The Nissan Z Proto was unveiled to the world last September. As one of the first prototypes of the next generation Z sports car, the automaker shared enough details to keep enthusiasts interested. Details about the engine and its power have never been mentioned, except that it is a bit-turbocharged V6. Now, it is possible that Nissan is hiding the maximum potential of its performance machine from everyone, specifically in the digital world of a video game.
The game in question is Project Cars 3, which recently offered a new downloadable car package that included the Nissan Z Proto. What’s interesting here is that the digital version is listed at 445 horses (332 kilowatts) – far more than the 400 ponies that most people expected to find under the hood. Rumors pointed to the new Z obtaining the 3.0-liter V6 biturbo of the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport, which packs the aforementioned 400 hp. In early February, this was apparently confirmed by photos showing the Red Sport engine under the hood of the Z Proto. So, what’s up with this 445 hp video game rating?
To begin with, this is just a video game and the attributes of the real world are Never exaggerated or misrepresented in such a realm. Lest we forget, Project Cars 3 was launched with the C8 Corvette and the C8.R, the last of which had a laughable red line of 6,500 rpm. Listening to the racing car in real life, it is obvious that the flattened engine reaches much higher peaks, so yes, a disappointing arcade racing game is not exactly an ideal source for digging up reliable information. And with as secretive as Nissan has been with the Z Proto in general, we doubt it’s an accidental leak.
For the record, we asked Nissan directly about the Z Proto in the game. Interestingly, a spokesman responded by stating that the automaker “cannot comment on future production plans or specifications”. We reiterate that our question was about Nissan’s involvement with the games, not the real car or the so-called 400Z production that it can take. Frankly, that initial response left us wondering whether Nissan It is really teasing your production car with this video game look, at least in terms of maximum power. If that is the case, then the new Z could be quite a machine.
7 Photos
The other possibility is that it is just a game, and to make the Z Proto look good, an arbitrary HP figure has been connected. Why not? Having virtually driven the Z Proto on the PC3, it is certainly fast and emits a six-cylinder growl with the proper noise from digital turbos. As the screenshots above show, it certainly looks sharp on PC3, both inside and out. So while Nissan’s cautious response certainly raised our eyebrows, 445 hp might as well be just a fictional super-Z to play in a beautiful game.
Nissan has promised to come back with us regarding their involvement with Project Cars 3, but that response will come “as soon as it becomes available”. When – or if – we receive that answer, we will certainly share it here.