- On Monday, July 31, Nissan revealed this track-focused NISMO variant of the Nissan Z, which slots in above the Z Performance.
- With 420 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, the Z NISMO is the most powerful of the current Z cars.
- There’ll be no manual for NISMO, but a retuned nine-speed automatic transmission and a Track mode for faster shifts.
We saw it in spy shots wrapped in camo, and in a teaser video wreathed in tire smoke, but now Nissan has officially unveiled the 2024 Z NISMO. Like most performance variants, the NISMO treatment is focused on upgrades to the track-driving experience, both visually and mechanically.
The Z NISMO is a step up from the Nissan Z Performance trim. Where that model offers a limited-slip differential, bigger wheels and brakes, stiffer suspension, and better seats, the NISMO takes all that to the next level and adds in redesigned bodywork, stickier rubber, and more horsepower.
How Much More Power?
Let’s start there. Under the hood, the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 gets a redesigned wastegate, better cooling, and performance-enhancing ignition timing, based off the GT-R NISMO. The results are 20 extra horses and 34 more pound-feet of torque over the standard Z. The Z NISMO makes 420 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, with peak torque from 2000 to 5200 rpm. The hotted-up engine gets a bigger oil cooler too, so you can use all that power on track for longer.
No Manual
The Z NISMO will only be available with the nine-speed automatic transmission, but it comes with NISMO-only clutch packs and retuned engine management software, so downshifts are nearly twice as fast and launch control is more aggressive at the start. There’s also a Sport+ driving mode, designed to be quick enough on the downshifts that the driver needn’t even use the shift paddles. Those do remain, though, for those who like to have something to do in the car.
The most obvious changes outside the car are where Nissan has extended the front fascia in a visual callback to the G-Nose on the Fairlady 240ZG. The new nose has a reworked grille opening filled with a fine honeycomb mesh to allow additional cooling for the engine. Just in case you might miss that extended spoiler, it’s highlighted with a brash red line. The red stripe runs all the way to the back, and if that’s not enough to clue you in that this is the top Z, NISMO badges and a black-painted roof make this version stand out.
Other aero add-ons include extensions at the front corners to channel wind past the wheels, and a three-piece rear spoiler that merges into the top of the rear quarters. Like the Z Performance, the Z NISMO rides on 19-inch wheels, but these are gloss black and 0.5 inch wider. The front wheels are 10 inches wide, and in the back there’s a solid tire patch on 10.5-inch rollers. Despite being larger, they are lighter than those on the Performance. Nissan wraps the new wheels in Dunlop SP Sport MAXX GT600 tires.
Behind the wheels are larger 4-piston caliper, 15.0-inch brake rotors in the front and 13.8-inch rotors in the rear, clamped by a heavy-duty brake pad. Chassis changes include additional bracing all around and under the car, increasing torsional rigidity by 2.5 percent over the Z Performance. Instead of the carbon driveshaft found on the other Z, the track-ready NISMO goes back to steel. Stiffer bushings and mounting points as well as larger dampers add to the NISMO’s track agility.
Red
Inside, the red theme continues on the anodized Stop/Start button and the drive mode selector. New graphics in the digital display echo the red exterior outline, and flash a NISMO-only animation on startup. Leather and faux suede Recaro seats (manually adjusted only) showcase a red center and NISMO logos in the headrest, and even the steering wheel was redesigned with a red accent mark at the top.
The Z NISMO comes in a choice of five colors, four of which are available on all Z trims, Brilliant Silver, Passion Red, Black Diamond Pearl, and Everest White Pearl and one of which is a NISMO-exclusive, the slatey-blue Stealth Grey.
Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Z NISMO goes on sale in the fall as a 2024 model.
Senior Editor, Features
Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews.