After its unveiling last August, the first Nissan Zs are just about ready to hit dealerships. But now, a new video has surfaced that could hint at a NISMO model of the sports car in development. The vague video is just three seconds long, but there’s a decent amount to be seen. For starters, the car sports carbon fiber front fenders as well as a carbon fiber hood. Moving to the back, the rear decklid is adorned with a decent size wing. The car also appears to have new wheels and wider, stickier tires, and it looks as though it could be lowered. Finally, while not definite, it also seems that the exhaust could be new, as hinted by the white treatment around the passenger side exhaust tip and the more significant bend in the pipes.
This could very well be a NISMO variant of
the new Z, but it could also be a case of an aftermarket manufacturer getting a
test car to try out parts early, or even Nissan themselves testing some future
optional accessories. Regardless, there is some evidence that a NISMO Z could
in fact be on the way, even if this car isn’t it. In speaking with The Drive at
the New York Auto Show on the car’s performance, Nissan’s director of advanced
product planning and strategy Paul Hawson said that “it can handle more.” That
doesn’t confirm anything for sure, but in regard to buyers who may want more
performance from the Z, he did also mention that he and Nissan as a whole “know
that customer, and we try to address that customer’s needs.”
Seeing as every modern Z since the turn of
the century has spawned its own NISMO variant, we can’t see why the new Z
couldn’t get one as well, even if it’s not right away. The 370Z had a NISMO
version essentially from launch, but the 350Z NISMO didn’t come until 5 years
after the standard car’s release, so it seems that if we are getting a Z NISMO,
it’s anyone’s guess as to when. That being said, given how long Nissan likes to
hold onto their models before introducing new ones, we probably have some time.