There’s good news for fans of Japanese performance cars as we get our first look at the Nissan Z Nismo in development. The gallery shows two vehicles wearing various types of camouflage driving on the Angeles Crest Highway that cuts through the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California.
Compared to the standard Z (see below), the Nismo has a more aggressive front fascia with a thicker splitter. The camo-clad car shows a new bar running down the nose that creates a small inlet between the bonnet and the center inlet.
The Z with the black cloth wrap has a pair of slits in the hood. It shows a redesigned panel with channels maybe available. However, the car with camouflage does not seem to have these openings.
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Along the sides, the sills appear thicker. The car rides on nine-spoke wheels with black finish. It has red brake calipers.
At the rear, the Z gets a rear deck spoiler. The lower part of the rear bumper has been stylized. The exhaust layout appears to be the same.
The Z Nismo’s powertrain is a mystery. The existing model produces 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 350 pound-feet (475 Newton-meters) of torque from a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. We’re hoping the Nismo makes some extra power over the standard trim, but we don’t know how much more yet.
The Z is currently available with either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic that drives the rear wheels. It’s unclear whether Nismo will also offer both options.
The regular Z only goes on sale in the summer of 2022 in the US. Generally, automakers don’t launch new performance variants until the existing variant has had time to establish itself in the market. If Nissan follows this strategy, we might see the Nismo in 2023 but deliveries may only start in the second half of this year.
Unlike several previous generations of Z cars, there has been no indication that Nissan intends to offer a convertible variant of the new model.
If you’re a fan of Japanese performance cars, check out the latest episode of the Rambling About Cars podcast:
