A look back at previous generation Nissan Z-cars

Source: Hatsukari715 via Wikimedia Commons

Still remember Nissan Z-cars? The brawny rear wheel drive sports car that had been in the market since 1969? If you don't, I don't blame you as the Z-car had been sort of forgotten. Does that mean Nissan is going to pull its plug? Well, words have been circling around that Nissan is going to preview the next generation Z-car in concept form in this year's Tokyo Motor Show. This might mean that Nissan ain't gonna expunge the Z-cars from their line-up just yet.

If it goes into production, it will still retain the outgoing 370Z's proportion, meaning the fastback roof, long hood and wide stance as reported by Car and Driver. On the engine side of things, 3 options are available: (1) 400 hp 3.0 litre twin turbo V6 from Infiniti's Red Sport cars, (2) 300 hp entry-level 3.0 litre V6, and (3) 500 hp hybrid variant with the same V6.

With that said, it wouldn't hurt to look back at all of the previous generation Z-cars that magnified the brand's image.

240Z (S30)

Source: Rockymntskier via Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Introduced in October 1969 (sold as 1970 model year), this first generation Z-car spawned two versions, one for the Japanese market where it was known as Nissan Fairlady Z, and one for the US market marketed under Datsun 240Z moniker. The Japanese Fairlady Z was motivated by a 130 hp 2.0 litre SOHC L20A straight 6, while a 151 hp 2.4 litre L24 straight 6 with twin carburetors Hitachi SU-type powered the US 240Z.

The general public was head over heel by its aesthetically pleasing looks and impeccable performance, leading to a stellar 45,000 units being sold off in 1971, 50,000 units in 1972 and 40,000 units in 1973.

In 1974, Nissan introduced the 260Z, featuring a bigger 2.6 litre engine. Despite that, new emission regulations 'choked' the engine in most part of the US down to 139 hp, 12 hp lower than the outgoing 240Z.

In 1975, the US market was endowed with the more powerful 280Z, which saw the engine displacement enlarged to 2.8 litre. The most significant change was the introduction of Bosch fuel injection in place of the SU carburetors, which led to a power hike to 170 hp.

280ZX (S130)

                      

Source: Avriette via Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Now in its second generation, Nissan maintained the 'Fairlady' label for the Japanese market, while the export market remained under the Datsun labelling. The 280ZX had no correlation whatsoever with the 280Z, though the 2.8 litre engine and 5 speed manual were carried over from the latter.

Increasing consumer demand for luxury saw the introduction of t-tops, leather seats and automatic climate control. In 1981, a turbocharged model was introduced, good for 180 hp.

So popular was the 280ZX that it won the Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year award in 1979 and went on for a record sales of 86,007 units during the first year.

300ZX (Z31)

                                                                   Source: Zach87 via Wikipedia

In 1984, Nissan gave the Z-car a makeover which saw the debut of the brand's 3.0 litre V6 engine from the VG engine family in the 300ZX. These engines came with the options of VG30E naturally aspirated with 160 hp and VG30ET turbo with 200 hp or 228 hp outside the US thanks to longer cam duration and liberal emission regulations.

This third gen Z-car marked the retirement of the Datsun labelling for good, marketing all Z-cars in all markets under Nissan's labelling in 1985. Nissan made a minor tweak to the 300ZX with the inclusion of water-cooled turbo and smoked taillights.

In 1988, the engine was given a lower-inertia T25 turbo and a higher compression ratio, up from 7.8:1 to 8.3:1 to combat turbo lag. To further complement the changes, a special edition package, known as 'Shiro Special' (SS), was introduced. The package came with analog gauges, climate controls, stiffer anti-roll bar and springs, non-adjustable suspension, Recaro seats, viscous limited-slip differential and front lower lip spoiler.

300ZX (Z32)

                               

                                          Source: RedBeauty84ZX via Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

The 3.0 litre V6 from the previous gen 300ZX was carried over to the fourth gen 300ZX, fortified with dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) and variable valve timing (VVT) which improved output to 222 hp in naturally aspirated form. The most mouth-watering prospect however had to be the turbo variant, now equipped with twin Garrett turbochargers and twin intercoolers that churned out 300 hp to the rear wheels under Super HICAS four wheel steering's supervision.

