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As of last month, Nissan’s signature 370Z sports car has been on the market for an achingly long 11 years without substantial changes. A withering sports car market and lack of investment by Nissan into the Z nameplate made its future look cloudy, though small rays of hope shone through in 2018 when an executive went on the record confirming a successor is in the works. It seems now that the next Z could be nearing, as a handful of Nissan dealers have reportedly been shown concept sketches for the new car.
“They’re going back to the roots of the car,” an anonymous Nissan dealer reportedly told Autoblog, stating that the new Z is roughly 370Z-shaped, and retains the iconic rectangular grille, but features neoclassic styling elements taken from past Zs. Its headlights are reportedly similar to the rounded units seen on the 240Z, whereas its taillights resemble those seen on the 300ZX. The latter model encompassed two generations, known to fans as the Z31 and Z32, of which the Z32 is the more popular car.
Nissan 300ZX
, Wikipedia user OSX, public domain
Nissan 300ZX
, Wikipedia user Mic [CC BY-2.0]
Nissan 300ZX
, Rudolph Stricker, CC BY-SA 3.0
Datsun 240Z
, Nissan via NetCarShowThis next-gen Z (whose numerical prefix is not yet known) will reportedly have an interior whose design mimics those of Nissan’s most recent passenger cars, such as the Sentra and Altima. Infotainment too will allegedly grace the Z at last (for better or worse).
Details of the upcoming sports car’s powertrain were also reportedly shared alongside its conceptual design. It’ll pull a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 from the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport, where it produces 400 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque—respectively 50 and 119 more than the 370Z Nismo generates. Though this engine is only paired with nine-speed automatics at present, a manual option for the Z is reportedly in the cards as well as a Nismo variant whipping up close to 500 horses. Some rumors outline the upcoming Z Nismo as a 475-horsepower car with all-wheel drive and performance rivaling that of the early “R35” GT-R, and Nissan hasn’t yet counted out giving the Z hybrid power.
As Ray Bradbury would say if he were a Nissan Z diehard, something wicked this way comes. Let’s just hope it comes sooner rather than later.
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