After 11 years in production and over
80,000 units sold in the U.S. and Europe, Nissan is about to retire the 370Z
and replace it with a brand new sports car, previewed by the Z Proto and
possibly named 400Z. A retro-inspired study, with many elements that are a nod
to the successful Z cars of the past such as the original 240Z and 300ZX, the Z
Proto was shown to the world earlier this week, as a coupe.
But will the final production model be
offered solely with a fixed-roof over the passenger compartment, as a Toyota
Supra fighter, or will an open-top variant join the range to take on the likes
of the latter’s Bavarian twin, the BMW Z4, as the official successor of the
370Z Roadster?
With that question (probably) on his mind,
XTomi set out to rearrange the graphics of the concept, imagining the Z Proto
as a Roadster, and we have to admit that it doesn’t look half bad. Sure, maybe
some things, such as the rollover bars and the compartment that would house a
folding roof, need further tweaking, but overall, it’s a head-turner,
especially with the matte orange paint finish that gives it an exotic car
flair.
A potential Z Proto Roadster model would
pack the same powertrain as the coupe, though we still do not know much about
it, with Nissan only saying that it has a twin-turbocharged V6, hooked up to a
six-speed manual transmission. Still, it is expected to be the 3.0-liter engine
from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 Red Sport 400, so it will likely develop around
400 HP and 474 Nm of torque.
