Nissan Unveils 2023 Z Sports Car With 400-HP and Twin-Turbo V6
A legendary Japanese sports car has been reborn.
The battle for Japanese sports car supremacy is on, as the 2023 Nissan Z debuts to take on the latest Toyota Supra.
The model that began life as the Datsun 240Z back in 1969 continues to evolve from even most recent 370Z, first by dropping all numerals from its name for its seventh generation.
The V6 returns with a smaller displacement of 3.0 liters, but a new pair of turbos to crank out 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque to best the previous, naturally aspirated V6’s output in its NISMO tuning by 50 horses. Put simply, the new base Z is more powerful than the last-gen performance version.
As Road and Track notes, those figures are right there with the 382 hp and 368 pound-feet of torque produced by the Supra’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six.
But the Supra only gets an eight-speed automatic, while the Z is available as a six-speed manual with a carbon-fiber drive shaft and performance clutch, or a nine-speed automatic with aluminum paddle shifters.
Without official performance specs on either the Z or the Supra, no one knows which is faster for sure, but it’ll be close.
Car and Driver also reports that there will be three Z trims. The entry-level Z Sport gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen, clothe and suede seats, driver aids, and not much else.
The Z Performance model adds speakers and heated seats to the interior, and more crucially, equipment upgrades. Chief among them are a stiffer suspension, limited-slip diff, bigger brakes, longer-diameter wheels, and dual-exhaust.
The Proto Spec is practically the same as the Z Performance, but it’s clad in the yellow-and-black paint previously seen on 2020’s Z Proto concept car. A generation-crossing design also features links to the original Datsun 240Z, including a slightly raised and elongated hood. The taillights, set in a rectangular black bar that stretches across the rear, recalls those of the turbocharged 300Z.
The 2023 Nissan Z will start at $40,000 when it goes on sale in Spring of 2022.
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