- Taking place inside Brooklyn’s iconic Duggal Greenhouse, Nissan throws a special event featuring heritage Z cars and the debut of the 2023 Z.
- Under the hood sits an aluminum VR30DDTT 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 rated at 400hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.
- Toyota GR Supra haters will enjoy that the Z comes standard six-speed manual transmission.
- The expected on-sale date will be Spring 2022, with starting MSRP of around $40,000.
The New York International Auto Show typically takes place in the spring; however, for 2021, the 10-day event was pushed back to August 20-29. As fate would have it and with concerns surrounding the COVID-19 Delta variant, organizers were forced to pull the plug for the second year in a row; extremely disappointing as more than one million car fanatics check out the show every year. This was also a tough pill to swallow for manufacturers with vehicle debuts still set to take place; however, for the team at Nissan, the wheels were already in motion to reveal the production model 2023 Z at the iconic Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn. Nothing was going to stop them, and we were one of the few lucky media guests on hand to witness sports car history in the making.
EPIC NYC VENUE
The Duggal Greenhouse isn’t a venue most people know off the top of their heads, but it’s famous for hosting private events for some of the biggest brands in the world, such as Adidas, CNN, Dior, Nike, United Nations, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga. It’s a classy, artsy, and elegant warehouse situated inside the Brooklyn Naval Yard and features a spectacular view of Manhattan. Quite the fitting venue for the debut of what is to be an iconic sports car years from now.
HERITAGE CARS
Before showtime, I was surprised to find the ground floor curated with a display of heritage Datsun and Nissan Zs. Outside sat a pristine 1970 240Z while inside was blessed with a few 300ZXs, Bob Sharp Racing 240Z race car, 280Z, 350Z, and finally a pair of 370Zs. Decorating the bar area were historic Z memorabilia and parts, a nice touch I might add. There were also wooden display walls illustrating the evolution of the Z logo. If you were a Z fan, this was heaven for you.
Z PREMIERE
When the clock struck 8 pm, showtime began. A 20-minute livestream was broadcast globally with hosts Cody Walker and Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta. They delved into the history of the Z along with details of the car that we all couldn’t wait to hear. As expected, the rear-wheel-drive coupe will come with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes 400hp at 6,400rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 to 5,600rpm. A close-ratio six-speed manual transmission is standard (yes, standard!), while a nine-speed automatic gearbox option will be available with paddle shifters. The suspension features a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear with monotube shocks all-around. The hood, doors, and hatch are all made of aluminum. A Performance trim model will be available at launch with a sportier retuned suspension, mechanical clutch-type LSD, launch control, bigger brakes, and 19-inch forged wheels made by RAYS. No word yet on a NISMO model, but if history tells us anything, we can expect one the following year. Final pricing hasn’t been announced. However, rumor has it, starting MSRP will be just above $40K with an on-sale date scheduled for spring 2022.
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