For the first time ever in the Nissan Z’s 37-year history, a high-performance NISMO 350Z is part of the extensive Z lineup. The new 2007 Nissan NISMO 350Z, which makes its North American debut at the 2007 New York International Auto Show, features an extensively developed list of unique equipment – including a special body package and improved handling equipment. This new model, the fifth in the 2007 350Z Coupe lineup, is available with a 6-speed manual transmission only. It goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in July 2007.

NISMO, the premier supplier of high-performance aftermarket parts and accessories for Nissan vehicles in the United States since 2003, previously participated in the development of the NISMO Frontier off-road pickup truck, introduced in 2005. The NISMO 350Z is the second Nissan model to be branded with the legendary marque. Like the Frontier model, which is specially equipped for off-road excursions, the 2007 NISMO 350Z is optimized for enthusiast drivers.

"With the combination of the new VQ35HR engine found on all 2007 350Zs and NISMO performance and design enhancements, the NISMO 350Z represents the pinnacle of Nissan performance machines," said Bill Bosley, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc.

The most striking visual feature of this special vehicle is the NISMO aerodynamics package, which strongly resembles the Super GT championship winning Zs. Featuring an aggressive front fascia with chin spoiler, side skirts, an extended rear fascia with underbody diffuser and a rear wing, the NISMO 350Z produces additional aerodynamic downforce to provide enhanced cornering and handling performance.

Special consideration is given during assembly of the NISMO 350Z – structural rigidity is enhanced by additional body welds to the already rigid 350Z body and additional supports have been added front and rear. The NISMO 350Z also utilizes special body dampers mounted in the front radiator core support and in the rear cargo area, which assist in controlling body vibrations.

Additional performance features include a special NISMO-tuned independent multi-link suspension, Brembo brakes with four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers (with 12.8-inch front and 12.7-inch rear rotors) and special NISMO-branded gunmetal gray RAYS super lightweight forged-alloy wheels (18x9-inch front and 19x10-inch rear with 245/40 WR18 front, 265/35 WR19 rear Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires). A special NISMO-branded tuned exhaust adds an even more authoritative tone to the Z’s 306-horsepower V6 engine.

"The combination of aerodynamic enhancements and performance tuning adds up to a Z with enhanced cornering, steering precision and handling," said Bosley. "Every exterior and mechanical improvement made to the NISMO 350Z isn’t just for show, it’s also for performance."

Four exterior colors are available, including Redline Red, Magnetic Black, Silver Alloy and Pikes Peak White.

Inside, NISMO 350Z drivers receive special treatment with unique black cloth seats with red inserts, red stitching throughout the interior and special NISMO white-faced tachometer. All NISMO 350Zs receive a serialized NISMO-etched aluminum plaque mounted on the center console, designating its limited edition status.

The NISMO 350Z includes a full complement of 350Z standard features, including the new VQ35HR 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 306 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm – with more than 90% of torque available between 2,000 and 7,000 rpm. Engine features include variable exhaust cam timing (eCVTCS), a 7,500 rpm rev limit and a symmetric twin ram air intake system.

The standard 6-speed manual transmission features close-ratio gearing from 1st through 5th gears for high-performance driving and an overdrive 6th speed for highway fuel economy. For performance handling, standard on the NISMO 350Z is a Traction Control System (TCS) and Viscous Limited-Slip Differential (VLSD).

Also standard is electronically-controlled vehicle speed-sensitive dual-orifice rack-and-pinion power steering system, front and rear strut tower bracing, 4-wheel disc Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), HomeLink Universal Transceiver, cruise control, aluminum pedals, illuminated steering wheel audio controls and auto dimming rearview mirror, power windows, 3-bay gauge cluster, High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-xenon (high and low beam) headlights, LED taillights, Advanced Air Bag System, side and curtain side-impact supplemental air bags and Active Head Restraints.

"The NISMO 350Z is geared towards enthusiasts who want the ultimate 350Z straight from the factory performance experts,” said Bosley. “They also want a Z that makes a statement and is a testament to their love of driving."

. All NISMO 350Zs receive a serialized NISMO-etched aluminum plaque mounted on the center console, designating its limited edition status.

2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe Details


It's been five years since the debut of the Z. We wouldn't only call it a comeback, but a huge success. The car is Nissan now.

