Photo: Nissan
For those who thought the teaser for 370Zki previews an upcoming variant of Nissan’s sports car, that is nothing but wishful thinking. What the automaker did to the 370Z for the 2018 Chicago Auto Show is pretty straightforward: replace the tires with skis up front and tracks at the rear.
Changing the performance tires for skis and tracks was done to prove that the 370Z can hold its own even in snow-carving driving scenarios, despite the fact owners of the 370Z never posed that question themselves. In addition to the snowmobile-like conversion, Nissan developed custom mountings for the rear suspension springs and three-inch track spacers.
Even the braking system was modified, with the brake lines rerouted and the exhaust modified to fit under the vehicle. Last, but certainly not least, the designers behind the 370Zki project modified the rear wheel wells for clearance of the 4-foot-long snow tracks driven by the 3.7-liter V6 engine.
The steering is factory spec, as is the interior of the car and the cloth power-folding roof with inner fabric liner. All in all, not a bad effort from the maker of the best-selling Rogue SUV and highly capable Titan pickup.
"The Nissan 370Zki continues our recent tradition of bringing imaginative winter vehicle concepts to the Chicago Auto Show. With the Nissan Z's long heritage of motorsports competition, the 370Zki seemed like a natural combination," declared Michael Bunce, vice president of Product Planning at Nissan North America, Inc. "Prior to its debut here in Chicago, we put the 370Zki through its paces on the slopes in Wyoming where its performance heritage really came through."
Regarding the future of the Z line, the 370Z is here to stay for a while despite it being 10 years old. The current model will soldier on with close to no changes at all, with the automaker focused on meeting the regulatory guidelines for safety instead of improving the breed from the ground up.
As for the all-new Z (tentatively called 390Z by the Japanese media), only heaven knows when Nissan will take the veils off it.
Even the braking system was modified, with the brake lines rerouted and the exhaust modified to fit under the vehicle. Last, but certainly not least, the designers behind the 370Zki project modified the rear wheel wells for clearance of the 4-foot-long snow tracks driven by the 3.7-liter V6 engine.
The steering is factory spec, as is the interior of the car and the cloth power-folding roof with inner fabric liner. All in all, not a bad effort from the maker of the best-selling Rogue SUV and highly capable Titan pickup.
"The Nissan 370Zki continues our recent tradition of bringing imaginative winter vehicle concepts to the Chicago Auto Show. With the Nissan Z's long heritage of motorsports competition, the 370Zki seemed like a natural combination," declared Michael Bunce, vice president of Product Planning at Nissan North America, Inc. "Prior to its debut here in Chicago, we put the 370Zki through its paces on the slopes in Wyoming where its performance heritage really came through."
Regarding the future of the Z line, the 370Z is here to stay for a while despite it being 10 years old. The current model will soldier on with close to no changes at all, with the automaker focused on meeting the regulatory guidelines for safety instead of improving the breed from the ground up.
As for the all-new Z (tentatively called 390Z by the Japanese media), only heaven knows when Nissan will take the veils off it.
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