Nissan teases upcoming ‘Z’ sportscar

Nissan’s Z line of sportscars have a pretty special place in car culture, Japanese car culture at least. It has been Japan’s answer to the Porsche Cayman — a taut, compact sportscar with a glorious powertrain. The Nissan 240Z is still an icon and the more recent 350Z and the 370Z fared well in the market too, but since the latter has been on sale for almost 12 years now, largely unchanged, the competition has moved far ahead. The new Porsche Cayman offers more comfort, more speed and a much nicer cabin for a similar price. However, things are about to get interesting.

Nissan’s official YouTube account put out a video showcasing a huge range of upcoming models, titled ‘A to Z’. The ‘A’ is the upcoming Nissan Ariya and the video goes through a few more letters before landing at the unique font for Z. The video then teases the silhouette of the upcoming sportscar, suggesting a very neat looking car indeed. The bonnet has muscular bulges while the headlights have a retro-vibe to them. The roofline slopes down sharply to meet the rear of the car, reminiscent of the 240Z. There is no news on the powertrain options on the new Z, there isn’t even an official name for it yet. However, the rumours suggest it will have a twin-turbo 3-litre V6 and will be called the 400Z. We will only know for sure once the car nears production or someone hears a test mule running around. Let’s hope there is a manual ‘box, as an option at least.

There is no official reveal date for the new Z, but expect more images and teasers to follow in the coming months. Judging by Nissan’s long history of making some of the nicest sportscars on the planet, the new Z looks to be a promising prospect. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the likes of the Toyota Supra and the Porsche Cayman when it hits the road.