Nissan Be-1

 

Nissan Be-1

                                                                                                                          

 

                                                                                                   My 5 speed manual....48,000Kms and currently available for sale                                                                                                            
 Be-1.

1st of the PIKE cars

 

How it all started.

The fact that Nissan manufactured in 1987 a ridiculously small run of 10,000 very strange cars designed by an artist better known for his T shirt designs than anything remotely connected to automobiles is certainly remarkable. Nissan clearly wouldn't have made any financial return on this venture. We know that by 1985 the concept of the Be-1 existed, and that a car had been displayed at the Tokyo Motor show.

Imagine travelling back in time to 1985 and into a board meeting of  HOLDEN Ltd, the makers of the famous Aussie car.  The general business has concluded... the chairman and directors seated around the board table...The Chairman turns to the directors and declares the meeting open for new business.  A director asks to be heard. He proposes that the company design and manufacture a concept car for pure fun.  He proposes that MAMBO design this car and that 2,000 only be manufactured in a specialised factory

The Chairman and the board break into applause, the chairman immediately instructs his secretary to get him Reg Mombassa of Mambo on the line.... 

 

 

                                                                                                Ford mid 90's concept based on the  Nissan PIKE cars...                                   

 

Pretty hard to imagine Ford or General Motors coming out with a range of cars as peculiar as the NISSAN PIKE Cars. 

 The real origins of these cars were strictly commercial. Nissan had lost significant market share to Toyota and Honda from the mid 70's. Primarily this was the youth segment who found that Nissan products had no appeal.  The Nissan Board focused on winning back their lost youth market segment by investing in products that outgunned their rivals.

From here it is easy to understand the creation of the PIKE Cars - starting with the BE-1 and the rapid development of the existing SKYLINE series, along with the other numerous well known high performance variations manufactured by Nissan. The high performance cars chewed up a lot of money in development costs... while a concept car like the Be-1 was relatively cheap to produce - requiring no innovation capital investment. The Be-1 broke the ground for the rest of the Pike Cars.

The Be-1......

A concept car made in small numbers,and the first of a range of very quirky, low volume cars from Nissan.

 

              Code Model BK10.
  Manufactured from January 13th1987 - May 20, 1988.
  Limited amount produced 10,000 cars.

  Nissan assembled a development team of designers and engineers under the age of 30 in 1984 to create a vehicle CHANGE THE TREND...NATURAL AND COMFORTABLE was the brief. Three full scale cars were produced.. A,  B1 and B2.    

 

These cars were exhibited to select foreigners, Nissan employees and young drivers.  "A" was well received by foreign viewers - a modern shape

B-1 was very well liked by the younger age group, B-2 had few admirers. B2 may have also have been referred to as Model C..it was designed by an Italian studio.

B1 was exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show and reaction closely monitored. The reaction was very positive and the crowds loved it. An overwhelming success.

                                                                             

  Notice that the Figaro is complimented by a lady with atittude, Pao you get the sales managers niece, and for the Be-1 you get a picture of a girl on a monitor screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concept "A" and "B"

Conservative managers at Nissan in the early 1980's had great trouble embracing the thought of actually manufacturing a B1...  it would have been a very hard thing for a responsible and conservative board to swallow. At this point manufacture of the B1 was a possibility but only a remote one. Nissan product planning department conducted a very careful and detailed market survey that provided very strong support for the case to take the B1 concept to full manufacture - getting it over the line. The B1 had a job - create a new image for NISSAN.

   

 

 

 

One Part of the BE-1 Market Research Document.   Nissan corporate just didn't wake up one morning and decide to knock out some weird cars because it made them feel sort of warm and fuzzy, and help sell Hello Kitty key rings.     All Pike cars owe their existence to the solid market research conducted in the years between the 1985 TOKYO Motor Show exhibit of the prototype Be-1 and construction. Be-1 laid the foundation for the following cars.These cars took NISSAN somewhere it had to go to achieve financial strength and survival.                       This chart represents AGE against CHARACTER. It indicates personal response to a viewing of proto Be-1 and reflects that the Be-1 is pushing all the right buttons for the targeted demographic.                                                                         

The public literally fell over themselves to place an order... with 6,000 orders in the first two weeks,,,,, 20,000 placed in 8 weeks.


                                                         Produced from the PIKE Factory ( Takada Industry Co Ltd) - hence PIKE cars.....

The PIKE FACTORY in its heyday : Belting out Figaro and Pao

 

 

                                                 Nissan Figaro 1991

          Nissan Pao 1989

 The Suzuki is a Naoki Sakei Water Studio Design..

