Nissan is gearing up to reveal yet another track-ready version of its Z sports car in collaboration with its Nismo tuning and motorsports division.
The company has teased on Twitter a shadowy side profile image of this Z Nismo GT4 race car ahead of its online reveal on September 28 at 9AM AEST.
Although this teaser image doesn’t appear to show anything substantial upon first glance, with a slight adjustment of the contrast and brightness more details are made clear.
A large ‘GT4’ sticker is situated in the middle of the door, signifying this car is the track-only GT4 version.
An apparent change to the regular Nissan Z is the aggressive Nismo bodykit that includes a low front splitter and a large rear wing that’s added on top of the regular ducktail-style rear spoiler.
There are also vents on the bonnet, as well as a rear tow hook. Although it’s not seen, a GT4-spec roll cage is expected.
It’s unclear what kind of changes Nissan will make to the Z’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine in GT4 racing specification. In the road-going Z it produces 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque.
NIssan Z Nismo race car
This isn’t the first track-only Z that Nissan has revealed, as Nissan revealed a modified Z Nismo racer that debuted at the Fuji 24-Hour Race at Fuji Speedway in the ST-Q class, which is a class for special development vehicles approved by Super Taikyu Series and isn’t competitive.
This previous Nissan Z racer appears to have similar racing-oriented body modifications as the teased GT4 version, but is slightly toned down in some areas.
It’s expected both of the Z-based racers will inform the hotter, road-going Nissan Z Nismo that’s reportedly set to be revealed in early 2023, according to BestCarWeb.
The Nissan Z Nismo will reportedly receive dedicated suspension tuning by Nismo, beefier brakes, chassis stiffening, Yamaha performance dampers, a different exhaust, and a retuned electronic control unit (ECU).
Other aesthetic changes will reportedly include 20-inch aluminium wheels, Recaro sports seats, a leather and Alcantara steering wheel, and a dash with red-accented stitching.
It’s unclear at this stage how much more power and torque the Z Nismo will make, but with the Nismo exhaust and retuned ECU we could see a slight bump over the regular version.
Nissan Z details in brief
The Nissan Z sits on a revised version of the 370Z’s rear-wheel drive bones and uses the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with variable valve timing and quick-spooling small-diameter turbochargers, putting out 298kW and 475Nm.
There’s a choice of a six-speed close-ratio manual, featuring an Exedy high-performance clutch, carbon-fibre composite drive shaft and an automated rev-matching function, and a new nine-speed unit paired with aluminium paddle shifters.
All Nissan Zs have a mechanical limited-slip differential and launch control as standard equipment.
The Z also comes standard with Active Noise Cancellation to filter out tyre drone and wind noise, and Active Sound Enhancement to amplify the engine soundtrack inside the cabin.
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