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2023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400, Family Feud Is Exciting

The Z car goes a long way back. Nissan rolled out its first-generation Z in 1969, then slowly but steadily improved the breed with larger engines, forced induction, and so forth. Codenamed Z33, the fifth generation was a huge departure from its predecessors due to its Front Midship platform.
2023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 9 photos
Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube
2023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 4002023 Nissan Z Drag Races Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400
Introduced by the V35-series Infiniti, this antiquated vehicle architecture is used for quite a few applications to this day, including the R35, which features a unique version of the Front Midship dubbed Premium Midship. The 350Z-replacing 370Z carried over the FM, and Nissan couldn’t have replaced the 370Z with the all-new Z without said vehicle architecture.

The all-new Z, alas, isn’t an all-new car under the redesigned bodyshell and interior. On the other hand, there’s no denying it’s the nicest-looking Z in a long time, and it’s the most powerful Z built around this platform.

It could have been a little better, though. Chief engineer Hiroshi Tamura indirectly admitted to this in a recent interview, noting that minor suspension changes had to suffice in order to keep the costs low. That’s why the twin-turbocharged Z fails to beat the single-turbo GR Supra on the track, and the BMW-sourced I6 engine of the Toyota-branded rival also happens to be quite a bit more tunable than the 3.0-liter V6 of the Z.

The VR30DDTT isn’t a new design either, with Nissan rolling this mill out in December 2015. Its first application was the Infiniti Q50 four-door luxury sedan, followed by the coupe-styled Q60 a year later. As expected, the range-topping tune of the VR30DDTT is used for both the Z and Red Sport 400 series from Infiniti, which brings us to the family feud below.

Can the Z fend off its closest equivalent, the Q60 Red Sport 400, in a good ol’ quarter-mile drag race? Sam CarLegion is much obliged to answer that question with two digs and two rolls filmed at his usual location in Canada. But first, let’s glance over a few differences between these cars.

400 horsepower at 6,400 revolutions per minute and 350 pound-feet (474 Nm) of torque delivered at 1,600 through 5,200 revolutions per minute, in the ballpark of 4,020 pounds (1,823 kilograms) for the all-wheel-driven Infiniti, approximately 3,550 pounds (1,610 kilograms) for the rear-wheel-driven Z, and torque-converter automatic transmissions for both siblings.

There is, however, a big difference between said transmissions. The Infiniti makes do with the 7R01 supplied by Nissan subsidiary JATCO since 2009, and it’s unrelated to the Mercedes-Benz 7G-Tronic. Be that as it may, the JR913E nine-speed automatic in the Nissan-branded sports car is a Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic manufactured under license by JATCO.

It's pretty obvious which of them is the better transmission, although the JR913E is a bit sluggish in certain scenarios, as you’ll find out after pressing the play button. It’s also worth mentioning the Q60 Red Sport 400 is running an AMS Performance intake and AAM Competition exhaust, but are these mods and the all-wheel-drive system enough to keep the rear-driven Z at bay? From a dig, yes, but from a roll, that’s a no.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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