The Z32 generation 300ZX won several accolades from renown motoring magazines, including Motor Trend, Automobile Magazine, Road & Track and Car and Driver.

1993 saw the introduction of a convertible version for the first time in a Z-car. T-tops was standard feature on all 300ZX Z32 generation, though consumers can option the hardtops as well.

However, the 300ZX Z32 generation had to be a blot in the copybook as the mid-90s trend toward SUV and the depreciating Yen currency in relation to the US dollar put a lid on the car's US sales in 1996. Compounding matters were the price inflation, which saw a price tag of $30,000 at its release and $50,000 in its final year. The result? The end of Z-car sales in the US, but it lived on in Japan.

240Z Concept (1999)

                                 

                                            Source: Zach87 via Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

With increasing interest in SUV in the US, Nissan shifted their focus onto SUV to keep them from being financially strapped. Despite that, Nissan wouldn't give up on the Z-car that easily.

During the 1999 North American International Auto Show, the 240Z Concept was launched. The concept was a bright orange two-seater with fastback roof, with a fully functional 2.4 litre KA24DE 4 cylinder with 200 hp. This eventually rekindled the love for Z-car among American public.

350Z (Z33)

                                  

                                           Source: rumpleproofskin via Wikipedia CC BY 2.0

After a hiatus from 1997, 2002 finally saw the return of Z-car in the form of the 350Z. It all began after Renault bought 44.4% of Nissan and Carlos Ghosn became CEO in 2001.

Ditching the 4 cylinder from the concept, it now featured a 287 hp 3.5 litre VQ35DE DOHC V6, the 350Z was launched in Japan on July 2002 and in the US on August 2002, with transmission option of a 6 speed manual or 5 speed automatic (automatic was down 13 hp). In 2004, a convertible was made available after initially only available as a hardtop.

In 2005, the 35th Anniversary Edition 350Z was launched, featuring improved output of 300 hp and a higher redline of 7000 rpm.

From 2007-2008 model year, the car featured a much improved 3.5 litre VQ35HR with dual intakes and 7500 rpm redline, increasing its output to 306 hp.

370Z (Z34)

                                  

                                                       Source: OSX via Wikipedia

Introduced on December 30 2008, the 370Z was marketed as a 2009 model year. Powering the 370Z is Nissan's 3.7 litre VQ37VHR V6 with power output ranging from 328 to 350 hp depending on market and variant.

The highlight of this sixth gen Z-car is the first production manual transmission with the ability to automatically blip the throttle on downshift, known as the SynchroRev Match. It simulates heel and toe downshift through array of sensors that monitor the shifter's position, wheel speed and engine speed. This ensures the rev is perfectly matched to prevent the rear driven wheels from locking up due to the shock generated by the driveline in response to the significant discrepancy in speed. 

Nissan's innovative auto rev match function inspired other manufacturers to follow suit, notable examples including the C7 Corvette Stingray Active Rev Matching, Aston Martin V12 Vantage S AMSHIFT and Porsche's Sports Chrono Package on 2013 911.

References

http://moneyinc.com/history-nissan-z-car/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Z-car#

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/28/2013-porsche-911-to-get-auto-rev-matching-technology/

  

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Lexus LC F trademarked; slated for production?

Source: Thesupermat via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

May the Force be with you. F is the Force that decimates anything standing in its path, tearing the tarmac asunder in its wake. Okay enough with the poetic opening. Let's cut to the chase shall we?

It appears that Toyota has filed the trademark for the 'LC F' name with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. What does this entail? Well, sooner or later, Lexus is going to slap the hallow F badge on its LC model. Yes, get yourself ready for the prospect of the more potent LC F to terrorise your street! What's the engine size? How much power it's going to make? Well, I have no idea. There's no hint on the powerplant that's going to grace its bonnet. Let's hope it's something special.