 

 Sakei went from T Shirts to Be-1's

 
  •  Australian Import approval requirements have worked to keep both the PAO and the Figaro out of Australia, and saved us all from something terrible happening, God bless the dead hand of Governments.  Technically it is possible to import both, but the Howard Government listened to whingeing of some of their mates in the motor trade, and found a way to wring some bucks out the public by licensing imports of post 1988 vehicles. The cost of the licence for the 100 vehicles minimum has seen no one step forward to apply for one for any PIKE....bit late now.
  • All the Pike vehicles are inspired by cars that may be seen in the background of any contemporary European movie of the late 50's - early 60's.  Definately some early SIMCA, FIAT, CITROEN, and MORRIS MINI etc. somewhere in all these cars. Pao and Figaro were far more retro in execution than Be-1
  • Be-1 engine size 998cc, and quoted engine power is identical to the Morris Mini Cooper (1961)
  • Pao had an Indiana Jones inspired grand safari theme. The Figaro had something of an elegant early european1950's shape to it.
  •   Be-1's were mass produced in 1987. The numbers made were limited.  Demand for the Be-1 was unprecedented with 52,000 orders for a production total of 10,000 units. Allocation of the cars produced to would be purchasers, was by a lottery. Lottery success gives a right to purchase  To own a Be-1 in the late 80's was pretty cool.  
Be-1 General Information

Engine is a 998cc 55hp OHC four cylinder, with lightweight aluminium block,10/1 compression.
It is of a modern 3 piece design with crankshaft and bearings supported in cage structure.
Ignition is by points and coil. 
Carburetor is variable, controlled by CPU unit under the passenger seat with inputs from an O2 sensor and exhaust and water temp  All cars appear to be air conditioned.
The rag top roof is electric and was an option - Only about 30% cars had it, but it makes the car. It was made by WEBASTO Japan.
The Nissan March was sold in the UK and Europe. Engine and mechanical parts for Be-1 are available, and not hard to find on line

The BE-1 looks small but don't be fooled, it is MUCH bigger than you would think. The 850 Mini looks are very deceptive - it is in fact quite roomy with comfortable seating for a tall person 

 

The Japanese enthusiast on the other hand would just turf the mechanicals out and replace them with the compound supercharged/ turbocharged Nissan SUPER March GT engine  - which is by and large, is a bolt in job with some intercooler mounting mods required.


 

These cars require a little more consideration in ownership than a normal mass produced model -although they are built with typical Japanese attention to detail they don't stand neglect well.

They are particularly prone to corrosion - ( not as bad as Pao)  around the left rear light..as the body has a series of small ledges that trap water round the light, and often in the door sills. Other problems are wheel bearing failures and steering rack wear - both associated with BIG RIMS....  Third gear slippage in the automatics can be encountered at around 100,000kms. I think the Pao may be more prone to rust than the Be-1.

Stay away from open roof Be-1's if the convertible roof has had its day.  They shrink with age and strong sun and eventually fail to keep the weather out. Second hand replacements are almost non existant in Japan and are priced at about the going rate of a whole car. Crappy lightweight replacements are available but the are truly crap. I would advise that a replacement roof would have to be made by local firms that specialise in this work.

Big Rims

 Standard wheel is 100 pitch circle diameter, 4 stud .... The hub centre is very small...approx 56mm and I think that new BMW mini wheels may be a perfect fit yet to be confirmed.

I have a set of sparko racing 14"rims, and a set off a late model HONDA that I have had machined to fit the Be-1 Hub.

If your after a set of rims, and located on this side of the world let me know..

5 Speed Gearbox

The gearing on the 5speed cars is quite tall.  Round town you'll hardly get out of 3rd.  3rd gear on the auto is about the same as 3rd in the manual so you can see that the 5speed gives the car much longer legs. On the open road 110Kph is under 3,000 rpm.

The manual box is superb...it would be at least the equal best  manual I have used.

  The autos are a lot revier but they are pretty zippy still.   The auto gear ratios are well matched to the engine and you can keep up or beat modern traffic OK.  You need to have 4 Grand on the tacho before you attempt steep hills !   

Spares.

I hold a spare bonnet, a spare auto box, a steering rack, instruments and some accessories here, but can get anything except glass new. Items purchased new by myslef from my source in Japan include engine rings, gaskets, bolts, studs, door rubbers, thermostat, ignition points, water pump, cam belt, rear brake cylinders.    These were all genuine Nissan parts in Nissan packaging.  

Nissan in Australia will supply parts but they charge about 4 times more per item than my supplier.

Air Conditioning

They are all fitted with A/C.  The best place for the A/C is in a box in the garden shed     The compressor, the support bracket and idler tensioner weigh about as much as the engine block.  The engine does not really produce enough power to cope with turning the massive compressor. Running the A/C also appears to put a heavy strain and eventually destroy engine and gearbox mountings. Harsh vibration at idling is a result. New mountings are about $200.

I have turfed the compressor out of my 5 speed with great benefit.... it loses a whole lot of weight off the front end, improving the suspension, handling and general performance.

Accessories

Nissan opened a Be-1 shop in Tokyo during the currency of the vehicle... it was opposite Tiger Seafoods,  just close to the Omotesando Subway, just in case you're ever in the area.... retailing an array of Be-1 stuff from clothing to bedroom nightlights. The list is endless. Actually it did extend to passport holders as well.

A number of items were available specifically for the car. The most common is the "entertainment rack"... a groovy tubular steel rack / console that sits forward of the gear stick - intended to hold serious sound equipment of the era such as your Nakamichi TD1200 deck, amp and equaliser gear.. powering up your B&W parcel shelf speakers.. yeah baby!

