We are very excited for the upcoming Nissan 400Z. The replacement for the charming but aging 370Z was teased in the form of the Z Proto concept car, a beautiful sports coupe that pays homage to the Z cars that were gone without being retro. According to Nissan, the Z Proto is a very accurate version of what the production engine will offer, including a twin-turbo V-6 and an available manual gearbox, but the carmaker has not yet released exact specifications.
That’s why we’re very interested in the latest rumor about the 400Z, which comes from the world of racing video games.
As discovered by fans on NewNissanZ.com, a forum dedicated to the next generation of Nissan’s sports coupe, the Z Proto concept is one of the many cars available in Project Engines 3, a build-and-race game for PC, XBox or PlayStation 4. And if the Z Proto numbers can be believed in the racing game, it will be a hugely impressive machine.
NewNissanZ.com
According to the forum poster Rusty, the Z Proto with which you can manage and change Project Engines 3 comes straight out of the box with 444 hp and a rim weight of 3251 pounds. According to my calculator, this is 7.32 pounds per pack. And it’s impressive. For comparison, I calculated the same stat for comparable sports cars:
The Z Proto beats everything above except the Corvette. Or, at least, the version of the video game.
So does that mean the 400Z production, when it arrives, will pack a power-to-weight ratio that will embarrass the six-cylinder Cayman, the rip-snoring M4 and many other performance machines? The fans of the NewNissanZ forum definitely think so. By Road & Track, we are slightly skeptical. It is very likely that Nissan is adding these numbers to the Project motors team as a way to build hype for the eventual debut of the production engine. Note that the car you can play in the game is called ‘Z Proto’, a fairly clear indication that the digital version of the draft car is seen on your screen. This gives Nissan an easy chance if the 400Z arrives with less horsepower (or a larger curb weight) than what exists in the game: ‘hey, this is just the prototype.’
But the numbers in the game are not entirely unbelievable. Nissan is already taking 400 hp from the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 in the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400. Another 44 hp does not sound impossible, especially not for the long-awaited glossy coupe from Nissan. As for the weight of 3251 lb? The current 370Z shows the scales against a shadow of more than £ 300; the Z Proto is a longer and wider shade, but has a slightly lower roofline, according to the prototype specifications Nissan released last year. Can Nissan cut a good hundred pounds from its next-generation coupe while adding the complexity of a twin-turbo engine and all the comfort and safety technology the 370Z lacks? We definitely hope they can, because the numbers on the video game Z Proto, whether imaginary or not, are very impressive.
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