Currently, the production LC, based on the LF-LC concept as pictured above, is available under the moniker LC 500 and LC 500h. The former is powered by the 471 hp and 540 Nm 5.0 litre naturally aspirated V8 with VVT-i and D-4S direct and port injection; the latter makes use of the Dual VVT-i 3.5 litre V6 juice up by electric motor and 311V lithium ion battery.  

Mercedes AMG A45: The M133 4 cylinder monster

Source: TTTNIS via Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0

Small displacement turbocharged 4 cylinder engine is becoming a popular choice in hot hatch. Combining the power of turbocharger with the simplicity of having just 4 cylinders has got to be a boon in the age where meeting emission standard is a necessary evil, but without compromising the thirst for out-and-out performance that enthusiasts (including myself) crave.

Hence, why turbo 4 pot pocket rocket such as the Peugeot 208 GTi (200 hp), Ford Fiesta ST (180 hp), Ford Focus RS (350 hp) and Renault Megane RS (275 hp if you fancy the potent 275 Trophy-R) exist. However, none of the engines in the above-mentioned hot hatch hold a candle to the M133 engine found in the bonnet of a 3-pointed star hot hatch, namely the Mercedes AMG A45.

Source: Digital-Designs via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

It  all began...

Assembled by hand in Kolleda, Germany, the engine is based on the M270, with knowledge gained from the M156 (6.3 litre NA V8) and M157 (5.5 litre twin turbo V8) integrated into the M133. AMG reckoned that fitting the M270 in their ultimate hot hatch would stifle its credential, as in stock form it only made 208 hp. Not good. So, since 2013 AMG worked its magic to conceive the M133, claimed to be the world's most powerful production 4 cylinder engine.

The M133 2.0 litre twin-scroll turbo 4 pot dished out 355 hp in its initial guise thanks to its spray-guided direct injection with piezo injectors, 83 mm x 92 mm bore and stroke, 8.6:1 compression ratio and mind-blowing 1.8 bar of boost pressure ramming itself into the 4 NANOSLIDE-coated cylinders. 

In case you're wondering what on earth is NANOSLIDE, it's basically a cylinder wall coating technique of spraying nano-crystalline iron coating into the cylinder wall of an aluminium block. This result in wear-resistant and low-friction surface that further eases the piston's up and down motion, freeing even more power from the already potent engine as a result from the reduction in internal friction losses. Plus, it helps cut weight as it negates the need for heavy cast iron cylinder liners that have been the standard approach in protecting aluminium cylinder block from being worn down by the piston's friction.   

Furthering the weight reduction regime is the all-aluminium crankcase, forged steel crankshaft and forged pistons with friction-optimised piston rings. Together with NANOSLIDE, this enables the M133 to tip the scale at just 148 kg!

Keeping the charged air cool is the air-to-water intercooler which according to AMG, utilises its own coolant circuit. On top of that, AMG also claimed this helps keep the charged air temperature down at an impressive 130°C!  

A45's party spoiled...or is it?

Source: Automobile Italia via Flickr CC BY 2.0

So it was fine and dandy for the A45, until alarm bell started ringing at Affalterbach in the early 2015 thanks to a certain brand from Ingolstadt who identify themselves by the famous four rings insignia....Audi. 

Audi just wouldn't let AMG rest easily. Their performance arm, RS, rolled out their own A45  fighter, the  RS3 Sportback. Deep in the depth of the Ingolstadt's hot hatch is the brand's iconic 5 cylinder engine displacing 2.5 litre. With help from the turbo, the brand's hallmark engine served the quattro all-wheel drive 362 hp. That's 7 more than the A45. The upshot? The RS3 Sportback sprint from 0-62 mph in 4.3 second. That's 0.2 second faster than the A45! 

Obviously, AMG wouldn't take the slap on the face lightly. In response, engineers from Affalterbach gave the M133 a massage, recalibrating the engine control system and threw in a new exhaust camshaft. This brought along power hike by 21 hp, raising the M133's power from 355 to 376.

