Nissan did something deeply satisfying when it introduced the all-new 2023 Nissan Z – they built a reasonably affordable rear-wheel-drive sports car that looked obviously descended from a long line of Zs. It was quicker than most cars it would meet at a stoplight. But, with a starting price under $41,000, Nissan kept the entry fee fair rather than push the performance envelope as far as possible.
Nissan did precisely what it needed to do.
Now, NISMO will try to do precisely what it needs to do: Make a faster one for those who won’t flinch at the price.
Nissan’s motorsports division doesn’t bother to build high-performance versions of most Nissan products. But you knew it wasn’t going to leave perhaps the only true Nissan icon alone. For 2024, NISMO will give us all its own Z.
We know little about the superpowered version of the street racer today. But Nissan has revealed it to the world for the first time in a short, 45-second video. The clip shows Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg hopping in the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo and drifting it around what is probably the company’s Arizona test track.
A brief montage of half-second glimpses shows us a black front strut bar bracing the engine bay (though an engine cover means we can’t tell how the Z’s engine has been upgraded, we’re confident it will be). We also get shots of Recaro sport bucket seats in bright red, a new steering wheel, Dunlop Sport Maxx tires over what look like bigger wheels, and bright red trim low around the entire body, including a new front splitter.
An end tag says the NISMO Z is coming soon. That’s all we get for now. But automakers rarely want a teaser like this to do more than build hype. We expect to learn more this summer.
