.

All source photos copyright original owners

Murano Convertible Named: 2012 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

From Edmunds InsideLine: We knew that Nissan would be showing a convertible version of the Nissan Murano at the 2010 LA Auto Show. What we didn't know was confirmed today; The upcoming drop-top crossover will be the 2012 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. The Murano CrossCabriolet will be the world's first all-wheel-drive crossover convertible and will seat 4.

Click here to view this article.

All source photos copyright original owners.

---

UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

---

A Nissan Murano MCE inspired by the 2011 Nissan Quest

Personal File: I just saw the newly released images of the production 2011 Nissan Quest and the design is growing on me the more I study the images. I wasn't sold on the Nissan Murano redesign when it came out a few years back but this new corporate face is really starting to come together.

The new Quest inspired me to see what the Murano might look like with a similar front end treatment. With an nip and a tuck and a slightly smaller grille opening, I think the Quest front end works great on the Murano. Proportions are better balanced and there is more design cohesion in front of the vehicle.

What do you think?

All source photos copyright original owners.

The new Nissan Maxima headlights - are they serious?

Personal File: As much as I am impressed with Nissan's new design language established with the 370Z and Maxima, I'm not a big fan of the headlight and tail light design. These so called "boomerang" headlights on the Maxima, for example, look completely alien to me. They are so over styled that I cannot appreciate the rest of the vehicle from any front or side angle.

I couldn't resist the urge to remove the "boomerang" hooks and decided to make some improvements. I think the car is much easier on the eye with these adjustments. What do you think?

Original Photo Copyright Nissan Motors Corporation, USA

First Photos of the 2010 Nissan 370Z Convertible

From Edmunds InsideLine: SANTA MONICA, California — Nissan has yet to officially unveil the all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z coupe, and Inside Line is already providing details on the 2010 Nissan 370Z convertible.

Unlike the Infiniti G37 drop top, which uses a retractable hardtop, the future 370Z convertible will incorporate a power-operated soft top. The fabric top will likely keep the new Z convertible from getting an exorbitant bump in price, and more importantly, will prevent the newly smaller Z from taking on any unnecessary pounds. The new sixth-generation Z cut its wheelbase by approximately 4 inches, so it's necessary for the convertible to keep its weight down.

Click here to view this article.

---

UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

---

Future Drop Top: 2011 Nissan Murano Convertible

From Edmunds InsideLine: SANTA MONICA, California — Nissan is preparing a new addition for its popular Murano crossover lineup, and surprisingly enough, the future SUV will be a convertible.

On the market since 2003, the five-passenger SUV underwent a complete makeover for 2009, and now Nissan is engineering a drop-top version of the latest-generation Murano. Expected to arrive by the spring of 2010, the Murano drop top will be the market's only four-door convertible except for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, whose rugged four-wheel-drive capability is geared toward a completely different audience.

Click here to view this article.

---

UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

---