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Naganori Ito

Naganori Ito

NissanDevelopment team member / Development lead

Took over as Skyline chief of development from Shinichiro Sakurai late in the seventh generation's development, and revived the GT-R after 16 years with the eighth generation (R32)

Timeline

  1. 1959

    Joined

    Fuji Precision Industries

  2. 1980
    Leopard 1st generation (F30)
    Leopard 1st generation (F30)

    1980–1986Development team member

    Worked with

  3. 1982

    Chief of development (Prairie, March K10 and others)

  4. 1984
    Skyline 7th generation (R31)
    Skyline 7th generation (R31)

    1985–1990Development leadfrom 1984

    Worked with

    Chief of development, Skyline

  5. 1986
    Leopard 2nd generation (F31)
    Leopard 2nd generation (F31)

    1986–1992Development team member

    Worked with

  6. 1989
    Skyline 3rd generation GT-R (BNR32)
    Skyline 3rd generation GT-R (BNR32)

    1989–1994Development lead

    Still Called GT-X

    Ahead of the launch of the four-door seventh generation (R31), when the full-size two-door model was completed, it wore GT-R badges in the center of the grille and on the tail. Weighing the car's real ability against the weight of the GT-R name, Ito removed the badges from the R31 two-door coupe and renamed it GTS. From that moment he had decided to revive the GT-R with the next car, the R32. He had a development concept for the GT-R by the start of the following year, but in the first half of that year the company fell into its first loss since its founding, and he found it hard to raise. He first presented the development plan to the executives in July of that year, when the R32 was approved for production, but it was still called GT-X. When it was later shown to dealers gathered from across the country, the materials still said GT-X, with output stated as 270 PS or more. The real car secretly displayed there reportedly wore the GT-R emblem. It was the GT-R's return after 16 years, since the Kenmeri GT-R.

  7. 1989
    Skyline 8th generation (R32)
    Skyline 8th generation (R32)

    1989–1993Development lead

    Making up for the disappointment of the R31

    When Ito took over as chief of development, development of the seventh generation (R31) was nearly finished under Sakurai, and the only work Ito actually did, he said, was apply to the Ministry of Transport for certification. Even so, when the R31 was poorly received, as chief of development at its launch he had to hear the criticism from all quarters. To make up for that disappointment, Ito went on to serve as chief of development for the eighth generation (R32) as well, and was directly involved from the early stages of vehicle development.

  8. 2013

    Honorary Director

Connections

Naganori Ito

Naganori Ito

  • Hiroshi Tamura

    Hiroshi Tamura

    Subordinate

    Tamura is described as having learned from Sakurai at Autech Japan and then grown under Ito and Watanabe, who successively headed development of the GT-R.

  • Kozo Watanabe

    Kozo Watanabe

    Subordinate

    Watanabe was assigned to the Third Chassis Design Section of the Third Chassis Design Department in Ogikubo, where Ito was the section manager.

  • Shinichiro Sakurai

    Shinichiro Sakurai

    SuperiorMentor

    In the Second Vehicle Design Section of the Prince division, Ito, as a supervisor under section manager Sakurai, coordinated chassis-related work.

    Ito had been Sakurai's foremost disciple since the Prince days, and when Sakurai fell ill and was hospitalized, Ito took over as chief engineer of the Skyline at short notice.

Profile

From Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture. Graduated from Hiroshima University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1959. Chief engineer of the eighth-generation Skyline (R32). Shinichiro Sakurai's foremost disciple, he took over as chief engineer near the end of the seventh generation's development, and then led the eighth generation from the early stages of its development.

Translated from Japanese sources.

Nissan engineers

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