Upcoming Nissan Z Nismo Could Boast 414 HP, Aero From GT4 Racer
Instead of a big power bump, the Nissan Z Nismo could get chassis, suspension, and brake upgrades for sharper handling.
Earlier this month, a prototype Nissan Z Nismo was spotted in Arizona, per a NissanZclub.com report, showing off a camouflaged test mule with a few aerodynamic upgrades over the standard car. It's obviously impossible to fully know what sort of changes were made under the skin but this report from Best Car indicates that it could borrow some know-how from the Nissan Z GT4 racer.
This new report seems to confirm much of what we saw from the spy photos a month ago. Aerodynamically, it gets a new rear spoiler, a new front wing, a wider rear bumper with integrated dual exhausts, and a new horizontal bar in the front grille. The prototype was seen with seemingly larger wheels than the 19 inchers from the stock Z and Best Car seems to confirm that, saying it will have 20s. It's also said to have a 100mm wider front bumper, possibly to accommodate the wider wheels.
Under the skin, the Nissan Z Nismo could get chassis, suspension, and powertrain tuning from the GT4 race car. While there are no specifics just yet, a lower, stiffer suspension is expected. The aforementioned spy photos show off larger front brake calipers, too. So a brake upgrade is likely.
As for the powertrain, don't expect too much of a performance boost. According to Best Car, Nissan is more focused on refining the power delivery and turbo boost, to make the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 more responsive. Power could be bumped to around 414 horsepower, from the standard 400 horsepower. Transmissions are said to remain the same, so expect a six-speed manual and a nine-speed automatic.
Pricing is still up in the air, though Best Car feels it could cost around 8.5 million yen (around $62,000). The base Nissan Z in the U.S. starts at $41,015, so that seems like a realistic price for a Nismo version. Unfortunately, we likely won't find out until at least later this year. Nissan was rumored to reveal the Nismo version this summer but production delays for the standard Z may have pushed it back to either late 2023 or maybe even sometime in 2024.
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