Nissan Z Proto previews hot 400Z with twin-turbo V6

Suffice it to say, 2020 probably is not a great time to introduce a new sports car. From the covid pandemic to the recession to seemingly ceaseless natural disasters, it is proving hard enough to launch any new model this year, let alone one into a shrinking niche new-car segment. And yet, that is exactly what this Nissan is doing by setting the table with its Z Proto sports car.

Making its debut, the Nissan Z Proto previews the coming seventh installment in the company’s 50-year Z Car history, a franchise that kicked off with the now-iconic Datsun 240Z and has been stuck on Channel 370Z for over a decade. Conversely, this Nissan Z Proto may be exactly the sort of upbeat distraction that many driving enthusiasts could use right now. The Proto in Nissan Z Proto is short for prototype, and that means that the pale-yellow coupe is not just a pure concept car, it is about 98% of the production model that is expected to debut in 2021 before hitting dealers in 2022, possibly carrying the 400Z moniker.

Nissan Z Proto’s design has real presence. There are not a lot of hard numbers to accompany the rollout of this new Nissan Z Proto. Nissan confirms that the Z Proto is powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 engine whose soul is stirred by a six-speed manual transmission. Nissan also released basic dimensions, the new Proto maintains the Z’s classic long hood and rear-wheel-drive proportions.

The Nissan Z Proto has an enviable design history.

Z Proto is in the very fibers of Nissan. The new Z Proto suggests Nissan will seek to maintain that continuity. Interestingly, at 19 inches in diameter, the Nissan Z Proto’s staggered-width wheels are reasonably sized and feature higher sidewalls than you might expect on a modern sports coupe. With these details, Nissan is telegraphing that the new Z will be less focused on generating blinding performance figures than it is on forging a bond between car and driver.

As Nissan has its GT-R for fans of jaw-slackening grip and brag-worthy stopwatch numbers, keeping the Z as a more elemental driver’s car seems like a smart approach. Bookending what feels like a somewhat large and overly square grille opening are a set of LED peepers designed to evoke the original S30 Fairlady Z’s iconic sugar-scoop headlamps. The roofline peaks unusually at its leading edge, tapering from the windshield header on back, just like today’s 370Z.

Out back, the horizontal LED taillamps echo the Z32 of the ’90s. Nissan Z Proto’s styling manages to incorporate all of these historic design cues without seeming overly retro or cobbled together is an accomplishment in itself. The 370Z has always been a strong and entertaining handler, but it has never been particularly refined, especially in terms of noise, vibration, and harshness.

If the new Nissan Z Proto is similar to the old Z underneath, it will be interesting to find out what sort of renovations, if any, might be necessary to bring the underlying architecture up to modern standards, including crash-test provisions.

It also seems likely that the production Z Proto’s electrical system may need to be updated, to cope not only with the increased cabin technologies, but also to jibe with whatever advanced driver-assistance systems Nissan decides to make available. While the original S30 Fairlady Z featured straight-six power, Nissan does not presently have a suitable modern inline-six engine in its portfolio, so it makes sense that the new Z Proto will feature V6 motivation. The current 370Z relies on a naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6, but for the next-generation model, the car is widely expected to downsize in displacement a skosh, adopting a version of Nissan’s corporate 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 as found in the Infiniti Q60 Coupe.

The engine is expected to target 400 horsepower, the same output the engine realizes in today’s Q60 Red Sport. That 400 horsepower would be a heaping more oomph than the 2020 Nissan 370Z’s 332 hp and even its higher-performance 370Z Nismo variant, which offers 350 hp. Forced induction will undoubtedly bring with it substantially more torque at significantly lower revs.

The Q60 Red Sport whips up 350 pound-feet from 1,600 rpm, while the 370Z’s 270 lb-ft peak does not show up until 5,200 rpm. Expect the manual gearbox to be standard equipment, with a conventional paddle-shift automatic gearbox to be optional. On the inside, the Nissan Z Proto’s cabin is more overtly modern than its candy-coated shell, but that is largely a function of the increased presence of screens.

Not only is there a larger touchscreen infotainment display in the redesigned dashboard, there is also a 12.3-inch fully digital gauge cluster.

Beyond that, there is a lot that will be familiar, from the trio of analog gauges atop the dashboard to the simple, round climate controls and mussel-shell-shaped door handles. While incorporating new features and conveniences, Nissan Z Proto will still be a driver’s car first and foremost. The production 400Z is expected to be revealed sometime next year, but an actual on-sale timeframe remains fuzzy, as does official pricing.

It will likely be 2022 before new Z Proto hit the street, so it is still very early in the process. The next most natural rival will be the Toyota GR Supra, followed perhaps by V6 versions of Detroit’s pony cars. If Nissan produces a lower-power, lower-cost iteration of the seventh-generation Z, it could also perhaps rub shoulders with higher-end versions of the next Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins, which are also due about the same time.

A starting price in the neighborhood of $38,000 to $39,000 sounds about right, which would make the Z Proto something of a value play next to the automatic-only GR Supra. There have been a few thin rumors about an eventual higher-performance Nismo version of the 400Z, and such a model would be a predictable development for a car that will likely once again carry a longer-than-normal lifecycle. As for a future Z Roadster variant, ironically, that is an open question.

After all, if today’s coupe market is slim, the convertible market is absolutely emaciated.

While Nissan certainly will not have a new Z in dealerships in time to cap off the model line’s golden anniversary, this Z Proto is a promising, tasty teaser at a moment when we could all use a break. That goes for Nissan itself, too. A new Z can not heal Nissan any more than it can fix the world’s problems. If nothing else, however, this Nissan Z Proto is a welcome diversion.