Nissan Z NISMO previewed
New NISMO-built Z race car hints at production model, with more power, more grip, more downforceNISMO has unveiled a new race car that could provide some hints at what to expect from a hotter Nissan Z coupe to battle the upcoming Toyota Supra GRMN.
Nissan’s motorsport arm, NISMO, revealed the sleek vehicle via Instagram on the weekend, showing off a lower, brawnier-looking Z-car complete with bonnet vents, race-spec wheels and tyres, upgraded brakes and a rear wing.
It appears to be very similar to the race-spec Nissan Z that was spotted at the Okayama International Circuit in Japan last month.
While Nissan has not officially confirmed a motorsports-inspired Z to replace the previous-generation Nissan 370Z NISMO, execs at the company have previously stated they’re actively considering a high-end version of the rear-drive Z sports coupe.
Hiroshi Tamura, the Chief Product Specialist for GT-R and NISMO, put it this way: “This answer is why not… for me, if customers strongly request for the NISMO grade, why not?”.
The lightweight race car will make its debut at the Fuji 24-hour race in Japan over June 4-5, when it will be subjected to a full day of non-stop, at-the-limit racing.
NISMO says it will “explore the possibility of using the new Nissan Z in various motor sports categories, and in order to obtain actual battle data”, suggesting this is a shakedown to decide where to best race it in future.
Although no technical details have been revealed, it’s almost certain the new Nissan Z’s VR30DETT 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 has been fettled by NISMO’s spanner men.
The bonnet vents suggest the powertrain will be running a little hotter and harder, so it should produce more power and torque than the standard Z’s 298kW/475Nm outputs to deliver improved acceleration and top speed.
NISMO has plenty of scope to tune the Z race car as it will compete in the ST-Q class, an experimental class in the Fuji 24-hour race, with no hard and fast regulations. Given that Toyota entered a Corolla hatchback race car powered by hydrogen in the ST-Q class last year, NISMO could really go to town with performance.
The Nissan Z production car’s six-speed manual (or nine-speed automatic transmission) is likely to be swapped out for a race-hardened sequential gearbox while the standard car’s interior has been stripped out and replaced with a roll cage.
The new 2022 Nissan Z coupe was originally set to arrive in Australia from mid-2022 but its local launch has now been pushed back to the second half of 2022.
Pricing for Nissan’s answer to the Supra has not yet been confirmed, but it’s tipped to undercut the Toyota (from $87,303) with a starting price of around $70,000.
Images - https://www.instagram.com/nismo_jp_official/
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