http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/01/n...-with-porsche/

When Nissan launched the 350Z in '02, it was working hard to reinvent itself and the new Z was clearly its halo car in the U.S. market. Now that that the revival has come and gone, expect the new 370Z to take on a new tack as a harder edged vehicle. In fact, Nissan plans to take on Porsche, the most classic of all sportscar manufacturers, with its newest coupe. Equipped with a larger 335-hp 3.7-liter V6 engine and having gone on a serious diet, possibly shedding as much as 200 lbs, the new Z will definitely have the cojones to keep up with its foes, including the Cayman, and its shorter wheelbase and wider track should conspire to make it quite the handler as well. We'll get our first official look at the new son-of-Godzilla at the LA Auto Show, shorty after which the Nissan 370Z should show up in Japanese dealerships with U.S. delivery at a later date. Hopefully, not too much later.



so what happened to the 350hp engine and the -300lbs? is it even gonna be fast enough to take on the cayman?


NISSAN & PORSCHE AT WAR.......LOL

 

I hate the Cayman... that thing blows

 

^ yes indeed only thing the cayman has is the porshe logo. and the mid engine pretty cool but other wise it sucks

 

Please make the 370z a 4.2 sec car, with a 12.9 sec 1/4 mile. And cost 55k.

And make the v8 version even faster..

 

That's going to be a lot to live up to.

 

is Nissan always trying to beat porsche ?

 

Seems to be a new trend.

 

Nissan already messed up when they put out the Nismo Z with the 3.5. Why
put out a special model with the some old engine? Chances are good when
the next Z shows up it will have the same 3.7 just like the G37, and from
what I've seen it will take some getting used to design wise. Nissan needs
to look closely at how some of the Z pilots are modding there cars. We may
not see a 4.1 for 5 years in a Z or G, Nissan's not quick to react to our
wants!
Gary

 

Subie has already made a 4.5 sec car out of a 4 cylinder/Turbo/AWD.....for only 40k.....

Lexus has the IS-F series, a 8 speed V8,170mph sedan already
that is a 4.2 sec car.

There is already history there.

Nissan has really no reason to hold back on Porsche. The G35 should have had
a twin turbo option years ago. And basically Infiniti should already have their
cars in the 4.5 range already.

 

Nissan dumped all their high performance R&D into the GT-R. The 370Z will benefit from technology derived from the GT-R. Unfortunately it seems that the G37 has missed opportunity and was move to the luxury-GT ***.

 

You guys think the Cayman sucks? I drove a Cayman S last night, extremely nimble, I wouldn't say it sucks, at all. The gearing was very conservative, overall a great drivers car.

 

Cayman S doesnt suck guys, in fact, it is well known to be a better platform than the 911 turbo.

 

Cayman is what 911 used to stand for. 911 = recycled 30yr old technology, similar to likes of modern Ford Mustangs. Cayman S > 911. if someone figures out a way to drop a 911 turbo engine into a Cayman S, it will probably destroy the Turbo and GT2 on track.

 

If Nissan cheated on the Ring lap time, why would they make another verbal challenge against Porsche? Wouldn't that imply they plan on cheating again?

The Z's numbers are probably going to be exactly what Nissan claims it is. No milking. Furthermore, since when did Nissan need to challenge Porsche to make the Z successful? If I'm not mistaken, it was the first sports car to reach a million sales. Not Lambo or Ferrari or Porsche. It was a Nissan Z. You don't challenge a company, knowing you need to cheat, when third party testing will be involved. This does not sound like a company that is cheating. It sounds like a company that is confident.

 

So Nissan's new mantra is to out-perform Porsche at a lower price-point, therefore offering better performance value...

GT-R > 911T
370Z > Cayman

Now why isn't Infiniti making a more focused attempt at out-performing BMW at a lower price-point? Currently...

135i ... no response from Infiniti
335i > G35/G37
M3 ... no response from Infiniti

Lexus success can be attributed to their blatant, and successful, attempts to out-Merc Mercedes. Why doesn't Infiniti do more to take down the sports-luxury champ BMW?