In an I-got-your-ass-back sort of way, the advantage swung back to AMG's favour. The extra power brought down the 0-62 time from 4.5 to 4.2 second, nudging the A45 back in front of the RS3 Sportback's front bumper.

Accolade

Mercedes AMG had wowed the entire world by their brilliant M133 4 cylinder turbocharged engine so much, that it won the Engine of the Year award in 1.8-2.0 litre category 3 times. 

The tale of C4 Corvette ZR-1 and the LT5 engine

Source: Drdisque via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.5/Shrunk from original size

OHV history

Overhead Valve (OHV), or otherwise known as 'Pushrod', is nothing new to the automotive world. The tech where the in-cylinder block camshaft actuates the in-cylinder head valves with a pushrod has been around since 1898 thanks to a man by the name of Walter Lorenzo Marr who was building a single cylinder trike with the OHV valvetrain. After a short stint at Buick as their Chief Engineer from 1901-1902, Marr founded his own car company, Marr Auto-Car Company, in 1903 and proceeded to dish out a handful of automobiles with OHV engine before returning to Buick in 1904.

Corvette line-up anomaly; in come Lotus

Marr's creation somehow survives until the present day on some sports cars. One of the sports car that still carries Marr's OHV tech is Chevrolet's 2 door sports car, the Corvette. From the C1 Corvette to the current C7 Corvette Stingray, OHV remains as the mainstay of Corvette's engine line-up, with one exception though. The C4 Corvette ZR-1 remains the only Corvette to buck the Corvette's OHV trend.

Source: Steven N. Severinghaus via wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Manufactured from 1990-1995, the car was powered by the all aluminum Lotus-designed 5.7 litre LT5 V8 with Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) setup. Yup, it's completely unique to the rest of Corvette's engine line-up, going with 32 valves DOHC setup over the typical 16 valves OHV. This all started in 1986 when Chevy's parent company, General Motors (GM), bought Lotus, a UK-based company specialising in performance car manufacturing and engineering consulting. GM's target was to create a production sports car that will blow off the doors of the competition, or in short, the fastest production sports car. Of course, this wasn't going to be an easy start for the GM-Lotus engine project.

Tough beginning

GM discovered that the engine was rather finicky, in that it needed special assembly. This put GM on a backfoot in finding an assembly plant specific for the LT5. All hope was not lost as Mercury Marine, a specialty engine builder from Stillwater, Oklahoma, stepped in to assemble the engines and shipped it back to Bowling Green, Kentucky Corvette plant where the ZR-1 was being assembled. Thanks to Mercury Marine's generosity, the legendary LT5 was born along with the C4 ZR-1.

One heck of an engine for its time

The LT5 was based on the L98 V8 that powered the standard C4 Corvette. Owing to GM's target in creating the fastest production sports car, the L98 didn't fit the bill for the ZR-1. The 5.7 litre 250 hp 16v OHV L98 was later replaced by the more powerful and sophisticated-for-its-time LT5 V8 with the same 5.7 litre displacement, but with 32v DOHC setup.

Together with unique air management system that can shut off 8 of the 16 intake runners and fuel injectors at part throttle, the LT5 was good for a brilliant 375 hp from 1990-1992 ZR-1. ZR-1 manufactured from 1993-1995 was to enjoy a power hike to 405 hp courtesy of changes to the cam timing and more efficient engine porting.

It's all in the record

The performance of the LT5 didn't just award the C4 Corvette ZR-1 with a blistering 0-62 mph time of 4.4 seconds, but also enable it to set 3 world endurance speed records:

1. 5000 km at 282.778 kph
2. 8000 km at 279.69 kph
3. 24 Hours Endurance at 283.059 kph for 6793.453 km

Unfortunately, its existence is short-lived

Thanks to factors such as increasing production cost and dwindling sales, the C4 ZR-1, along with the LT5, had a rather short lifespan as GM pulled its plug after model year 1995. In total, 6939 C4 ZR-1 were ever produced by GM.

  

2018 Kia Stinger launched!

Source: Kia

Kia has finally taken the wraps off of their 4-door sports sedan, the 2018 Kia Stinger. It's loosely based on the Stinger GT4 concept displayed at the 2014 Detroit auto show with additional 2 doors.

