Nissan celebrates 50 years of the Z car with 2020 370Z
By khulekani / on April 17th, 2019 / in Car News, featuredBy Staff Reporter
Nissan is set to pay homage to the #46 BRE (Brock Racing Enterprises) Datsun 240Z that won multiple SCCA National Championships with John Morton behind the wheel with the launch of the 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition.
The special edition boasts racing livery appearance to set it apart from the normal 370Z and was unveiled to the world in New York – the same city where the original Datsun 240Z made its U.S. debut half a century ago.
“It’s no secret that the Datsun 240Z started the ball rolling for Japanese sports cars in the U.S.,” said Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s corporate vice president of global product strategy and planning. “Almost as well known in Z history is how Peter Brock’s competition-tuned 240Z changed the American motorsports landscape. After the BRE 240Z debuted in 1970, Nissan/Datsun became one of the most successful companies in American motorsports – with thousands of victories over the past five decades.”
It will be available in four trims, the base model, Sport, Sport Touring and the 370Z NISMO. Key BRE design cues include the two signature stripes on the side of the car and the painted trunk, hood, side mirrors and A-pillars in the accent colour (red for the white car and black for the silver car).
Along the side of the car, a thin line runs from the headlight to the rear glass, culminating in a small triangle inspired by the C-pillar of the Datsun 240Z. The package also includes 50th Anniversary identification on the front fender, anniversary rear badging and special 19-inch alloy wheels with red accents.
The cabin gets a “50th Anniversary” steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara, with a race car-inspired centring stripe, leather-appointed and suede-covered heated four-way power seats with adjustable lumbar support feature. The seats have unique stitching, graphics and the 50th Anniversary logo is imprinted into the backrests. Dark chrome accents are used throughout the interior, including special kick plates adorned with the Z logo and synthetic suede door panel inserts exclusive to the special edition model.
Power comes from a 3.7-litre V6 engine that gushes out 247 kW of power and 366 Nm of torque. All that amount of power is accessible through a close-ratio, six-speed manual gearbox that features a synchronized downshift rev-matching system called SynchroRev Match.
A seven-speed automatic with Downshift Rev Matching, paddle shifters and adaptive shift control is also available.