Our first look at the Nissan 400Z isn’t far away.
The hotly-anticipated sports car has been teased in a new video, which takes a walk through the history of the Nissan Z brand.
Nissan hasn’t confirmed exactly when the 400Z will be revealed, but CarExpert understands we won’t have to wait long to see the prototype referenced in the video below.
Timing for the production model is up in the air but if the all-electric Ariya’s launch schedule is a guide, we could see the road-ready model between nine and 12 months after the prototype.
The video casts doubt on unverified, widely-reported rumours Nissan will wait until 2022 to reveal the 400Z and hold it back from showrooms until 2023.
Based on the first shadowy teaser from Nissan, we know the 400Z will have styling inspired by the legendary 240Z, rather than following in the footsteps of the more recent 350Z and 370Z.
Power in the new coupe is expected to come from a version of the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine currently serving in the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport.
It pumps out 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque in the Infiniti, mated exclusively with a seven-speed automatic transmission. The Infiniti can struggle to put its power down, something we’re expecting will be fixed with the addition of a locking rear differential.
Nissan is expected to also offer a six-speed manual option, which would give the 400Z a significant point of difference against the auto-only Toyota Supra.
The development team may have actually already shown us this combination, having revealed a 370Z fitted with the VR30DDTT and a six-speed manual transmission at the 2018 SEMA show.
As for what it looks like? The prototype will give us a much better idea, of course, but our crack rendering team has already used the information at hand to mock up how we expect the 400Z to look.
The headlight cluster features a dual sweeping LED daytime running light design with LED headlights, as teased in Nissan’s video.
The bonnet and roof both feature aggressive bulges to provide a visual link to the current 370Z. The roof humps hark back to the targa-top silhouette of the 300ZX.
Around back and our designer has experimented with a stylised extension of the 300ZX tail light cluster. It has been modernised with LED lights and a sweeping end-to-end design that will help the Z stand out at night.
The reveal of a new Zed model marks another step in Nissan’s move away from the path laid out by Carlos Ghosn.
It’s preparing a raft of new or significantly updated models, led by the 2021 X-Trail and all-electric Ariya SUV.
