Nissan is one of the few Japanese manufacturers still making sportscars in-house. The problem is that both their sportscars have been soldiering on without a serious update for a very long time now. The 370Z has been around since 2009 while the current GT-R has been in production since 2007. That’s 11-13 years with nothing but facelifts and updates.
Strong rumours seem to indicate that we may finally get to see new models to replace these legends by the end of this year. Of course, that rumour also went around before the 2015, 2017 and 2019 Tokyo Motor Shows, but now there’s proof that Nissan have worked on a new retro-inspired Z logo, indicating the 370Z could really be out the door soon.
Historically, here’s how long each generation of Z car have lasted:
- S30, 9 years (1969-1978)
- S130, 5 years (1978-1983)
- Z31, 6 years (1983-1989)
- Z32, 11 years (1989-2000)
- Z33, 7 years (2002-2009)
- Z34, 11+ years (2009-present day)
While a Z replacement seems to be on the tables, a replacement to the GT-R has very little substance behind. The only really indication that this will be happening is the sheer age of the thing. This GT-R is rather special compared to its predecessors as Nissan decided to spin it off as its own performance coupe rather than derive its DNA from the Skyline. But since there is some shared heritage anyway, here’s how GT-Rs historically age.
- PGC10/KPGC10, 3 years (1969-1972)
- KPGC110, 1 year (1973)
- R32, 5 years (1989-1994)
- R33, 3 years (1995-1998)
- R34, 3 years (1999-2002)
- R35, 13+ years (2007-present day)
So, yes, 13 or more years on the current GT-R. It feels like a very long time, but again we have to stress that the current car is built on a dedicated platform and its updates have kept it relatively competitive. Unless the market severely improves, we’d say Nissan is more likely to keep the GT-R going a while longer, or can it rather than replace it. But let’s wait for some indication of what their actions will be. For now, the new Z car is what Nissan fans can really look forward to.