We have some info on the new model. The engine is rumored to be same as the new Skyline Coupe V6--no shocker there, a 3.7L powerplant, but of course there will be some differences. How will this increased displacement improve performance over the 3.5L VQ35HR? Dunno yet. It makes a whole lotta sense now why Nissan markets the 350Z not as the 350Z, but as the Nissan Z Coupe--this way the name doesn't have to change each time it gets a new engine.

It's a great time to be a Nissan fan. The 2007 Nissan Z Coupe is hot--especially the Nismo Z, but a redesign will be perfect right around the time of the Nissan GT-R. When will this new Z debut? We'll know by Tokyo Motor Show. Expect Nissan to show BIG at TMS with the GT-R, the 350Z and maybe a new Silvia concept.

Hard to the Core
By Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
Date posted: 07-24-2007

Five years since its rebirth, the Nissan 350Z remains one of the world's great performance bargains. But it isn't pretty. It isn't subtle. And it doesn't care whether you think the cabin is stylish or not.

This is all part of the hard-core image Nissan has built for the Z. And rather than back away from it as the end of the Z-car's model cycle nears, Nissan is pushing this car's character right to the edge of reason.

So here is the 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z, a Z-car so hard-core you'd have to be slightly insane to drive it. Nissan figures only a few of you qualify, as only 1,500 examples of this limited-production car will come to the U.S. this year.

A Nismo in Name Alone
Although Nissan is marketing it under the Nismo name, this 350Z is not, in fact, a product of its in-house tuning division.

As we reported in our First Drive, it's the work of Autech, a Japanese company with a long history of modifying Nissans for commercial and mobility applications that has recently expanded into motorsports. Autech builds and prepares the Z-car that competes in the Japan Super GT racing series.

That goes a long way toward explaining the appearance of the 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z. With a front splitter so big it gives the car an underbite, exhaust outlets large enough to swallow a kitten and a rear wing only an Evo could love, this Z's racing-derived bodywork undoubtedly earns admiration in Tokyo. Around Los Angeles, however, the Nismo Z inspires the scorn of motorists who don't realize this garish body art exists for functional reasons.

Purpose-Built for the Track
Since the Nismo 350Z has been purpose-built to drive on roads that nobody else is using, it's probably understandable that it doesn't look right in California traffic. The Nismo Z replaces the 2003-'06 Track model at the top of the Nissan 350Z line, yet it's a more advanced instrument and takes its track-day responsibilities seriously.

Autech begins by taking the Z-car's chassis off the assembly line and welding the seams of the unit body by hand, a common practice in racing. This labor-intensive technique gives this car an added measure of structural rigidity compared to the customary spot-welded chassis of the other Zs that simply roll off the assembly line.

In addition, Autech has installed special Yamaha-designed mass dampers between the left and right frame rails of the unibody structure (one near the radiator core support and the other beneath the rear cargo area) to help counter the additional vibration that naturally accompanies a chassis stiffened not just by seam welding but also by the strut braces that are already a part of every 350Z chassis.

Autech also revised the Z's suspension, which has been subtly softened over the years in response to Z-car drivers who kept asking for improved ride quality. The Nismo Z's spring and damper calibration is on par with that of a first-year 350Z Track, Nissan engineers tell us.

In Japan, the Nismo Z wears 245/40R18 front and 265/35R19 rear Bridgestone Potenza RE01R tires, but the U.S. car wears less exotic RE050As, apparently a measure to accommodate our colder winters.

A VQ That Lives to Spin
While chassis upgrades define the 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z, it's useful to remember that the whole point is to harness the VQ-Series V6, the centerpiece of the Z-car's personality.

For 2007, all 350Zs have a new, higher-revving version of the 3.5-liter V6 known within Nissan as the VQ35HR. It's rated for 306 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 268 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. This doesn't look like much progress over the 300-hp motor in manual-shift 2006 350Zs, but keep in mind that the new V6 has been rated under the new, more-demanding SAE standards.

More important, the new VQ has a flatter, broader torque curve, with 90 percent of peak torque available from 2,000-7,000 rpm. Redline is up to 7,500 rpm compared to last year's 7,000 rpm (or 6,600 rpm for the V6 matched with the Z's automatic transmission).

