The Nissan Z family is one of the most instantly recognizable sports car families in the entire auto industry. The line has been going since the 1960s, and over the years, we've seen some truly great and some not so great icons. Nissan took a gamble on the Z cars when they started selling them under the Datsun name in the 1960s in North America, but they did indeed take off, and every succeeding generation of Z made it to the US and Canada as well.
The last Z car we saw was the 370Z, which was on sale for well over a decade, and is one that every enthusiast should drive. By 2021, it started feeling outdated, old, and simply not up to snuff when compared to the competition. Nissan did tease a new Z car beginning in 2020, and after a prototype and various promises, we finally got a new Z car for the 2023 model year. Simply called the Z this time, it extracts 400 hp from a twin-turbo V6 engine, and its styling is retro, but modern and refreshing at the same time. Almost all previous Z generations received a convertible variant, so what would a new Z Roadster look like? Exclusively for HotCars, digital artist Rostislav Prokop has imagined a car rendering to fit this concept.
What Could A Z Roadster Look Like?
Over the past few decades, Nissan has offered various types of convertible variants of its Z cars. The Z31 of the 1980s had T-tops and a targa roof option, whereas the Z32 and the following generations were all conventional soft-top convertibles. Artist Rostislav Prokop envisions the Z Roadster as a classic, two-seat roadster with a semi-targa roof and a tonneau cover that takes inspiration from the likes of the Porsche 911 Speedster, which spelled the end of the 991 production line.
The rest of the design remains the same as the regular Z. That, in itself, has been quite controversial and quite the talking point for a lot of enthusiasts. The retro influences are definitely noticeable, like the rectangular grille, the rounded headlights, and the oval-shaped taillight groups that also made appearances on older Z cars. Still, it's very distinctive and easily recognizable as a Z car, you wouldn't confuse it for something else.
What Would Power A Z Roadster?
Even though a roadster variant would be cool, it's safe to assume that this version would inherit an identical powertrain to that of the hardtop. That means a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 developing 400 hp, which Nissan pulled straight from the short-lived Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400. It was this horsepower figure that lead to so many speculations about the new Z adopting the name "400Z." This power figure is a healthy boost when compared to the 370Z's 3.7-liter naturally aspirated V6, which delivered 332 hp. The new Z's twin-turbos should also make the engine more responsive, as well as quicker off the line. The Roadster would most likely also offer the same two transmission options, a six-speed manual and a nine-speed automatic.
Great on Nissan for offering a manual transmission even when they're a dying breed. The Roadster's folding roof would most likely be power-operated, and it would store away under this intricately-styled tonneau cover with two humps behind the seats. These humps would also house the car's roll-over protection in some sort of neat way. Of course, an open-top Z would allow you to enjoy the V6 sound even more than normal. The Roadster certainly adds a cool design flair to it, with the seamless glass area wrapping around the cabin and the double hump design on the tonneau cover.
Could We Ever See A Nissan Z Roadster?
Nissan still hasn't confirmed anything about a Z Roadster going into production, but we'd love to see it. Soft-top sports cars are still around, and if the automakers behind them are still finding them viable, then Nissan could totally put together something like this.
Although the regular Nissan Z hasn't hit showroom floors yet, although order books are open, we would expect to see a Z Roadster at some point in 2023, for the 2024 model year. If it does happen, it will be one of the only cars in the segment to offer a convertible option, and that certainly works in its favor.