Nissan's Z Proto teaser confirms manual gearbox

Nissan have published (another) teaser video of their soon to be unveiled new sporting coupe.

Ahead of the car's full unveil on September 16th, this teaser video does confirm some details of the new coupe, which will be the latest addition to Nissan's long lineage of Z-Cars.

The Z-Cars are Nissan's front-engined, rear-wheel drive sports-cars that first appeared in 1969 with the 240Z.

As much as we can see from the shadowy silhouette in this teaser video, the new car looks to pay tribute to that original 60s coupe in it's design. From the cars pointed front-end and headlights, along through to the sloping rear, all the cues are there.

More importantly, the video also confirms two key-connections this car holds on to from it's historical lineage. Firstly, there is clearly the sound of a six-cylinder engine, but what is even more tantilising in 2020, is the presence of a six-speed manual gearbox.

A manual gearbox is (sadly) never a foregone conclusion these days, so to see Nissan make a point of showcasing the six-speeder in this video, reiterates their intent on keeping the Z-Car a machine for driving enthusiasts.

The six-cylinder soundtrack we can hear is certainly turbocharged and those cylinders are most likely arranged in a V, with the new Z-Car likely sharing the V6 engine found in the Q50 and Q60 models from Nissan's sister brand, Infiniti.

Although rear-wheel drive hasn't been officially confirmed, the set-up in those Infinitis sends power to the rear and with Nissan pulling heavily from the Z-Car lineage, it would seem odd for them to change the format.

Nissan must be saluted for creating such a driver-focused product in an era where SUVs and automation are on the ever increase.

September 16th can't come soon enough.