First Look Inside Nissan Gallery Yokohama

Last week we mentioned that Nissan was opening a gallery at their recently relocated headquarters now in Yokohama. The grand opening was on Monday, and here are some photos of the new digs.

Carlos Ghosn sure likes to move things around. First Nissan USA from Los Angeles to Tennessee, now Nissan Japan from Ginza to Yokohama. Truthfully though, the new gallery is much bigger and more modern. We once got a rare peek behind public lobby at Ginza and from what we could see it was a stark contrast to the gleaming white showroom (no photos were allowed). The architecture was straight 1960s concrete corporate beehive, colorless hallways artificially illuminated by so much florescent lighting you could practically hear it buzzing. The new building’s exterior boasts extensive use of glass and is designed to evoke a clipper ship.

These appear to be scale design study models, with a Datsun 1500 Fairlady Roadster in the foreground. These are located in the Heritage Corridor, a permanent space where cars from the private Zama Warehouse Heritage Collection (see JNC #3) will be displayed on a rotating schedule. The old showroom in Ginza wasn’t quite large enough for that.

This wall shows the evolution of the Datsun and Nissan logo, starting with the leaping hare hood ornament from back in the 30s. The original company name, DAT, can also mean leaping or fast hare.

The Nissan Gallery will also have a boutique where you can buy all sorts of Nissan goods – clothes, stickers, diecast cars, keyrings and more.

The gallery is within walking distance of Yokohama station.

UPDATE: Click here for Tom’s opening day report in the JNC forums.

[Images: Nissan]