Photo: yasiddesign/Instagram
With the upcoming Nissan Z car having been in development since March 2017, the fact that we've recently seen the Z Proto concept doesn't mean the wait for the showroom model is over. In fact, there are still some important questions that remain unanswered, such as the one revolving around a roadster that would accompany the coupe incarnation of the show car.
The Japanese automaker has stated that the company is still weighing the possibility of also offering an open-air model (we can say the same about a Nismo go-faster version and electrification of the sportscar, but this is another story for another time).
One of the main obstacles that could stand in the way of Nissan offering a 400Z Roadster (keep in mind that the actual name of the next Z car hasn't been confirmed yet) revolves around the limited sales that define the sportscar segment. After all, this aspect determined the company to keep the model off the European market, albeit with the ever-stricter emission regulations also playing a role here.
Then again, since the newcomer is based on a revised version of the existing Z platform, the coupe-and-roadster recipe is already halfway here.
As for how a Nissan 400Z roadster could look like, the rendering we have here helps us visualize the machine and perhaps even suggests a pathway that would make the birth of the model possible.
Instead of simply chopping the roof off the retro-styled Z Proto, digital artist Yasid Oozeear, who is behind the stunt, has further distilled the essence of the Z car.
Not only is the front fascia restyled, but the entire front end of the car has been elongated, with the old-school aroma becoming even stronger. For one, while Nissan only built the original 240Z in fixed-roof form, we can still see the spirit of the 1969-introduced hero in these pixels.
As such, if the business case behind a "standard" 400Z roadster isn't strong enough, perhaps Nissan can wait for a few years and give us a limited edition that would come in a form like the one shown here. Of course, receiving both derivatives would be the ideal scenario.
One of the main obstacles that could stand in the way of Nissan offering a 400Z Roadster (keep in mind that the actual name of the next Z car hasn't been confirmed yet) revolves around the limited sales that define the sportscar segment. After all, this aspect determined the company to keep the model off the European market, albeit with the ever-stricter emission regulations also playing a role here.
Then again, since the newcomer is based on a revised version of the existing Z platform, the coupe-and-roadster recipe is already halfway here.
As for how a Nissan 400Z roadster could look like, the rendering we have here helps us visualize the machine and perhaps even suggests a pathway that would make the birth of the model possible.
Instead of simply chopping the roof off the retro-styled Z Proto, digital artist Yasid Oozeear, who is behind the stunt, has further distilled the essence of the Z car.
Not only is the front fascia restyled, but the entire front end of the car has been elongated, with the old-school aroma becoming even stronger. For one, while Nissan only built the original 240Z in fixed-roof form, we can still see the spirit of the 1969-introduced hero in these pixels.
As such, if the business case behind a "standard" 400Z roadster isn't strong enough, perhaps Nissan can wait for a few years and give us a limited edition that would come in a form like the one shown here. Of course, receiving both derivatives would be the ideal scenario.
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