Nissan’s upcoming 300kW Fairlady 400Z swan song is ready for Australia, suggests recent filings.
NISSAN JAPAN has registered its new trademark for the upcoming Nissan Z sports car, the model which will replace the 370Z on showroom floors, and in good news for lovers of classic Z cars, it will hark back to the original design concept.
As Practical Motoring understands, the next-generation Z car will carry on its Fairlady Z name in Japan, however, what’s not clear is if that name will move into other markets such as Australia, or if it will take on the postulated 400Z moniker. The latter seems to be the likely outcome given information we have seen.
The new model will tout a retro badge – confirmed in recent filings available to the public, including in Australia – and will also adopt the most powerful engine ever in a production Nissan Z car according to papers from Japan. Using the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine of the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport, the output will be 298kW of power, or 400hp, hence the 400Z nameplate. Torque could be increased beyond 475Nm and it will likely not offer a manual transmission.
According to dealer sources who have seen the vehicle as a prototype, some styling elements are heavily inspired by the classic 240Z and 260Z sports cars of the 1970s, particularly on the rear haunches. If we’re lucky, it could look similar to these images rendered by Chinese car designer Leyang Bai on instagram.
The 400Z will be the last vehicle to be built on the platform that has underpinned the contemporary 350Z and 370Z coupes and convertibles, though it is unknown if the 400Z will come in topless form.
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