If you feel like it’s been forever waiting for the next Z car, don’t worry: You aren’t going crazy. The 370Z, a replacement for the old 350Z, first broke onto the scene in 2009, so its replacement has been an extremely long time in the making. Finally, though, Nissan officially acknowledged its existence in this teaser video Thursday, putting an end to over a decade of rumors concerning when it would arrive — or even if it’s coming at all.
Once again, praise be to the sports car gods, the ‘400Z’ as its unofficially known will be a low-slung, rear-wheel drive sports car. Despite worries to the contrary, it seems on first glance that Nissan will mostly stick to the classic formula. That is a 2+2 coupe with a front-engined layout, long hood and rear-wheel drive. The styling looks like an interesting mix of modern and retro touches, form the 240Z-esque cockpit shape to the modern, split LED running lights.
Speaking of tradition, the Nissan 400Z also shifts the Z emblem back to the rear quarter panel behind the rear side windows. That’s another throwback to the old Z cars, and another small indicator that, while this should be a thoroughly modern sports car, the new car won’t forget its fifty-year heritage when it debuts.
Some Nissan 400Z details are still up in the air
We can finally (somewhat) see the next-generation Z car in this video, but what Nissan will ultimately call it and when it will go on sale are still up for debate, at least for now. The general consensus points to the 400Z (if that ends up being its name) to emerge next year as a 2022 model, and we’ll certainly get more official information before that. Powertrain details are still shrouded in secrecy, but some rumors indicate a twin-turbocharged V6 akin to what’s currently in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 400 Red Sport will power the next Z.
If that’s true, the 2022 Nissan 400Z should manage around 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, up from 332 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque in the standard 370Z, and 350 horsepower and 276 lb-ft of torque in the NISMO version.
