2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition is a throwback sports car
Nissan pays homage to the 50-year history of its legendary sports car.
The Southern California native briefly lived in Sydney, and is proud to have developed a barely passable Aussie accent. He also serves on the board of directors of the Motor Press Guild. When not reviewing cars or nerding out on OEM premium audio, you can find manual-labor-averse Manuel doing his best to convince his closest friends to fix the very Porsche that delivered him home.
It's the 50th anniversary of a legendary sports car, Nissan's Fairlady Z. To celebrate that momentous occasion, Nissan brought the 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition to the New York Auto Show.
The silver-and- black scheme is more subdued, if you're trying to be more discreet with your celebrating.
The company will be pulling off the wrapping paper this week at the New York International Auto Show. The Big Apple holds a special spot in Z history. It was here, fifty years ago, that the world first saw the Datsun 240Z.
The special-edition Z really amounts to an appearance package, but unlike the 50th-anniversary editions we've seen with the Corvette, 911 and Mustang, the 50th-anniversary Z is racing-inspired. It takes cues from the #46 BRE (Brock Racing Enterprises) Datsun 240Z.
"Peter Brock's competition-tuned 240Z changed the American motorsports landscape," says Ivan Espinosa, Nissan's VP of global product strategy and planning. "After the BRE 240Z debuted in 1970, Nissan/Datsun became one of the most successful companies in American motorsports -- with thousands of victories over the past five decades."
The stripe package certainly stands out.
The 50th-anniversary package will be available only on the 370Z's Sport trim. If the white-and-red scheme is a bit much for you, the silver-and-black look is a little more restrained.
Aside from the two-tone/racing-stripe appearance, the 50th Anniversary Edition features a rear spoiler, "50th Anniversary" badges and specific, 19-inch Rays forged wheels. Inside, you get an Alcantara steering wheel, unique seat stitching, embossed "50th Anniversary" logos on the seatbacks and dark chrome accents, among other special touches. All 50th Anniversary Editions also come standard with an eight-speaker Bose premium audio system.
Under the hood lies the same 3.7-liter V6 making 332 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, sent through a rev-matching six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters, either of which are connected to a viscous limited-slip differential. Brakes are four-piston, 14-inch units up front and two-piston, 13.8-inch stoppers out back. All standard fare for the Sport trim.
The 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition hits dealerships nationwide this month, but pricing is yet to be announced.
Originally published April 16 at 7 a.m. ET.
Update April 17: Adds new photos from the show floor.