Just a few days ago, Nissan announced it was soon to debut a NISMO variant of the sporty Z model, renewed last year.
Now, fans of the manual gearbox are getting a bit of a cold shower. According to a leaked document, the Z NISMO will only be available with an automatic transmission – a sure disappointment to fans of pure driving. There's as yet no confirmation from Nissan, however.
This information comes from an order guide that made it way onto an online forum devoted to the new Nissan Z, newnissanz.com. It suggests that the only gearbox offered will be an automatic. And not even the dual-clutch unit derived from the GT-R platform, but the same conventional torque-converter transmission found on the standard Z.
In the video shared by Nissan, the NISMO appears to have only one pedal for the brakes and another for accelerating. Also visible are paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
To be clear, all that confirms is that the automatic transmission will be available with the model.
But what about the manual? The order guide clearly shows that while regular Z models are offered with both types of transmission, only the automatic unknit is listed for the NISMO variant.
The guide also shows certain features that will be exclusive to the NISM variant such as an Alcantara interior, as well as NISMO stripes on the body. Exterior colours are black, red, white, grey and silver, with a contrasting roof.
Since the model is expected soon, it won't be long before we know. It’s possible, of course, that a manual gearbox variant will arrive a little later.
We won't hold our breath, however.