Not all companies can boast car guys at the top management levels, but Nissan vice president Andy Palmer seems to count himself among that crowd in Nissan's latest Goodwood Festival of Speed video.
That may be strange to hear, given Palmer's apparent distaste for the Toyota 86, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, which he last year described as "mid-life crisis cars". But the Nissan vice-president has enjoyed a long career in the car industry, and recounts his taste for one Goodwood appearance that first piqued his interest when he was younger—Rover's SD1. Sold in the U.S. as the Rover 3500, the SD1 is fondly remembered for its striking looks and V-8 engine, while Palmer notes his taste for the car's rear-drive layout, too.
The Group B Metro 6R4 also takes Palmer's fancy, and notes old-school attributes to cars like Nissan's IDx concept—with low weight, rear-wheel drive, a downsized engine and plenty of fun to drive, it's the sort of car that used to be available across the motoring world. Above all, Palmer hopes that Nissan can one day engineer the sort of cars that catch attention in the same way the cars of his youth did for him—such as the 2020 Vision concept displayed at the show.
He adds that one day, he'd like to see a child at Goodwood finally get a chance to drive up the hill in a car of their dreams, just as Palmer did running up the hill in a Nissan GT-R. For more from the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, head to our dedicated hub.
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