The new Nissan 400Z is coming to phase out the dated 370Z Coupe (Z34) later this year. Based on the Z Proto show car, it is still very much a dark horse – but not completely so, thanks to Project CARS 3.
The racing sim came out last August and has been recently updated to include the Nissan Z Proto as a drivable vehicle. The in-game specs of the car are listed as 1,475 kg (3,252 lbs) and 450 hp (336 kW). Assuming that the real sports car gets the same specs, it would then be considerably more powerful than the 370Z (337 hp / 248 kW) and lighter at the same time (1,511 kg / 3,331 lbs).
Furthermore, the virtual Z Proto comes ahead of the real BMW Z4 / Toyota Supra (382 hp / 281 kW) and the Audi TT RS / Porsche Cayman GTS (400 hp / 295 kW).
The in-game sports car is 4,382 mm (14.38 ft.) long, 1,850 mm (6.07 ft.) wide and 1,310 mm (4.3 ft.) tall, making it 142 mm (5.55 in.) longer and slightly lower than the 370Z.
As far as the design is concerned, the Z Proto leans heavily onto the Z Series heritage. In particular, its proportions are reminiscent of those of a 1969 Datsun 240Z (S30), and the taillights look borrowed from a 1989 Nissan 300ZX (Z32).
With the current 370Z (Z34) having been in production for over eleven years now, the replacement model cannot arrive too soon.