Nissan’s long-awaited 370Z successor, which may be called 400Z, is on public roads today. Little new is hiding under the camouflage material. That’s good, because no news is good news in this case.
In 2021, traditionally minded car enthusiasts are grasping a few scarce automotive straws that still offer classic values such as a large petrol engine, a two-door coupe shape and, if possible, a manual gearbox. If those cars have a somewhat manageable price tag, they come from Japan remarkably often. That is the reason that the Toyota Supra, Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ are often received with cheers.
That is certainly the case in the US, where these types of cars are not yet doomed to a life in the shadows thanks to a tax system that by definition prices them out of the market. Nissan would like to expand the range with the successor that the 370Z has been ready for so long.
The car was already presented in the autumn under the name Nissan Z Proto. The model explicitly harks back to the beginning of Nissan’s Z-series and goes into production virtually unchanged. That was already apparent from these images, but it shows again today. The difference between the ‘prototype’ and the production version is really in details such as slot holes, parking sensors and other necessary inconveniences.
Twin Turbo V6
Under the skin, we expect a solid twin-turbo V6 that may deliver about 400 hp at the rear wheels. That would immediately be a nice link to the name that is whispered, ‘400Z’, although the number in the type name previously indicated the cylinder capacity. The engine is linked to a manual six-speed gearbox or a nine-speed automatic transmission, which can of course also be operated via paddles on the steering wheel.
Interestingly, our experts expect the car to be available from around $ 35,000 in the US. This would make it considerably cheaper than the Toyota Supra, which is logically seen as a major rival. In that case, Nissan will probably have a success number in its hands, but the chance that the car will also be sold in the Netherlands seems unfortunately small at the moment.