Photo: maxshershnev/Instagram
It was 2009 when Nissan introduced the 370Z and the Japanese sportscar soldiers on without any major changes. Fortunately, the carmaker is preparing to launch a successor, with last year's Nurburgring prototype sighting coming to confirm this once again. The newcomer was expected to land next year and here's to hoping the current global crisis won't push things back, at least not by a hefty margin. Meanwhile, we can enjoy renderings that aim to portray the next iteration of the Nissan Z car.
The said 2019 test car was a mule, concealing the next-gen hardware under the body of the current car, so we can't be certain about the direction in which the sportscar is heading. Well, the pixel portrait sitting before us takes things down the compact coupe path, an approach that would thrill enthusiasts, simple thanks to the lower scale footprint asset.
We first met this independent concept in December last year, but with Max Shershnev, the digital artist responsible for it, having further refined the concept meanwhile, we are once again zooming on the digital contraption.
This design mixes the retro styling cues of the 1969-introduced 240Z that started it all, a path that so many enthusiasts ask for, with futuristic elements that capture the imagination.
Truth be told, such a compact two-door doesn't sound like the most plausible path, as a larger machine with a bit of a grand tourer aroma thrown into its mix seems like a stronger business case. Speaking of which, given the fact that sportscar sales are still limited, it would be a surprise to see the newcomer receiving a dedicated platform.
Meanwhile, the rumor mill talks about a custom incarnation of the RWD architecture serving the Infinity Q50 and Q60. The latter's 3.0 twin-turbocharged V6 is expected to replace the current car's naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6 - the unit delivers 400 hp on the said Infinity model. This would also fall in line with the rumored 400Z nameplate of the future arrival.
Given the sky-high expectations the clientele has these days, getting the modern sportscar formula right doesn't come easy. For instance, sales of the otherwise brilliant Toyobaru project were impacted by the limited output, while the less-than-the-FT-1-concept styling of the Mk V Supra has turned this Toyota into an opinion splitter. So here's to hoping Nissan nails the job, perhaps with an optional manual transmission on the list.
We first met this independent concept in December last year, but with Max Shershnev, the digital artist responsible for it, having further refined the concept meanwhile, we are once again zooming on the digital contraption.
This design mixes the retro styling cues of the 1969-introduced 240Z that started it all, a path that so many enthusiasts ask for, with futuristic elements that capture the imagination.
Truth be told, such a compact two-door doesn't sound like the most plausible path, as a larger machine with a bit of a grand tourer aroma thrown into its mix seems like a stronger business case. Speaking of which, given the fact that sportscar sales are still limited, it would be a surprise to see the newcomer receiving a dedicated platform.
Meanwhile, the rumor mill talks about a custom incarnation of the RWD architecture serving the Infinity Q50 and Q60. The latter's 3.0 twin-turbocharged V6 is expected to replace the current car's naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6 - the unit delivers 400 hp on the said Infinity model. This would also fall in line with the rumored 400Z nameplate of the future arrival.
Given the sky-high expectations the clientele has these days, getting the modern sportscar formula right doesn't come easy. For instance, sales of the otherwise brilliant Toyobaru project were impacted by the limited output, while the less-than-the-FT-1-concept styling of the Mk V Supra has turned this Toyota into an opinion splitter. So here's to hoping Nissan nails the job, perhaps with an optional manual transmission on the list.
Google News