2009 Nissan Pathfinder S on 2040-cars

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Nissan Safari police truck a sort of A-Team van from Japan

Television today might be at one the best points in the medium's history with shows like Mad Men, Louie, True Detective and streaming offerings like House of Cards. However, none of those come close to the number of car chases and explosions of '70s and '80s offerings like Charlie's Angels, The A-Team or The Dukes of Hazard. Apparently, this prevalence of action at the time wasn't just an American phenomenon. In Japan, a show called Seibu Keisatsu fulfilled the nation's need for shootouts and stunts.
Nissan was a major sponsor of the show, and therefore the brand's vehicles were used extensively, including a highly modified Nissan Safari SUV (also known as the Nissan Patrol), pictured above. In the show's lore, it was equipped with radar, a camera and a fire extinguisher capable of turning over a car. The series ran 236 episodes from 1979 to 1984, and with the trailer below as indication, that allowed time for plenty of car jumps and explosions.
The entire Seibu Keisatsu series is now coming out in Japan on DVD and Blu-Ray packed in a fake gun case. The trailer below shows off some of the action of the series. It all starts out normal enough, but about a minute into the video there are all sorts of Nissans jumping and crashing. Plus, there is a guy on fire in a shootout. This show looks like some seriously cheesy fun. Scroll down to get a taste of it.

Nissan Patrol modified for backseat drivers

The McLaren F1 is most famous for holding the production-car top-speed record for over a decade, but it also made a name for itself by being one of the only production cars with a central driving position, a feature that's extremely rare. But in the world of custom cars, anything can happen. We're not sure if Dubai-based shop King of Customs was inspired by McLaren or is poking fun at backseat drivers (perhaps the builder or the commissioner just has quite the imagination), but its custom fifth-generation Nissan Patrol (the foundation of the Infiniti QX80 in the US) sports utility vehicle takes the term "central-driving position" to the next level. In the Patrol's case, "central" means that the driver's seat and controls are located in the second-row seating area.
It's a pretty clean conversion - if pointless - and we have to wonder how safe it is to drive such a vehicle. The front seats are now passenger seats, and the front airbags have been taken out and replaced with screens, according to King of Customs' Facebook page. So if the driver's view outside is impaired and the SUV is involved in a crash, you'd better hope nobody is up front. The screens on the backs of the front-seat headrests at least provide views from the side-view mirrors via cameras, the shop claims.
Watch the video below, marvel at the extreme impracticality of it all and see the thing drive.

Chip shortage will hit Nissan, Suzuki and Mitsubishi in June

TOKYO — A global chip shortage is forcing Nissan and Suzuki to temporarily halt production at some plants in June, sources with direct knowledge of the plans told Reuters on Friday. Nissan will idle its factory in Kyushu, southern Japan, for three days on June 24, 25 and 28, while making production adjustments during the month at its Tochigi and Oppama plants in Japan, three sources said. Nissan will also temporarily halt production of some of its models at its Mexico plant, they said, declining to be identified because the plan is not public. "A global shortage of semiconductors has affected parts procurement in the auto sector. Due to the shortage, Nissan is adjusting production and taking necessary actions to ensure recovery," a Nissan spokeswoman said. Suzuki will idle its three plants in Shizuoka prefecture from three to nine days, two sources said, also declining to be identified because the plan is not public. The plan "has not been confirmed," a Suzuki spokesman said, explaining that while the carmaker gave its provisional production plan to auto part makers, it is still making adjustments to minimize the impact of the chip shortage. Elsewhere, Mitsubishi will reduce production by 30,000 vehicles in total in June at five plants in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, a spokeswoman said, adding that the impact has already been factored into its earnings outlook for the current fiscal year. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Plants/Manufacturing Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki