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Nissan's new sports cars
By
Jack Carfrae
20 June 2007 11:28
New Nissan 350Z: the lowdown
It’s not been long since Nissan facelifted the 350Z endowing it with an extra 13bhp, but now we've scooped what looks likes the next-generation car, tipped to wear the 400Z badge. CAR Online snapped this odd-looking 350Z mule on test in Germany, where it was being benchmarked against some pretty fine competition in the shape of the Porsche Cayman. But Nissan is also preparing a production version of the Urge - a smaller sports car to challenge the MX-5. Could this mule, a cut-about 350Z, be a prototype of that car? Read on to find out more...
Hang on a minute, a Nissan rivalling a Porsche? Have they got ideas above their station?
You’d think so, but it might not be as absurd as it sounds. The current 350Z outsprints the top-spec Cayman S, despite undercutting it by £17k. It seems that Nissan is aiming its sights somewhat higher for the next-gen car. Don’t expect a complete overhaul of the 350Z, though. Nissan is expected to adopt the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix' school of thought. It sold 1322 of the coupe and roadster in the UK in 2006, and nearly 2000 the year before; figures with which Nissan says it is happy.
