NISSAN’S ENGINEERS ARE UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE BOOSTED POWER TO 330BHP

The Zed is dead, long live the Zed. Due to be unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show in late November, Nissan’s new 370Z looks set to be one oft the heroes of 2009.

At the moment details are very thin on the ground – Nissan has released these three images but has supplied no information to go with them, leaving us to try and fill in the blanks as best we can. We haven’t even been officially told that it will use a 3.7-litre V6…

What we do know is that it has a number of things in common with the G37 coupe from Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti. Not least amongst these is the floorpan, although we understand the two-seat 370Z is substantially shorter than Infiniti’s four-seater – indeed it’s thought to be more compact than the outgoing 350Z, largely thanks to reduced overhangs and what looks like a shorter wheelbase. That should also help keep the weight in check – we anticipate the new car may even shed a few of the 350Z’s 1532 kilos.

The new Zed’s higher, more stunted tail is its most controversial aspect, and those rear light clusters are unusual too, but the upswept rear quarterlight windows help the looks hark back to the original 240Z.

Inside, its undoubtedly more modern and upmarket, although the seats, door handles and the general control layout don’t seem to have changed that much. There are a couple of intriguing buttons in front of the gearlever, though, and rumours have been circulating that the 370Z may be available with Infiniti’s seven-speed auto as well as a conventional six-speed manual.

The engine is also bound to be shared with Infiniti’s G37S. In that car it develops 316bhp, although we understand Nissan’s engineers have worked on boosting that to around 330bhp (the current 350Z develops 309bhp). Expect 0-100kph in under 5.5 seconds, but at the same time improved emissions and fuel economy. The 350Z manages 9.76 L/100km and 280g/km of CO2, but we expect the 370Z to boost that by at least 1.5 L/100km, reducing CO2 to around 240g/km.

You’ll be able to find out more about the 370Z’s spec, price, performance and equipment when the car will be officially unveiled in LA.