It's a hard-earned transformation, as Nissan has swapped out 80 percent of the old VQ35DE engine's components. Revised air intakes, twin throttle bodies, a higher compression ratio and new cylinder heads with straighter intake ports squeeze out the extra power, while variable valve timing for the intake and exhaust cams broadens the usable range.

To help the engine withstand the higher redline, the crankshaft's pins and journals are larger in diameter, and its main bearing carrier is supported by a ladder-type frame for additional stiffness. The connecting rods are 8.4mm longer to help reduce vibration, a measure that requires a revised engine block with a taller deck height.

A Rich Sensory Experience
Understandably, the Nismo Z comes only with the six-speed manual gearbox, which is unchanged from last year's transmission, and the gear ratios take full advantage of the new engine's power band.

This new high-revving engine is easily the most thrilling of any VQ we've ever driven. It pulls all the way across the face of the tachometer, and you can feel the power arriving as the revs climb. It has a full personality — multidimensional performance plus genuine throttle response — so it's always exciting to drive.

The familiar heft of the short-throw shifter takes you back to other 350Zs you've known and loved. Although its heavy, brooding progress through the gates slows shift speed at the test track, you'll savor its bolt-action feel in any other situation. The clutch engages with expected haste, yet the take-up is surprisingly smooth.

This Nismo Z test car posts some very impressive acceleration numbers — 5.1 seconds to 60 mph, 13.6 seconds through the quarter-mile at 103 mph. Among front-engine, rear-drive coupes on the near side of $50K, BMW's twin-turbo, 300-hp 335i is quicker, as are the Corvette and Shelby GT500. But these cars will take a few thousand more from your bank account than the Nismo Z.

Drive It Hard
More important, the 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z makes its competition irrelevant as soon as the road ahead gets challenging. Here the Nismo behaves like other Zs in that it neither wants nor rewards a gentle touch. This is an uptight car that's at its best when it's manhandled.

With no body roll to speak of, the best plan of attack is to build up pace progressively, paying close attention to tire grip. There's ample information coming from the road through the close-fitting driver seat and the comfortable grip of the three-spoke steering wheel. The steering itself feels a bit coarse, but it reacts quickly and has a weighty amount of effort.

The brakes are the same Brembos on the 350Z Grand Touring, but response is immediate and they never fade. We weren't surprised when our Nismo Z turned in consistent 109-foot stops from 60 mph during instrumented testing.

Before long, we're leaning hard on the Nismo 350Z, using the gifted VQ to adjust our own attitude as well as the car's. Worldly responsibilities seem far away. When our mountain road ends, we don't aim for the freeway. We pull a U-turn and turn on the bi-xenons.

As good as the Nismo feels on public roads, the true gains of its seam-welded chassis can only be realized in a track environment. For a car that weighs 3,354 pounds, a 71.0-mph slalom speed and 0.91g on the skid pad are signs of talent — the last Lotus Elise we tested had less than a 1-mph advantage in the slalom. Mount up the Nismo Z with stickier tires and you'll have a capable if portly track-day car straight from the Nissan dealership.

Reality Can Be Harsh
You could invent all sorts of justifications for buying a 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z, but don't go thinking you can commute in this coupe.

The combination of an ultrastiff chassis, aggressive suspension and big tires results in a car that rides harshly whenever the road isn't as smooth as a tabletop. Even worse is the booming resonance throughout the cockpit over certain pavement surfaces, a quirk that made a couple of our editors feel queasy.

To really appreciate the 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z, you'll need to be a little more insane than most Z-car buyers. Objectively speaking, it's the best-handling 350Z Nissan has ever built. On a subjective level, it's certainly the coolest Z to own.

But if you're not into racing or planning a go at it, you better step away from this car. The 2007 Nissan Nismo 350Z is a serious car, and if you're some kind of whiner, you'd be better off with the kind of Z-car that ordinary people might buy.

Speculation is circulating around the automotive media that Nissan is preparing a revised version of the Z-car. According to reports, the 350Z will turn into the 370Z when Nissan updates the sportscar with the 3.7-liter V6 in its recently-revised sibling, the Infiniti G37 coupe. Whether the Japanese automaker will use this opportunity to facelift the model altogether as anticipated remains to be seen.

The reports suggest that the 370Z will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, home turf to Nissan's sister-company Renault, this coming October.