Nissan Hints at Retro-Styled 370Z Replacement With Trademarked Throwback Logo
Here’s to hoping it’ll also retain a manual transmission option.
The Nissan 370Z is long overdue for a replacement, and though the rumor mill is churning away furiously, there aren’t many confirmed details on the new car. There have been few leaks, and even fewer pieces of convincing info. However, the latest update comes from a trademark that Nissan filed in Canada for a retro-styled “Z” logo, likely reinforcing the expected throwback ethos for the upcoming sports car.
Back in January, we reported on the upcoming Z car and noted then that the new model could mark a return to retro styling. This new logo, if legitimate, adds weight to that speculation. Its sharper design and diagonal slash both harken back to the “Z” that adorned the hoods of the original Datsun line, which still resonates with enthusiasts today.
Still, it’s hard to say exactly what this will entail. The low-slung, two-door, front-engined sports car design is fairly classic as is, though Nissan may have found a way to incorporate its heritage into the forthcoming Z.
Regardless, Nissan says it’ll be worth the wait. We’d hope so, given the fact that the 370Z has gone fundamentally unchanged throughout its 11-year production run. Speculation now centers on how it will look and perform, though most expect that the new model will sport some variation of Infiniti’s 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 making as much as 400 horsepower. The Z will reportedly retain a manual transmission option, though the Infiniti engine is currently only paired with a nine-speed automatic.
Whether the new logo makes it into production or not has yet to be seen, but all signs are pointing to an exciting car when it finally hits the streets. We hope Nissan’s design will come close to the rumors that are floating around, but at the rate everything’s going, we won’t know until year’s ends at the soonest.
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h/t: MotorTrend