The Nissan Z family of sports cars is iconic in motoring and an iconic part of Nissan’s heritage, as much if not moreso than the GT-R. With 50 years of Z heritage, any new model will need to please those who value Nissan’s Z history and the new Nissan Z Proto does that in spades.
Unveiled today the Nissan Z Proto is a signal of the company’s intention to launch a new generation Z sports car – soon.
With an all-new design inside and out, under the hood is a V6 twin turbo engine with a manual transmission. This is a sportscar from every angle especially the drivers seat.
“The Z, as a pure sports car, represents the spirit of Nissan,” said Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida. “It’s a key model in our Nissan NEXT transformation plan, and it’s proof of our ability to do what others don’t dare to do, from A to Z. As a Z fan myself, I’m excited to announce that the next Z is coming.”
The design features hints of almost every generation of Z car with the Nissan Z Proto not pushing to a futuristic look, more a modernist take on half a century of history.
Alfonso Albaisa, head of design at Nissan says “Our designers made countless studies and sketches as we researched each generation and what made them a success,” Albaisa said. “Ultimately, we decided the Z Proto should travel between the decades, including the future.”
“The LED headlights have two half-circles that hark back to the Japan market-only 240ZG of the 70s,” Albaisa explained. “The ZG has clear dome lenses over the headlight buckets, which under light give off two circular reflections over each headlight. We liked that unique characteristic and discovered that it naturally fit with the Z’s identity.”
On the inside it’s ultra modern with vintage Z all over.
All this of course is just a design, it’s not a true reflection of what might hit showrooms, though, If I was making the decision, I’d say push the button now, start pumping these out stat!
| Z Proto specifications | |
| Engine | V-6 twin turbo |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual |
| Length | 4,382 mm |
| Width | 1,850 mm |
| Height | 1,310 mm |
| Wheel and tire size | Front: 255/40R19 Rear: 285/35R19 |