2 of my cars had racks fitted - one stolen on the trip over from Japan. I have found one in Japan since to replace it. I have to say they are amazingly heavy.

Compliance

To be registered the cars need to meet the Australian Design Rules for 1987 vehicles.

  • Fitting 2 rear shoulder/sash seat belts.
  • Fitting 2 child seat mounts on the rear parcel shelf.
  • Side intrusion barriers to be mounted in the doors.   These are difficult to fit as the door is not surprisingly, given the hand built nature of the car rather strangely constructed...
                                                                                                                   
Be-1's in Adelaide

 

 Be1 #1...... 

 

Be-1 #2  5 speed manual

Be-1 #3 Auto Canvas Roof _ Sally's car.

Yellow Pao was dismantled for the parts for this Be-1


 

 

This car is being overhauled...replacement steering rack from the Pao, and auto trans. 

 
 

                                                                                  

 

 

For Sale !

 

Superb   Be-1.... Manual 5 speed, 48,000Kms, (♥♥Comes with a Hello Kitty key ♥♥)   + Sparko Racing 14' rims


 


                                                                                    

 Be-1 Engine

I recently replaced piston rings in a Be-1 

The MA 10 engine under the Be-1 bonnet is common to the Nissan March (Japan) and Micra (UK)  Obtaining parts was no problem. I ordered them on line through a Russian Company trading in Osaka.

It helped a lot having the Japanese parts manual and workshop manual. I really needed the parts manual for the smaller items as the on line catalogue only had a description - no illustrations.

With only 4x,xxx Kms on the clock this engine was in good condition, and oil seals and hoses were all still pliable and fresh looking. It had fresh clean coolant as service stickers verified so there was absolutely no corrosion anywhere.

 Putting it back together was straightforward ...  The basic requirement in a job like this is to dismantle parts methodically... undo large items in a correct sequence - ie start from the extreme ends and work your way to the centre in a digonal. Return bolts to the holes they were removed from in a cleaned and dry condition - no oil or grease if they have to be torqued up... to spend time cleaning all gasket faces thoroughly and to Torque down vital parts with care and in correct sequence. Use a quality silicone where you do use one... permatex, locktite, hylomar products

I have a high quality torque wrench which is essential, apart from that, and a ring compressor, basic tools will do the job. If you don't have a ring compressor the tall skinny Heinz soup cans are almost exactly the same size as the MASSIVE pistons (67mm).

 

 

You could have a lovely potato and leek soup and then bung the pistons in using the tin...  I like the idea of edible tools. I used an old english ring compressor last used on a Triumph motorcycle.

I did query the main bearing torque setting quoted in Haynes MICRA manual that I was using...I put a query to Nissan in Japan and had a very prompt and formal reply verifying the figures.

It started straight away when I had it back together, no leaks and a very quiet engine....and has continued to run in a spritely fashion.

Ignition timing on Be-1s

The Japanese Factory Manual gives 15degs BTDC +- 5degs with vacuum line connected. 2degs to -2 degs without vacuum line.

I have mine set at about 10 degs BTDC  vacuum line connected.- this seems to suit the 5 speed with its tall gearing very well.

Removing Radiator

This is not the straightforward job it appears at first glance. The radiator area is very crowded and it is hard to see what retains it at its sides and base.  The radiator is held in at the top by two simple brackets, with 10mm bolts.  As it turns out, the base is simply two pegs on the lower tank located into two rubber grommets set into the chassis..... so it appears that undoing the hoses and the 10mm bolts at the top, and simply giving it a tug should pull it free..... well in my case it did, after far too much pulling.... but this is wrong.

What I couldn't see is that the lower tank has a drain cock and hose..these face forward and are totally invisible, even from under the car.  The drain cock sticks out quite a bit and directly above it is some tinware that directs cooling air towards the radiator. The draincock will hit the tinware and prevent the radiator from moving upwards....I had pulled mine with enough force to twist the drain cock loose in its thread and up, deforming the air duct...very lucky I didn't snap it straight out of the lower tank. I checked the parts catalogue and did an online search for the cost of a new radiator...$800

What needs to be done is to first remove the whole lower grille assembly..... ha ha.. not so easy.   This will be held in by 3 very rusty phillips head srews, that may be impossible to get out.

 


 What A Load of Hot Cock... Drain cock and hose visible with lower grille removed


I used an impact screwdriver and plenty of WD40 to shift mine ..it was the only thing likely to get them moving, and again I was very lucky that this didn't bend or snap off the luggs that hold the screws.If yours are totally siezed drill them out...the front grille must come off.

The drain cock is in full view with the grille out of the way.. the radiator can be drained in a civilised manner and the cock unscrewed for a trouble free exit of the radiator. 

 

 

 

                                     Need technical support or parts ? I can supply factory manuals and parts books and new spares....................

Be-1 original sale brochure and options list


Be-1 concept book is an A3 sized high quality book sold at the Be-1 shop. It contains the whole historical basis and extremely detailed and fascinating market research data that resulted in the production of the Be1.

 Also detailed shots of the individual design elements of the car..and creative images of each colour Be-1