Powering the Stinger are 2 choices of engine: 2 litre Theta II turbocharged 4 cylinder (255 hp at 6200 rpm and 353 Nm from 1400-4000 rpm) and the more powerful 3.3 litre Lambda II twin turbo V6 (365 hp at 6000 rpm and 510 Nm from 1300-4500 rpm). Power is sent to either the rear wheels with mechanical limited slip differential or rear-biased all wheel drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control. 

If you're looking for a manual-equipped Stinger, don't read any further because the Stinger only comes with an 8 speed automatic transmission. I guess Kia only let the car do the heel toe downshift😅!   

On the handling front, the front axle will ride on MacPherson strut, while the rear axle will make do with more sophisticated multi link suspension. Also included is Kia's first Dynamic Stability Damping Control, an electronically adaptive damper. Interestingly, the chassis development is led by former BMW M man, Albert Biermann. Let's see if Kia's new sports sedan will outmuscle the BMWs around corner-galore Nordschleife (apparently Kia has been tuning the chassis around the legendary 'Green Hell'). 

As always, safety first! The Stinger is equipped with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Blind Spot Monitoring System. Tyre sizes vary depending on engine choices: V6 (225/40R19 front, 255/35R19 rear); 4 cylinder (225/45R18 all-round). Also, if you choose the V6, the braking system is courtesy of vented Brembo disc with 4 piston caliper front and 2 piston caliper rear. 

Why a hybrid Ford Mustang is inevitable?

You opened your favourite automotive news portal to feed yourself with attention-worthy news pieces. You scrolled down the long list of articles and if you happen to be a diehard fan of Ford Mustang, your jaw dropped. Your heart sank. You feel like screaming 'SACRILEGIOUS!!!' at the Blue Oval thanks to the news headlines that sounds roughly like this: Ford Mustang to join the hybrid bandwagon by 2020. 

"Gasp! A muscle car brute joining the ranks of Prius?! You gotta be kidding me!", I heard you exclaiming. Well, as much it's disheartening the Mustang is going to zap its V8 with a good dose of electric power, this isn't necessarily a bad thing and in some way, necessary. Here are reasons why:

Even high-end sports car brand is going hybrid route

Hybrid technology is no longer exclusive to run-of-the-mill, fuel conscious family wagon. Ferrari is contemplating on hybridising their entire model lineup by 2019. BMW performance arm, the BMW M, is also looking to complement their M cars with hybrid technology.

If that's not enough, Mercedes and Aston Martin are dishing out their own street-legal hybrid hypercar. 

Starting with Mercedes, their performance division, AMG, has confirmed their hybrid Mercedes AMG hypercar with F1-based (yep, it's the same engine found on Lewis Hamilton and already-retired Nico Rosberg's F1 car) 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 hybrid, though reportedly it might be larger in capacity as it's not subjected to motorsport regulation.

Joining Mercedes in producing insane street-legal hybrid hypercar, Aston Martin has team up with their partner, Red Bull Racing F1 Team, to develop their own version of the Mercedes hypercar, the AM-RB 001. This monster hypercar will get its power from a naturally aspirated V12, with extra power boost from F1-derived hybrid system.

All these leads to my next point...

Hybrid tech actually improves performance potential

Combine the internal combustion engine with electric motor and you have a recipe for a potentially tyre-shredding performance. I am going to use Ferrari LaFerrari as an example. 

The Ferrari LaFerrari's 6.3 litre naturally aspirated V12 outputs around 789 bhp. Supplemented by the 161 bhp HY-KERS electric motor, the only hybrid Ferrari production supercar generates a whooping total output of 950 bhp, good for propelling it from 0-62 mph in less than 3 seconds. Thanks to the hybrid powertrain, the LaFerrari is the most powerful  road-going Ferrari the brand from Maranello has ever produced, surpassing the F12 Berlinetta (730 bhp) and F12 tdf (770 bhp).

