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By Jason Woosey 
16h ago
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – Nissan is finally ready to launch a new Z car and you can expect it to look a lot like the Z Proto concept car that was revealed in Japan on Wednesday.
Despite being more modern than retro, the prototype’s styling is heavily influenced by its older ancestor, the 1969 240 Z, although the taillights also pay homage to the 1990s 300 ZX.
Nissan chief designer Alfonso Albaisa explained that combining retro and futuristic design elements in a modern sports car package was a challenging task.
“Our designers did countless studies and sketches as we investigated each generation and what made them a success,” said Albaisa. “In the end, we decided that the Z Proto should travel between the decades, including the future.”
But what’s under that elongated hood?
Nissan says the concept car is powered by a V6 biturbo engine that is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. There is no official information yet on how powerful it is, but the newcomer is heavily rumored to wear a Z400 badge, denoting 400 horsepower, which is equivalent to 298kW in metric terms.
Nissan isn’t saying whether an automatic gearbox will be offered either, though the manual will certainly please those fans who enjoy driving their sports cars the old-fashioned way.
“The Nissan Z Proto fully respects Z’s 50-year heritage. At the same time, it is a thoroughly modern sports car,” said Nissan.
Chief Product Specialist Hiroshi Tamura added: “Z is a balance of power and agility. It is a vehicle that creates a connection with the driver not only on a physical level, but also emotionally, and responds to the driver’s impulses ”.
Retro-modern cabin
Like the exterior of the car, the cabin aims to seamlessly blend modern technology with retro Z touches, and the design team even went so far as to seek the advice of racing drivers on what constitutes an ideal cabin for a sports car.
While most of the information is accessed via a touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster, the Proto still has three analog gauges on top of the dash to transmit voltage and boost information.
That’s all we can tell you about the new Z for now, but it surely won’t be long before Nissan removes the covers from the actual model.
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