THE Nissan 370Z Nismo will give the ageing 370Z a late-life push when it arrives here in August as the second model from Nissan’s performance arm to come to Australia.
Following on from the ultra-limited, $299,000 GT-R Nismo that launched locally at the start of the year, the 370Z Nismo will be pitched as a more attainable and substantially more affordable option for those keen to get a Nismo badge in their driveway. Pricing is yet to be finalised but Wheels understands the premium will be modest, with the pricetag expected to hover somewhere around the $65,000-70,000 mark.
That would make it roughly $10,000 more than the existing 370Z coupe manual, which retails for $56,930. According to homologation documents seen by Wheels, the 370Z Nismo will be available both with a six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic, with a Nismo-tuned version of the standard car’s 3.7-litre naturally-aspirated V6 making a stout 253kW of power.
That’s slightly less than the 261kW the 370Z Nismo offers in the Japanese and US markets, but is still a useful 8kW improvement over the standard model. Though the power advantage is slightly diluted, expect all other Nismo-specific equipment to carry over, including wider wheels and rubber, unique Nismo bodykit, track-honed suspension, reinforced chassis, grippier seats and unique interior trim and instrumentation to be applied to Aus-delivered models.
With 19-inch alloys that measure half an inch wider at both front and rear than standard (9.5 inches and 10.5 inches respectively), and suspension that preferences grip over comfort, the 370Z Nismo will flaunt some of the hard-core flavour of the R35 GT-R Nismo.
It will also look dramatically different. With fatter wheels and tyres, wheelarch extensions that add an extra 25mm to overall width, a deeply vented (and longer) front bumper, lower-hanging side skirts and a unique rear bumper and wing – all accented with Nismo’s trademark splashes of red on the lower extremities – it won’t be mistaken for a run-of-the-mill Zed in parking garages.
Full local specifications have yet to be confirmed, but we expect Australian 370Z Nismos won’t differ greatly from overseas model. That means interior equipment should include grippy fixed-headrest Recaro bucket seats trimmed in red microsuede, with a part-microsuede steering wheel rim, Nismo-branded tachometer (that highlights the engine’s higher 7400rpm redline).
Under the skin, the 370Z Nismo also receives extra chassis reinforcements between the front and rear strut towers, across the front chassis rails and under the rear suspension subframe.
Unfortunately for sun-seekers, the Nismo formula will only be available in Coupe form – the 370Z Roadster is yet to receive a Nismo variant. While the GT-R Nismo is constrained by a yearly allocation of just 20 cars for Australia, it’s unclear whether supply of the 370Z Nismo will be limited in this country.
Expect full details and specifications to be revealed as the Nismo 370Z’s local launch draws closer.
