I am pretty sure I read from the coporate guys at toyota, that there are no plans for a supra. (Autoweek or Newsweek)

First they all cost between 10-20 thousand more dollars. If people could afford those cars they wouldnt make statements like that or they would be driving them already.

Second just wait. Nissan IS working on a higher hp car. The new GTR is set now to use the 5.7L motor. Only time will tell this. It is also said they will not market in the US as a Nissan GTR, but Infinity. I believe the next 350Z will be the "400Z". The new 4.0L V-6 in the Exterra set to come out now or soon.

 

Is this the engine (4.0) that Nissan is offering a Vortech Supercharger on?

 

I honestly do not know. I didnt even know nismo and vortech were designing a supercharger for the 2005 models. I would imagine so b/c the xterra now that is s/c is a 3.3l V-6. Unless there are diferent engine options for 2005.

 

No the motor that is getting the Vortech SC is the 5.6 L in the titan VK56 I believe. I saw it at SEMA. Plan to get one for my Titan when its out. As for Nissan using the VQ40 I doubt it. That motor is exactly like ours but stroked to 4 liters. WE would have the same problems we have now with no significant hp increase.

 

You could be right, but look at the power they are making now with the 3.5L, and how many vehicles that this motor is in.

The main thing nissan would have to do is change the cam profiling to get a lot more hp. Maybe different heads also.

 

remember that the 300zx died because the TT version became too expensive

 

That may be true, but I don't see why they don't have both an affordable NA and more expensive FI versions.

 

Because once the FI comes out the NAs popularity (sales numbers) will inevitably go down. Happened with the previous Zs and the Celicas.

 

Be careful what you wish for...More power from the VQ will most likely mean a compromise in either price with a FI option or available torque at low rpms with NA.

I won't reitterate why we don't have a FI option since that's already been addressed so I'll take a stab at NA:

From what I've seen out there, short of true exotics, the latest 3.5 is making some very impressive power compared to what other manufacturers are able to acheive with the same displacement. Take the new Mercedes for example:

SLK350 Roadster
3.5L DOHC 24-valve V-6 engine
268 hp @ 6,000 rpm
258 lb-ft @ 2,400 - 5,000 rpm
MSRP: $46,220.00*

We get more power for $20K less! In fact, the only car that comes to mind that exceeds our power NA with the same or less displacement is the M3 at 333HP from a 3.3L. Another price leap, but my point is a sacrifice has been made in low end power for peak, high RPM HP.

The proof of this is already evident in the 35th Anniversary and Track Model engines losing some torque for HP.

Bottom line, Nissan has done a great job delivering on an affordable sports car with a very torquey V6. I couldn't afford a 40K FI Z, so I guess my long winded answer is "No, I wouldn't buy it." If you can, why not support the aftermarket?

 

Please...Nissan would totally screw it up...and when they did, they wouldn't even accept responsibility. If they can't resolve the suspension and transmission issues inherent to this car, I have no faith in their ability to make an FI VQ.

NzZ

 

I don't think that is necessarily true. Boxter S hasn't killed Boxter sales. Mustang Cobras haven't killed Mustang GT or base Mustang sales. M3 hasn't killed 3-series sales. Even the Titan is getting a factory supercharger option.

 

Becuz the aftermarket has made very little progress squeezing more power out of the na z, and blown z engines are blowing up left and right. Nissan knows how to get more power out of the z...they're just not sharing that info with us!

 

c'mon, a conspiracy theory?!

The motor wasn't built for FI b/c it would shoot the whole affordable sports car thing in the foot. Forged internals cost big $$$$.

If you're talking about the ECU, yeah, they suck for that.

 

I cannot see them offering this in all reality becuase they essentially own the segment right now.

The Boxter/Boxster S theory works on paper, but both are NA cars - no forced induction is offered from the factory. In this regard, you can say the new Track model follows this same theory - abit more HP and a higher price tag

As for the liabilty concerns, I doubt that comes into play in all honesty. The M series, Vette, and Viper are all marquee cars - Nissan will have such a car again in the future with the next generation GTR.

The Z has been and remains to be an affordable sports car - something not many manufacturers can claim to make. Given it's price, I'd say Nisan hit the nail on the head in terms of delivering the rebirth of the Z. It does everything pretty damned well, and does so at a relatively affordable price. You also have to take into consideration Nissan's corporate profile now. They are not a struggling company by any means, and they are lead by one of most well respected CEO's in the global corporate world. Nissan also has a firm grasp on what it will take to compete globally in the years to come - that is platform sharing and drivetrain sharing. What will be interesting to see is where the next Z goes in light of the new GTR

 

I think Nissan needs to offer more options in their product line.

It would be nice if Nissan offered a sports car (or options on the Z) that would compete with the 45k to 75k market. It would be more expensive, but some customers could afford it.

Most car manufacturers have a strategy to fill each niche of the market. It seems like Nissan does in respect to pickups and suv's......why not sports cars too?

 

that's EXACTLY what i'm talkin about...selfish mfers.

 

jcn - that's exact where the GTR will be...I am guessing upper $60k's ish

 

I believe the SUV fad killed the 300zx, not the price. The 240sx, RX-7, 3000GT, Supra, Camaro and Firebird all suffered the same fate. A forced induction option will be warmly welcomed.

 

300zx, supra, rx-7, and gt VR4 all were way to expensive for their time.

 

Given the current trend of insane horsepower figures I think Nissan could capatilize on the market by offering a Z with a FI option. The Z32TT died along with the other SupraTT, VR4's and RX7 turbos because they were overpriced to an uninterested market. Presently everybody on the block kinda turns their nose up at anything under 250 bhp. Nissan could still sell the Z at the what in my opinion is a bargain price level but give consumers the choice to "supersize" it. I think now, more than ever, people would pay a modest premium for the extra performance. Like somebody else said, the Mustang has the Cobra, the Vette has the Z06, the 330ci has the M3. With the exception of Chevy, their are still top-tier models that exceed these performance minded editions. Ford has the GT, BMW has the M5 and M6, and Porsche has the Carrera in leiu of it's already bad-azz 911 Turbo. A 350 hp Z, coming in around $15k less than a GTR would be a hit.