It may be worth posing this question now that the 370Z is pretty much out in the public eye. Full specs and a fully visible paint job are all that are still unknown now.

Aside from the good and the bad that the 370Z brings to the table, where will it go from here? If a larger engine is developed down the road and given the smaller size of the 370, will the next Z reverse course and get larger again out of necessity? I would think it a distinct possibility.

Will Nissan make another attempt at "evolving" the car or will they design a brand new car from the ground up like they did with the 350? Again, I think that likely as the 370Z looks like a dead end (it can't get much smaller) and the body will be stale after the next 5 years pass.

Given the trend with gas prices/shortages, after 5 years maybe this will be the end of the road for the Z altogether. Hard to say.

 

I think they will redesign from the ground up the next Z model. Would like to see a lighter bespoke chassis used to help keep weight down and make the Z more focused. Next redesign may get a V8 even[450z].

Tell you the truth if I could pick a modern Z that I would have evolved it would have been the 300zx. That shape could have survived a few evolutions without looking too dated. I do love the 350 shape though but it isnt as pure as the 300zx's.

 

The 370Z hasn't even made it to sales floors and you are already talking about the end of the Z.......

 

I THINK THE 370 Z BODY DESIGN IS ALREADY STALE, LOL!!

 

I like that pic....

Jesus!!!!I didn't wanna say this but I guess I'll fess up. I have been told by a very trustworthy source that it's gonna 570Z. 5.7L V8 nissan engine. I would buy the domain right now if I was OP www.my570Z.com ...

you're welcome. Don't tell anyone about this.

 

GTFO!
I heard that they were teaming up with Hummer and they are going to make a Z1. It's gonna have rockets, guns, airplane seats, toliets, all that good stuff.

So... Don't buy the 370z and save up for the Z1 while I go and get the 370z!
[:

 

100% on all points.

No manufacturer right now with half a brain will be making cars larger... I think Nissan was somewhat surprised by the success of the G coupe. And since they have that, the Z should remain more "pure" in it's role as a sports car, with the G filling the role as a GT with 2+2.

When I bought my G35, it was a tough sell for the 350Z. It cost about the same, but had the same power, only 2 seats, shorter warranty, less room, less luxury, etc. and didn't weigh much less.

Fast forward to now, and you have a 3700 pound G coupe and a ~3200 pound 370Z. The way it should be. The old Z did not give enough performance for the sacrifice you were making to own one. Now, it does. It's gone more sports, as it should. The G is sporty enough as it is... let it fill that sporty GT slot. The Z should be a true sports car... light weight and 2 seats. They don't cost much different.

The nice thing about designing for pure sports and light weight, is that you get better performance, better handling AND better fuel economy. It's a win-win-win. If you need more space, look at the G.

Nissan came back from the dead by sharing platforms, engine, etc. all across the board to save money. It will be a long time until that changes. I'd like to see a smaller dedicated platform for the Z... and base a 240 on it as well with a turbo 2 liter engine, both because it would be awesome, and because it would help share the platform development costs. I hate all this talk of a 240 replacement, but Front Wheel Drive.

FWD FTMFL!!!

Imagine a 240 and a 370z in the Nissan lineup... small, RWD, entry level sports cars are all the rage. Did you hear that, Nissan. RWD!!! MF'n RWD!!!

 

I think the 300zx is probably one of the ugliest cars I've ever seen. The butt is horrible and the front is probably the worst I've seen on any car.



Looks like a dirtdevil hand-held vacuum.

 

YESS i agree too i dont like the 300zx

 

wheres that back to the future pic? ??

 

I personally think the 300ZX is a really good looking car. I'll agree, I think stock the front end looks fairly odd, but a really tastefully modded 300ZX is quite a sight to behold.

 

I think this is actually a pretty good question, one that ive thought about before. I mean think about anythings future, a lot of things seem like they will have an end. I would see the Z getting lighter weight with better materials that cost more but arent used except in exotics. Engine wise... will be interesting to see, coming close to 4 litres now, wonder where it will go from here.

 

No offense but you, sir, are out of your mind.

 

Agreed. That platform sharing will always hurt a sportscar as it invariably will have a chassis that will be sturdy enough[heavier than necessary for a sportscar imho] to be used for trucks/Suv etc as in the case with the Z. With the amount of Z's Nissan sells I think they could absorb the cost of a bespoke chassis. It will increase the price of entry a bit but I still think it would sell well. Hell they could use the chassis for the 240 replacement and the Z to spread the cost. Both being RWD platforms would be a knockout I think Nissan will make the next Z a serious serious machine.

As for the 300zx being ugly lol. Hey beauty is in the eye of the beerholder Its a classic sportscar design. The rear light treatment is one of the most memorable and styled rears Ive seen. The 90's Japanese supercars all had very highly styled bodies that will remain classics imho. Supra, Rx7 and 300zx all had styling ahead of there time. So much so that they are still relevent today not just for there performance.

 

You could have saved yourself some time and just copy/pasted my last paragraph.



I always loved the 1990+ 300ZX design, and the fact that you can see one now, still think it looks good (inside and out) for a design that's 18+ years old is pretty damn impressive. Not to mention how I do love me some t-tops.

Although they were good, but more than the Supra or NSX, the 300ZX and RX-7 were nice, organic, beautiful designs that would not necessarily look out of place in a showroom today, save for the small wheels.

 

hehe. Sometimes you skim over posts and dont get the full extent of what the poster says. My bad. You did pretty much say the same thing The internet causes bad habits like reading too fast or bad spelling. Im gonna sue Al Gore since he said he created the internet lol.

I concur on the rest Love the 300zx in all black. This one belongs to a guy on 6speedonline. Hes actually selling it Wish I had the disposable cash..

 

+1 I don't know how many times, with so many new cars, over so many years. That Ive heard that same line..

Whats with all these "The end is near" folk?

 

Natural human response to change.. Not gonna change anytime soon lol. Dont let it get to ya. We've all done repeatedly in some capacity in our lives.

 

Whats the point of this thread

 

LOL No worries just killing some time.