Nissan’s 400Z without the roof makes a VERY sexy cabriolet
We all love to draw cars and we all draw them straight on from the side. We all get the wheel arches wrong and, unless you are superbly talented, the front lines of the doors. Some brave souls will draw a front perspective, few will venture to the back.
Enter pixel maestro Sugar Chow. Not only does he draw cars from the side, front and back, but he also draws them three-quarters front or rear view, as well as all angles are seen from a slightly higher viewpoint.
Just when you start thinking Chow is a show-off, he adds colour. He adds reflections and the play of light on curved surfaces such as the wheel arches and windscreen. He can recreate any car so you would think it is a very good photograph.
And then the fun starts. He reimagines these cars as something else. An AMG Merc station wagon, or Supra police car, a dropped Citroen DS with fat tyres and a spoiler on the back. And now he has created the new Nissan 400Z as a cabriolet, totally shiny black with gold mags!
Taking away the fastback roofline completely changed the character of the Z. The 400Z has a retro design that harks back to the original 240Z, but with a curious blend of the 350 and 370Z in its muscular DNA. Losing the roof makes the 400 look more fun, almost playful. The aggressive nose is still there, but sans the roof, the car looks more ready for a Sunday breakfast run than Sunday night robot to robot antics.
Some myopic fan even wondered if it was based on the Miata, while others thought it was a collaboration between Nissan and Toyota to create a SupraZ. You cannot blame these misguided observers, though. Over the 50 plus years, the Z has graced our roads, and the character of the roofline has most likely remained the most consistent design constant. Losing the roof has altered the character of the car totally.
There are numerous sporty cars that have a cabriolet as an option, so it cannot be the roof alone that changes the character so much. Perhaps it is as simple as the fact that there has never been a cabriolet version of any of the Zs.
That said, Chow’s playful art has created something quite alluring, laid back and sporty, perfect for cruising the boulevards in the more upmarket parts of the States, like the Ferrari California. It would not be surprising if Nissan does decide to make a 400Z Cabrio. It would be a case of life imitating art, but it would be a good thing.
The world of Nissan, its new cars and tech innovations is an exciting place. You can get front row seats to these by staying tuned to our blog.
