---
title: "Watch the New Nissan Z Launch Hard"
description: "Once it hooks up, it seriously moves."
date: "2021-11-18"
modified: "2021-11-18"
authors:
  - name: "Peter Holderith"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/peter-holderith"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/43197/watch-the-new-nissan-z-launch-hard"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Nissan News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Coupe"
  - "Nissan"
  - "sports car"
  - "z"
---

# Watch the New Nissan Z Launch Hard

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/11/new-nissan-z-launches-and-its-sick-lead.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The 2023 Nissan Z may not be [entirely new](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37208/heres-video-proof-the-nissan-z-prototype-is-a-370z-underneath>), but there's something about it that makes me forget all that. Actually, I can tell you exactly what it is: [400 horsepower, a manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/42014/2023-nissan-z-the-icon-returns-with-400-hp-rwd-and-a-manual>) If that doesn't sell you on it, I'm not sure I can help you. But I do have [a video](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdC9gpITuww>) in mind that might just do the trick.

Recently, what appears to be [a pre-production Nissan Z](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/39896/this-may-be-the-production-2022-nissan-400z-with-a-factory-ducktail-spoiler>) was spotted by Jeff Collins from the [*B**urnt Rubber*](<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHWTVTg3eKTs_aTeCRxucFg>) YouTube channel in downtown Sacramento. For reasons that will get a little clearer later on, it looked pretty rough; however, that's not all that important here. After [Collins](<https://www.instagram.com/gtr_burntrubber/>) and his friend [Matt White](<https://www.instagram.com/q6_zilla/>) sniffed around the Z a bit and checked out [the interior](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/40087/check-out-the-new-nissan-zs-throwback-blue-interior>) and exterior, the car's driver turned up. He seemed open to giving them a closer look at the car, and when he departed, he launched the automatic Z for all it was worth.

Let's cut to the chase here; the car clearly struggles for traction a bit off the line and driver aids were definitely engaged. Once it hooked up, though, it seriously moved. The new Z is, as previously mentioned, powered by the same 3.0-liter, 400-horsepower V6 found in cars like the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport. [I've driven one of those](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/40602/2021-infiniti-q60-red-sport-400-awd-review-a-preview-of-the-new-z-is-hiding-in-infinitis-lineup>) and let me tell you, the VR30DDTT is almost good enough to redeem Nissan completely. Yes, [even the Sentra.](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/38689/2021-nissan-sentra-review-i-wanted-this-car-to-give-up>) In the lighter Z and with a newer automatic transmission, well, I'm envious of the guy ripping that thing.

https://youtube.com/embed/HdC9gpITuww

As for how the Z was even spotted in the first place, Collins says he and White came across it while they were looking for a place to photograph their cars, coincidentally an Infiniti Q60 and an R35 GTR. The Z driver explained he worked for Nissan and drove the car around to collect data for the automaker's engineers. That's definitely part of why it looks so rough; the car is a test mule. "At that moment we saw the car, the driver was on his lunch break," Collins told *The Drive*. So yes, the only reason it was even parked in the first place was that the driver was on break. Talk about a crazy coincidence.

The car sounds like a Q60, obviously, and that means it sounds good. It would've been nice to see a launch in a stick-shift car—the urge to yank second gear is uncontrollable, for me. However, this is a good start. And if you're keeping score like I am, we now know the new Z sounds good, [looks good,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/42014/2023-nissan-z-the-icon-returns-with-400-hp-rwd-and-a-manual>) and [the price is right.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/42054/2023-nissan-z-will-start-around-40k>) Remind me again [why the Toyota Supra still exists](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/40235/2021-toyota-supra-review-a-former-a70-owner-wonders-who-this-is-for-anyway>)?

If this clip is really getting you excited about this car, you're not the only one. The [new Nissan Z](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/42084/digging-into-some-interesting-nissan-z-details-you-might-have-missed>) is set to arrive at dealers by 2022. Before that happens, though, we'll almost definitely have more Z news to share. Until then, I'll be watching this on a loop.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here**: peter@thedrive.com.*

## Author
Peter Holderith is a former staff writer for The Drive. He enjoys covering the regular news cycle, writing reviews, and hunting down long features on obscure pieces of automotive history.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-h-5ba447192/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/_baldtires>)