Nissan tuner Nismo has managed to leave the Juke alone for five minutes to create the Nissan 370 Nismo Roadster, a tuned-up, drop-top version of the Japanese sports car and 350Z successor.
The Nissan 370Z Nismo Roadster was unveiled at the Chicago Motor Show. The standout feature is obviously the lack of a solid roof, which compliments the curvy nature of the car, but Nismo has been busy elsewhere.
The absurdly throaty 3.7-litre V6 now develops 350bhp and 276lb/ft of torque, in part thanks to a new exhaust system and tweaked ECU, making it more powerful than the 323bhp standard Nismo. Mated to the engine is a seven-speed automatic.
Like the roofed-up 370Z Nismo, the roadster features Nissan’s rev-matching, which blips the throttle when changing up or down for a smoother gear change – kind of like a mechanical version of double-clutching.
Upgrades specific to the roadster include special springs and stabiliser bars, bigger brakes, brace under the hood and a fabric roof. You can also expect 19-inch Nismo/Rays alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, Recaro sports seats, leather steering wheel, seven-inch touchscreen display and red Nismo accents throughout the cockpit.
The Nissan 370Z Nismo costs £37,575 so expect a slight premium (and a slightly kerb weight) for the roadster version, assuming it ever reaches production.
Which it might, as Nissan’s Pierre Loing told Top Gear: “While it’s only a design study at this point, we think the 370Z Nismo Roadster concept would be a tremendous addition to the long and distinguished history or Z sports cars.” Recombu Cars is inclined to agree.
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