Spork

iTrader: (6)

I remember reading that the other day. Gives me high hopes

SnakeBitten

iTrader: (8)

+1...

Abishop

iTrader: (19)

ha ha i eat 400z's for breakfast.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Don't know who to believe anymore? This is an interesting comment and speaks to a current dilemma in modern journalism. As more and more people rely on the internet (and discussion boards like this) for their information, the more stories get conflicted. In a magazine like Nissan Sport, we state UP FRONT when an item is a rumor. On a discussion board ANYBODY is free to post what they heard (or think they heard).

The point here is that Nissan, like most car makers, has undoubtedly floated several ideas around vehicle (and powertrain) development internally. We'd all like to believe that the next Z car is all tucked away, with specs just waiting to be uncovered. But that's not the way vehicle development works any longer- with CAD/CAM capabilities, many models are being worked on up until the last possible nanosecond.

It's why it constantly amazes me that MANY people take the content posted on a discussion board as gospel. Today (on another thread) someone posted that a base model 350Z was "500lbs" less than any other Z model! WTF? Where did someone get that kind of misinformation and WHY would anybody believe that load of garbage without verifying some facts?

Discussion boards can be fun and offer varying degrees of truth. On the other hand, Nissan Sport Magazine is tasked with verifying facts and separating them from rumors. That takes time and effort, but what's amazing is the sheer number of Nissan enthusiasts who've never heard of us or think they're getting the same quality of information for free on the web.

hiz-n-herz

iTrader: (11)

LOL....

Gulp....Says my 07z!

hiz-n-herz

iTrader: (11)

But you don't live in cali where they can impound your car if found with a turbo. Otherwise, I'd go FI and keep my 07 for a long time. Efing tree-hugging, big brothers...

hiz-n-herz

iTrader: (11)

Not all car companies are like that... BMW manages to "leak" their new M3 model specs a year or two before they come out. Nissan likes to wait until the last minute, which pisses me off because I can't plan my new cars ahead of time, so I loose as much money on them as possible. I think because BMW knows they are pushing the envelope of what's possible and they aren't afraid to tell everyone about it. Nissan likes to keep it under wraps because they know they are chasing the envelope and when they release something it's only mediocre. With the exception of the GT-R. They released the specs of their 07z.... in 07!! I always feel like Nissan is pulling a fast one on folks.

I like to buy a car, pay it off and sell it just before the new model comes out to help with my next down-payment. Or I can make a conscious decision to keep it into the next model year if I really like it.

Call me a troll, my flame suit's on... I've complained about this before and I don't understand why Nissan does not make their plans known like BMW, with their M3. Or Chevy with their Corvette (How long have you been hearing abouth the blue devil?)

DaveO

Good discussion on the next Z car and the rumors. Each of the five partners brought to Nissan Sport numerous contacts in the Nissan / Infiniti / Datsun world. We probably receive more valid and invalid info than anyone else.

That said, my dream Z car would would have a 4.0L VVEL direct injection VQ, weigh about 3000 real world pounds, handle like our editor-in-chief Dave Muratmoto would want and ride like the G37 Coupe. I can dream can't I????

(An no we don't have any additional Z info other than what we published.)

Ulysses

This is just speculation on my part, but could it be both? An updated powertrain, refreshed fascia and bumper in the 2009 model year and a completely new Z in 2011?

zpeedDemon

the last time they TT the Z they had to discontinue it due to being so expensive

Shabaz-ZX

The only thing i urge for a strong internals, adding the turbo kit is excitement me.

Dave 90TT

iTrader: (4)

I'm well aware of that, having owned a Z32 TT. However the TT's were only part of the equation; in the mid-90's, SUV's were king over everything, the dollar was strong (making Japanese cars more expensive), along with a number of other factors that all conspired to kill the super car, TT or not. (See RX-7, Supra, Stealth/VR-4, 300ZX et al)

Dave

Apexi350z

iTrader: (3)

Forget about the engine size, 3.7L, 3.8L, or even 4.0L.. All I want to know is how much HP and TQ, and the weight, that's what matters... So Nissan, please bump the HP to at least 350+ and TQ at least 290+, and the weight around 3200Lbs and under.. Thank you!

T_K

iTrader: (5)

Competition

TK

in.the.dark

The part that never gets brought up in this rumor (V8, that is) is that it seems blatantly contradictory to Nissan's goal of loosing weight. The V8 would ADD WEIGHT where Nissan looks to be looking to LOSE WEIGHT. Some might argue that the added weight from the V8 and subtracted weight from the chassis could cancel eachother out and the additional power would give a better power to weight ratio. But this would upset the weight distribution of the car.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

There's a reason that "part" never gets brought up! While displacement and design configuration of the new Z's V-6 remains under wraps, Nissan Sport certainly has never brought up any rumor of a V-8 being considered.

Besides all the points you've stated, a V-8 in the new Z wouldn't make much sense from a cost or marketing perspective. The Z has always stood for affordable performance and adding a V-8 would clearly go against that, as well as muddy the distinction between it and the new GT-R.

As I stated with rumors, it's one thing to bring them up for the sake of entertainment, quite another to have them published!

Fairly Z

I still think it's going to be a 3.8 Liter V6 with no turbos. It's not going to be the same as the GT-R motor with no turbos, but perhaps detuned. I just can't imagine Nissan putting a 4.0 Liter in the Z while the GT-R has a 3.8. But, we'll see.

T_K

iTrader: (5)

It's probably going to be an evolution of the VQ. Something with Direct Injection, or VVEL on both intake and exhaust sides.

TK

pluckyduck

The 3.8L from the GT-R is a totally different engine and will likely only see the inside of the GT-R. It's too expensive to be fitted for the Z34. If Nissan was going to put the 3.7L in the Z I believe they would have gone ahead and done it for the 08 model year. That said, I have also heard rumors that it will be the 4.0L, making it the 400Z for the 09 or 10 model year. The 4.0L engine is much cheaper for Nissan to mass produce for the Z.

typespirit

400Z sounds somewhat wack imho lol.