After a gap of 12 long years, we finally have a new Z. Impressively, it's unveiling also marks 50 years of the legendary Fairlady Z, the car that started it all. Back in the days, the original Fairlady Z, or the Datsun 240Z as it was first called, was the dream of Nissan’s U.S. chief, Yutaka Katayama. He wanted to make a halo sports car for the American market that was fun, beautiful, and accessible.
Yutaka was initially inspired by Toyota's 2000GT, leading to the inception of a beauty that is referred to as the true-blue Japanese muscle car. Fast forward to 2021, the new Nissan 400Z has its roots in the Fairlady. For those who are familiar with the iconic design language of the 204Z, the new Nissan Z Proto will instantly take you on a nostalgic trip and make you awe at how Nissan manages to inculcate the past into the future.
It comes in as the much-needed replacement for the aging Nissan 370Z which has had a valiant yet tiring run. Nissan hasn't actually confirmed the final naming of its Z successor, but we believe it to be called the 400Z. It takes the spotlight here because when automakers are constrained on funding and are sorting to collaborations to bring back icons, Nissan has managed to do it single-handedly.
The Nissan Z Pronto is a near-production concept of the much-anticipated next Z car, supposedly packing a twin-turbo V6 and a confirmed 6-Speed stick-shift.
Nissan 400Z Will Cost $45,000
The 2021 Nissan 400Z is expected to start from $45,000 for its base trim, thus putting in in the leagues of Toyota Supra, BMW Z4, and Audi TT. The higher Premium and Track trims are expected to come in at $48,000 and $50,000 respectively. And to top it all, the Nismo Z will come in at around $54,000.
If the Nissan Z does come out in this bandwidth, it will downright slaughter the likes of Toyota Supra and eat on it all day long as for a cheaper price-point you will be getting a more powerful and "original" machine. Moreover, its price-point is easily justified with luxury, iconic styling, and most importantly that good old stick-shift which is very hard to come by even in sports coupes.
Nissan 400Z Will Come With A Traditional Six-Speed Manual Gearbox And A V6
The powertrain layout is also another reason for the ongoing buzz. If reports are to be believed, then the new Z will pack the same engine that is used in the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport. The 3.0L VR30DTT unit is a Twin-Turbocharged unit pumping out 400 hp and 350 lb-ft which actually rings a lot of bells. This is why the focus on its speculated "400Z" nameplate is more concrete. But this unit would most likely be used in the Nismo Z and the lower ones will get a detuned engine for a more efficient ride.
It's impressive for a $45,000 car to come packed with a Twin-Turbo V6, but what's even more impressive, is the fact that it will come coupled to a 6-Speed Manual Gearbox. A 7-Speed Automatic is also going to be offered for those who are not so keen for the stick-shift (which we highly doubt). A sports coupe, RWD layout, and good old manual is certainly characteristic of a nostalgic and legendary Z nameplate.
Takes Inspiration From The Original Nissan Fairlady Z
It's impressive how a 50-year-old design was still able to stand up to the modern terms and fare beautifully in inculcating onto a modern canvas. The new Z's design language is not to everyone's liking for obvious reasons, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the silhouette is retained and would make any grown man drool down the memory lane.
The rear can be more related to the Datsun 240Z 's design but Nissan has gone forth and modernized the front fascia. But apart from the 240Z, the new Z also takes inspiration from other icons from the 90s like Z32-Gen 300ZX. The retro angled rear "Fairlady" badging is a very neat touch and goes rather well for a retro fusion.
Simple, Modern, And Driving Focused Interior
The Interior layout of the Nissan Z Proto has been given a very modern uplift and was showcased in a production-ready guise. Expect all of the cues to be retained in the final production model and it looks minimal, functional, and well in line with a fun car's definition. It shares a lot of components with other Nissan offerings as well.
These include air-con vents, toggles, and switches. The new bits on the inside are it's two fully digital screens, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and possibly an 8-inch center infotainment screen. It will also carry a slew of upmarket elements like leather upholstery and power-adjustable seats among them to justify the asking price.
This Neo-Retro Z Hits The Right Nostalgia Cords
Sometimes, you don't have to try very hard to win someone over as looks alone can do it. We must say that it's true for the upcoming Nissan 400Z. The designers have gone in deep for designing this particular Nissan so that it could hit the right cords for people of all ages.
For the last generation, it's all nostalgic and for the millennials, it will be fun to drive a sports car that their predecessors will whole-heartedly agree to. Nissan has a clear winner on their hands and with the manual gearbox, the competition should be at work.
It is expected to launch in early 2021 as a hard-top coupe and a convertible model might also join in later to make things tough for the BMW Z4.
Sources: Nissan.com, Caricos.com, Caranddriver.com, Usa.nissannews.com