V8 upgrade for 350 Z

Newswheel staff :: 25 October 2005 :: Filed under Front engine sportscar, Nissan, Nissan 350Z, Europe & UK, US

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450 Z anyone?

There’s not much wrong with Nissan’s wonderful 350 Z. The rear drive chassis is relatively sophisticated and certainly involving. The V6 is meaty, gutsy and characterful. The styling tough, chiselled but thoroughly modern. And most importantly, the asking price is ridiculously reasonable. There’s very little that comes close for the money. But a little more power wouldn’t do it any harm. Apparently, that’s exactly what it’s getting in the form of a stonking 4.5-litre V8.

According to website LeftLaneNews, the “450 Z” will retain the basic architecture and styling of the existing car but pack as much 430bhp. The new engine is very likely a tweaked version of bent eight found in Nissan’s Infiniti-branded luxury cars. It’s thought the target market for the more powerful coupe includes Porsche’s 911 and the Maserati Coupe. Since both of those cars cost around twice as much as the 350 Z, it will be interesting to see just how big the price premium Nissan attaches will be. Not to mention the conundrum of how to position the car relative to the upcoming GT-R supercoupe. In truth, a higher-revving, more efficient respin of the current V6 would probably do the trick in terms of raw performance. But dropping the V8 in probably makes it easier for the marketing men to ramp the price up and deliver bigger margins.

Too good to be true?
However, we do have some doubts regarding this story. Firstly, it’s suggested the 450 Z will move to four wheel drive. We hope this isn’t the case, since the 350 Z’s classic front engine, rear drive chassis is central to its appeal. And secondly, the information is sourced from a from an unnamed French magazine which claims it will appear in 2005, begging the question why it wasn’t shown at the recent Tokyo show. What’s more, we’ve heard whispers that the car is actually being developed as a single-make track racer, not a road car. However, there are also suggestions that the car is intended to respark interest in the 350 Z in the US where sales have flagged, and will temporarily plug a gap before the all new GT-R appears in 2007. In other words, your guess is as good as ours.

Linkage:
LeftLaneNews