Nissan 400Z Revealed
The elusive new Nissan 400Z has been photographed in a recent Nissan patent filing with IP Australia, the first look at what the production model will look like. These images appeared on newnissanz.com.
Details about the new 400Z have been sketchy at best. My contacts have been sworn to secrecy, and haven’t divulged any information whatsoever, other than to let me know that it wouldn’t be a first or second quarter launch and to hold off on any requests to see much less drive one.
What has been said, according to Car & Driver, is that the 400Z will come with a twin-turbo V6, borrowed from the Infiniti Q60 most likely, with a six-speed manual transmission. Although the 400Z is expected to have all the amenities of a modern sports car, including a center stack loaded with an infotainment system, we can’t help but yearn for a more simplified version, one with round, analog gauges that mirror the Zs of old, where the emphasis is on performance, instead of all the latest gizmos and tech wizardry available to Nissan.
Price? Well, speculation is that the 400Z will be in the same range as the Supra. As much as we enjoyed driving a 350Z convertible, if it will make the coupe lighter not to design it with structural reinforcement for a ragtop, we’d opt for that. One body style should work for all, and the number of convertibles sold each year, and among sports cars, should attest for it.
[Images: newnissanz.com]
With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.
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From the front, I can see a lot of the original Z. Of course I bet this thing will be about double the width of that car but I still overall like it.
I'm so old and crusty, I'm actually a Datsun guy, so I want Nissan to do well, but... This thing will sell in the dozens. Reviewers will be cruel to it, but the real problem is that there's no prestige in a Nissan. Folks who spend semi-big on a sports car are trying to impress others. The new Z will be fine, but I'm surprised Nissan is bothering, given its current woes.