The new race-ready Nissan 400Z GT4 is here
We are not sure what sound to make – it could be ‘Grrrrrrr’ or ‘Wowsa’ or ‘Aitsa’. It is not every day you see a car that unleashes a sudden and severe emotional reaction, but this just happened.
You know the Nissan 400Z? The one that replaced the irreplaceable 370Z? The one with the 400hp, 6-cylinder twin-turbo engine? The one that takes us back, looks-wise, to the original, mould-breaking, head-turning, Porsche beating 240Z? That one.
And now it will be available as a GT4, as a racing car to take on Maserati and McLaren and the Audi R8 on the GT4 racing circuit or be parked in a garage next to your house.
So Nissan’s NISMO Racing Division took the street version of the new Z and tuned the engine, optimised the chassis and suspension, worked some magic on the aerodynamics to GT4 spec and created a cockpit that is race-ready and street-friendly if you don’t have a family.
“Motorsports for Nissan is an expression of our passion and unrivalled expertise. The Nissan Z continues to maintain its position as an exciting sports car that fascinates drivers with its driving dynamics and flexible powertrain,” said Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta. “We are confident that this track-ready GT4-category Nissan Z will be ready to write another chapter in the Nissan Z’s 50-plus-year legacy of speed.”
The new race-ready Nissan 400Z GT4 is here
This Z was created at NISMO’s engineering division, torture tested at the race track, and used in ENEOS Super Taikyu 24 Hours Race at the Fuji Speedway in June. There were two versions of this Z, the 230 with a carbon-neutral engine, and the 244 using petrol. The carbon-neutral fuel will feature more prominently in future Nissan models, and the Z in this hectic race was an ideal test bed.
Detailed specs will be announced early in November and deliveries will begin sometime next year. But probably or possibly not here. Who knows? Fingers crossed…
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