2024 Nissan Z® NISMO® - Just shy of a race car for the street.

 

Last night (April 3, 2024) NISMO (short for Nissan Mōtā Supōtsu Intānashonaru, or Nissan Motorsports International) gave a select group of students, SAE members, Z-car enthusiasts, and media a walk around and talk of the 2024 Z NISMO. Race prepped Z NISMOs will participate in this weekends Pirelli GT4 America Series at Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point). 

The Z NISMO is an impressive street car. Starting with the base twin-turbo, 3.0-liter V6 that has 400 hp, NISMO ups the power to 420 and 384 lb-ft of torque. Suspension pieces are upgraded anticipation of track use the Z-car will get. Brakes too are upgraded - the whole car has been upgraded!

The race NISMO Z GT takes things to another level. It is a pure race car from the factory. The engine now makes 450 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. The race car costs $230,000 and it is not street legal.

The 2024 NISMO Z starts around $65,000. Yeah that's a lot of money but it's in the ball park given its on-track competitors - Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R8, BMW M4, Ford Mustang, McLaren 570S, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche 718 Cayman. That is a pretty impressive list of competitors. Heck the Mustang Dark Horse starts at $58,185. Cars are expensive, get over it!

I haven't driven a NISMO Z, this was a static display. I can say the car looks gorgeous and mean. Maybe with a little luck one will show up in the NorCal press fleet and I'll score a week with it.