We’ve yet to drive one, but the Nissan Z appears to have all the makings of something that should be a blast to drive. That said, the brand is out to prove the vehicle doesn’t necessarily need its gas-guzzling V6 to be a hoot out on the track.
This is the Nissan Z Race Concept. At face value, it doesn’t look too different from the stock version—save for a larger spoiler at the rear and an exterior covered in racing decals. On the hood, though, you’ll read the words ‘Carbon Neutral Fuel.’ This is the heart of this project.
As the decal implies, this particular Z concept runs on carbon-neutral fuel (CNF). The brand doesn’t go into much detail regarding what the race car is sipping, but it says data gathered from this unit will help toward bringing this Earth-saving development to “a wide range of motorsport activities.”
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And it isn’t a race car if it can’t partake in, uh, races, right? This is why this thing recently took to the track during the 2022 Super Taikyu Series. Because what better setting to test the boundaries of clean driving than in a full-fledged contest of speed on the Fuji Speedway.
“The harder the race, the more you can learn. That's why with the newly developed vehicle and CNF. We will participate in a 24-hour endurance race,” Nissan motorsport head Takao Katagiri said in a statement.
“We will acquire a lot of data and know-how for future vehicle development, and at the same time, we would like to show you the unique driving of Z that meets the expectations of our fans.”
Sounds promising. Truth be told, this is really the only direction we can expect the company’s cars to go for the foreseeable future—at least if the brand is serious about its lineup becoming carbon-neutral by the year 2050. Is this a game plan you’re down with?
And in other Nissan Z news, someone tried crushing a soda can with the sports car. The result will have you grinding your teeth.
More photos of the Nissan Z Race Concept
