Built by NISMO, the new Nissan Z GT4 racecar is set to take to circuits around the globe in 2023.
We might not be getting the roadgoing version of the Nissan Z in Europe, but if you’re a racing driver that wants to get into the GT scene, a track version of the car is now for sale worldwide.
Nissan’s lineage of Z cars has a long history in motorsport, and in fact, the latest Z has already been put through its paces on the track. As announced at the start of the year, a high-end prototype version of the car has been introduced to the Japanese Super GT championship.
That, however, is an elite factory-backed programme, whereas this new GT4 car is aimed at customers of all skill levels. A far more approachable (and affordable) avenue into sports car racing, the GT4 has been designed to appeal to both professionals and amateur racers.
As such, expect to see this car in competitions as well-revered as the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (America is likely to be a key market for the car), SRO GT4 European Series, or Japanese Super Taikyu championship. It’ll also be eligible for more grassroots forms of motorsport too though, such as the MSVR GT Cup or Britcar Endurance Series here in the UK.
Visually, the Nissan Z GT4 certainly looks the part. GT4 regulations mean that NISMO has been limited in regard to the aerodynamic changes that it could make, however the Z GT4 is nonetheless sporting an aggressive set of splitters, diffusers, and wings that you certainly wouldn’t find on the road car.
Like the core bodywork though, most of the GT4’s internals are production based. The VR30DDTT 3.0-litre V6 architecture of the road car has been retained, albeit tuned for more performance. As of yet, NISMO hasn’t provided a spec sheet for the Z GT4, but we know that the regular version of this engine outputs around 400hp. For added context, the rival 3.0-litre straight-six of the Toyota GR Supra GT4 outputs 430hp, so we’d expect the Z racecar to offer a similar figure.
Elsewhere, plenty of work has gone into the ergonomics of the cabin. Of course, it’s been stripped out for competition use, but much attention has been paid to the positioning and comfort of all the interior features. To do this, NISMO has sought feedback from a wide range of factory-employed racing drivers, each with different driving styles. Ultimately, the idea is that this will ensure that the Z GT4 is easy to use for all possible customers.
Naturally, a lot of effort has gone into refining the chassis and suspension too, but NISMO are remaining fairly tight-lipped about the details so far. If you’re eager to find out more, a full list of specifications is set to be announced at the 2022 SEMA show in November.
If you want one, deliveries will begin in the first half of the 2023 racing season.
