It’s been a busy week for Nissan, announcing a number of enthusiast-led models are on the way in the future, be it near or distant.
A new Skyline for Japan, the return of the Xterra and the R36 GT-R heading to the drawing board have highlighted its week, while rumours of the Silvia’s revival also circulate – all of which has taken the attention away from an earlier report regarding the Z sports coupe.
The current Z is in its fourth year of production, and has already been facelifted overseas in recent months, with the updated car expected in Australia later this year.
While it’s far from a volume seller, Nissan sees the Z as a core part of its identity, with a lineage dating back to the 240Z (or Fairlady Z) of the late 1960s.
The current Z uses a number of carry-over parts from its predecessors such as the 350Z and 370Z, but according to Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Americas vice president, there is a next-generation coupe in the pipeline, though we might not see it for a while.
“You’ll see a lot of that animation coming through special versions between now and say the next three years,” Pandikuthira told US publication The Drive, regarding the current Z in North America.
“And then we’re actively talking about what that next generation will look like.
“[The Z has] also got to make sense with what that next generation GT-R will look like. It’s got to slot in there below where a GT-R would be.”
Nissan Skyline GT-R’s iconic feature brought back on special edition sports car
With Nissan’s global CEO Ivan Espinosa this week confirming the GT-R nameplate will come back after exiting production last year, it gives us hope that both coupes are set for a return, though it may be unlikely to happen before the end of the decade.
Earlier this month, Nissan Australia launched the Z Heritage Edition that pays tribute to the Skyline GT-R of the mid-late 1990s, as well as celebrating the lineage of the Z family.
Nissan has added its famed Midnight Purple paintwork to the Z Heritage Edition, as well as fitted as a set of bronze 19-inch Rays wheels. US versions of the model got extra features, such as carbon fibre spoiler with ‘Twin Turbo’ graphics, a gold wreath graphic around its rear three-quarter badges, unique door kick plates, and exclusive floor mats.
The updated Z, rolling out into US dealerships now, has seen the coupe gain a horizontal body-coloured support between the upper and lower air intakes on the front bumper, while the upper grille pattern has also changed form including rectangular elements to now feature three horizontal slats.
The new face makes it appear even more like certain versions of the 280Z which saw the grille split by a chrome bumper, but it has also resulted in a slight decrease in front lift and drag.
Nissan has also given the Z a new set of wheels with primarily black spokes but a machined outer lip. The spokes themselves have greater spacing than the current alloys found on the Z.
The Nissan Z’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine produces 298kW and 475Nm, and dates back to 2015 in its current form, or 2007 with the R35 GT-R in its overall architecture.
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