With LaFerrari's staggering performance figure in mind, I can't think of a reason why Ford wouldn't hybridise their iconic Mustang muscle car. If hybrid has granted LaFerrari the most powerful Ferrari road car crown, surely adopting hybrid tech is going to make the Mustang even more potent than the previous iteration of the Ford's pony car.

Of course, performance is not the only reason for going the hybrid route.

We have to go green yo! Coz tighter emission standard

This is by far the most crucial reason for sports cars to go hybrid. With emission standard getting tighter, this is becoming a necessity. More and more hybrid sports cars are hitting the roads, such as BMW i8, Koenigsegg Regera, second generation Honda NSX, out-of-production McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. These hybrid sports cars exist to give enthusiasts the performance they crave without getting under the environmentalist's skin.  

So implementing hybrid should be a win-win for the much loved Mustang. You still get a Mustang with tyre-smoking performance with lower emission to boot. Despite the benefits hybrid technology offers, there are several challenges to overcome.

The Challenges

Weight

Obviously, adding electric motor and battery pack do add weight, a complete opposite in performance enhancement. When Porsche was developing the 918 Spyder, their test driver and legendary rally champion, Walter Rohrl, was initially sceptical of it being a hybrid, as such approach will add weight (the 918 Spyder won him over eventually). 

With the current S550 Mustang weighing around 1600-1720 kg, implementing hybrid is going to make Ford's pony car weigh even more unless if they think like Koenigsegg.

Complexity

More parts, more stuff to break, higher expanses. Indeed, hybrid is one heck a complete headache-inducing piece of contraption to reap the performance and emission benefits. 

According to Mark Fitzgerald, a senior automotive analyst from a market research firm, Strategy Analytics, hybrid cars require additional components that you won't find in conventional cars such as "electric motors, electric inverters and converters, high-voltage batteries, electronic control units, semiconductors and sensors". Well, this is not entirely surprising as hybrid needs extra bits of stuff to make them function.

Conclusion

The idea of hybrid Mustang is not entirely a bad thing. Yes, there are camps that will go up in arms at the idea, but given the challenges that automakers are facing (emission being one of them), the wave of hybridisation is more or less unavoidable. All I can say is welcome to the future folks! 

         

If I were Mini, this is how I propose the third gen Mini John Cooper Works GP powertrain be

So, Autocar reported that the third generation John Cooper Works GP is in Mini's bucket list. Hurrayy!! The catch is you may have to wait a little longer, as forecasted by Autocar, "closer to the end of the decade", which might probably be around 2020. This hot hatch has been historically known to be the end-of-chapter model to its regular hatch counterpart. 

Now let's cut to the chase. Befitting this post's headline, the powertrain will be the thing I am zooming into...with my own twist.

The 2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP is motivated by a 1.6 litre turbocharged direct injected 4 cylinder mill which, thanks to a bump in compression ratio, boosts output to 218 hp. Power goes to the pair of front wheels via the sole 6 speed manual transmission. 

Now, I would like to get a bit cheeky with the powertrain layout. It's common knowledge that Mini is owned by the BMW Group. If I were in Mini's shoes, here's what I would do to spice up the third gen John Cooper Works GP. I would dispose of the current 4 cylinder engine for BMW's 3 litre turbocharged inline 6 that makes around 330 hp and channel those power to the rear wheels through a stick shift without any fancy auto rev match feature (I would heel toe myself thank you). The result? Voila! An FR Mini John Cooper Works GP, along the lines of the 2015 BMW M135i. 

Yea...I am a bit cheeky with the power figure (330 vs 322 on M135i). Not that much difference, though I would figure the John Cooper Works 1179 kg (without factoring the extra weight from the extra 2 cylinders and propshaft) vs the M135i 1520 kg is more than enough to offset the minute power difference. This should give Munich a run for its money. 

How much would my hypothetical Mini John Cooper Works GP weigh once the 6 cylinders and propshaft's weight is counted? It's anyone's guess. Maybe still lighter than the M135i? Or close to M135i's figure?

What do you think of my hypothetical Mini? Do sound off in the comment section!