In the week leading up to SEMA, Nissan has doubled down on their performance lineup by expanding their NISMO offerings. On top of the GT-R and Sentra, Nissan just revealed the 370Z NISMO at the Philippine International Motor Show. On top of the typical red NISMO trim, Nissan has given the car a modest performance boost over the base 370Z Coupe.
Powered by a 3.7L DOHC V6, it puts out 350hp and 276 lb-ft of torque, a jump of 18 and 6, respectively. Admittedly, it’s not the most powerful sports car you can buy, but this isn’t where the performance upgrades stop.
Stopping the car is as important as starting it, so Nissan has given the 370Z NISMO 14-inch four-piston front brakes and 13.8-inch two-piston rear brakes, the biggest ever for a 370Z. On top of that, it has been given vibration dampers, an H-pipe dual exhaust system that reduces back pressure by up to 30 percent and an improved suspension.
Of course, you can’t have a special edition without some sort of special styling, and the 370Z NISMO is no different. On the exterior and performance side, the front fascia, rear diffuser and spoiler have all seen tweaks to increase downforce. They’ve also been given the typical NISMO red trim.
The interior continues the NISMO color scheme, with red and black all over, from the seats to the steering wheel. Speaking of those red and black seats, Nissan gave the car leather-appointed Recaro ones with integrated headsets, a nice performance-mined touch.
Even though this doesn’t offer the biggest performance jump from the base 370Z, the fact that it offers a performance boost at all is a welcome change. With so many “special editions” coming out now that just add a different color and fender flare, it’s nice to see some sort of performance upgrade. Hopefully more companies start making the special versions of their cars more than just aesthetic variations.
Photos courtesy of Nissan