1999 Nissan 240Z Concept: The Z that was never meant to be
SPOHN
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Well said. No doubt it seems this way. So ready to get one and be back in the Z community. The Z always seemed to have great people in the community.
DrivingEnthusiast
Well-Known Member
The failed Nissan Z concept of 1999
In 1998 Nissan needed a design for a planned return to the market with an all-new Z. Here is their concept... and it was a total bust. Received poorly by Z enthusiasts in Japan, at its North American debut at the 1999 NAIAS show, and quickly abandoned.
I saw it back then and in person at NAIAS... and I remember looking it over carefully and wide-eyed, unbelieving, and being asked by a Nissan product person what my thoughts were. They explained that they were proud that the headlamps were reminiscent of the original Z (and we’ve heard this same line fomr Nissan again with the current Z Proto concept!). So I allowed him that much, and that little bit was true, but the rest of the concept was a clumsy disaster and I explained exactly why I thought so. Constructively, but to his embarrassment (an exercise in Japanese culture). I also thought that it was little more than a “glorified 240SX” and didn’t even look as good. Many elements were awkward – look at the taillights for an example. What were they attempting there (and again, in the Z Proto, those are a critical element)?
So after 1 more attempt in press interviews to explain this mess, Nissan dropped it and went back to the design center. The 350Z, coming to market in 2002, must have been quickly styled as a fix for this disaster. And as we know it was a success in the market (despite certain engineering issues).
2 years ago I ran into this concept again and in person. Imagine my surprise – who would ever have thought it even still existed. But surprise – its here in North America and Nissan has it near its headquarters (in a storage room which also contains the one and only 370Z Nismo convertible prototype). Did they keep it to review its issues when styling the new Z?
This time I had the opportunity to look much closer, and even underneath. You would think that this would have been built on an engineering prototype of the FM platform… and it wasn’t. It appeared to me to be built on a variant of the Leopard platform instead. Nissan had a lot of different platforms then, and this was a sophisticated and expensive one. But the platform choice also dictates the ultimate price of the car… so this was probably the wrong platform given that its production was going to end.
So instead Nissan designed the FM platform, lightweight and efficient, which underpinned the 350Z, G35 and several other models (G37, Q40/Q50/Q60, Skyline, Fuga/Q70, EX, FX, Stagea, Elgrand - and even the current GT-R)… saving significant costs thru platform sharing and enabling premium specifications and features that the Z would not have had otherwise. An excellent platform and again the basis of the upcoming new 2022 Nissan Z.
Here are the original press pictures. Note the Z logos everywhere, the smallish tires and the odd stance.
In 1998 Nissan needed a design for a planned return to the market with an all-new Z. Here is their concept... and it was a total bust. Received poorly by Z enthusiasts in Japan, at its North American debut at the 1999 NAIAS show, and quickly abandoned.
I saw it back then and in person at NAIAS... and I remember looking it over carefully and wide-eyed, unbelieving, and being asked by a Nissan product person what my thoughts were. They explained that they were proud that the headlamps were reminiscent of the original Z (and we’ve heard this same line fomr Nissan again with the current Z Proto concept!). So I allowed him that much, and that little bit was true, but the rest of the concept was a clumsy disaster and I explained exactly why I thought so. Constructively, but to his embarrassment (an exercise in Japanese culture). I also thought that it was little more than a “glorified 240SX” and didn’t even look as good. Many elements were awkward – look at the taillights for an example. What were they attempting there (and again, in the Z Proto, those are a critical element)?
So after 1 more attempt in press interviews to explain this mess, Nissan dropped it and went back to the design center. The 350Z, coming to market in 2002, must have been quickly styled as a fix for this disaster. And as we know it was a success in the market (despite certain engineering issues).
2 years ago I ran into this concept again and in person. Imagine my surprise – who would ever have thought it even still existed. But surprise – its here in North America and Nissan has it near its headquarters (in a storage room which also contains the one and only 370Z Nismo convertible prototype). Did they keep it to review its issues when styling the new Z?
This time I had the opportunity to look much closer, and even underneath. You would think that this would have been built on an engineering prototype of the FM platform… and it wasn’t. It appeared to me to be built on a variant of the Leopard platform instead. Nissan had a lot of different platforms then, and this was a sophisticated and expensive one. But the platform choice also dictates the ultimate price of the car… so this was probably the wrong platform given that its production was going to end.
So instead Nissan designed the FM platform, lightweight and efficient, which underpinned the 350Z, G35 and several other models (G37, Q40/Q50/Q60, Skyline, Fuga/Q70, EX, FX, Stagea, Elgrand - and even the current GT-R)… saving significant costs thru platform sharing and enabling premium specifications and features that the Z would not have had otherwise. An excellent platform and again the basis of the upcoming new 2022 Nissan Z.
Here are the original press pictures. Note the Z logos everywhere, the smallish tires and the odd stance.
not_howard
Well-Known Member
The car looks like it was scared to be put into production.
DrivingEnthusiast
Well-Known Member
I'd rather have an S15 Silvia than that concept! The S15 is shockingly handsome. You have 250 HP here, and a great suspension.
bhamZ35
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I’ve always loved the S15. Such a shame the US market never got them.I'd rather have an S15 Silvia than that concept! The S15 is shockingly handsome. You have 250 HP here, and a great suspension.
spencello
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Such a bummer, these were one of my favorite Nissan chassis of all time. The styling ques were spot-on, even for this day to me. We had our hands on a few S15s years ago for racing and product development. It's a shame there weren't more around.
