Last year SuperGT team owner Masahiro Kondo bought a clean but tired 1984 Nissan March. He then handed the car over to students at Nissan Technical College, who brought it back to show-level quality. It was unveiled at last weekend’s Tokyo Auto Salon, and drew some surprise visitors to Nissan’s booth — namely, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda and Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe.
As we explained back when the restoration began, the reason Kondo, a man who has raced Nissan Skyline GT-Rs and Porsches at Le Mans, decided to get a 40-year-old economy hatchback was because of a personal connection. Before he quit showbiz to fully immerse himself in the world of motosport, Kondo was a teen celebrity.
At 17 he had a number one album and when Nissan debuted the original March, Kondo became the car’s spokesperson. Kondo’s nickname was Matchy, so the K10 became known as Matchy’s March.
Kondo parlayed the endorsement into a full-fledged racing career, with seats at Le Mans, in JGTC, Super Taikyu, and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Nissan even created a Group 5 March race car for him.
As a SuperGT team owner, Kondo helped foster younger generations of petrolheads, often plucking interns for his race team out of Nissan Technical College. So it was only natural for him to turn over his K10 March to the students.
At the time the restoration was announced the red March was described as cosmetically mint, but as students delved into the project they realized the body was covered in tiny dings, 107 in all. Each one was painstakingly repaired, and the new paint used Nissan’s “scratch shield” finish typically reserved for its premium cars.
The March was a 3-speed automatic, but Kondo wanted to drive a manual, so students found a white donor car to swap in a 5-speed. All mechanical parts were overhauled, and students even modified the wheels’ center caps to reach “Match” in the font of the original “March”.
The finished product was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, where Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa presented the car. Kondo and the students who helped with the restoration were also on hand. Kondo thanked them, while the students spoke about the experience gleaned and how they hope to use it in the future.
However, the biggest surprise came when Akio Toyoda and Honda Racing’s Koji Watanabe stopped by the Nissan booth to see the March. Along with Espinosa and Kondo, the quartet of car-loving execs smiled and chatted as they walked around the car, observing the hard work of the students. Photos of the rival execs joyfully checking out a decades old hatchback went viral on Japanese social media.
When it comes to a passion for cars, true car guys in the business know that is hard to find in an automotive world increasingly hostile to enthusiasts. Seeing them get excited about the restored March like dudes at a car meet was heartwarming to say the least.
As for the March itself, Kondo says it will now tour the country, making stops at various Nissan dealerships along the way. Its celebrity connection will be a big draw, but the March itself was an unexpected sales success for Nissan, moving a single month’s sales projection in the first 10 days of release. It wasn’t necessarily an gearhead’s car, just one that many people will remember owning, or will know someone who did.
We suspect the March will elicit many a smile across Japan. But whether those smiles come from casual onlooker or an exec with ungodly influence over the auto industry, a well executed project can turn us all into giddy car enthusiasts alike.
Images: Nissan Technical College, Tokyo Auto Salon
