After 11 years in production and over 80,000 units sold in the U.S. and Europe, Nissan is about to retire the 370Z and replace it with a brand new sports car, previewed by the Z Proto and possibly named 400Z.
A retro-inspired study, with many elements that are a nod to the successful Z cars of the past such as the original 240Z and 300ZX, the Z Proto was shown to the world earlier this week, as a coupe.
But will the final production model be offered solely with a fixed-roof over the passenger compartment, as a Toyota Supra fighter, or will an open-top variant join the range to take on the likes of the latter’s Bavarian twin, the BMW Z4, as the official successor of the 370Z Roadster?
With that question (probably) on his mind, XTomi set out to rearrange the graphics of the concept, imagining the Z Proto as a Roadster, and we have to admit that it doesn’t look half bad. Sure, maybe some things, such as the rollover bars and the compartment that would house a folding roof, need further tweaking, but overall, it’s a head-turner, especially with the matte orange paint finish that gives it an exotic car flair.
A potential Z Proto Roadster model would pack the same powertrain as the coupe, though we still do not know much about it, with Nissan only saying that it has a twin-turbocharged V6, hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. Still, it is expected to be the 3.0-liter engine from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 Red Sport 400, so it will likely develop around 400 HP and 350 lb-ft (474 Nm) of torque.
As a bonus, the Z Proto has been imagined as a Shooting Brake, so which one would you rather have?
Note: These are independent renderings made by XTomi that are in no way related to or endorsed by Nissan