Launched in August 2023, the Z Nismo (or Nismo Z, depending on how you want to call it) has served as the high-performance flagship to the rear-wheel drive Nissan sports car lineup.
However, unlike its closest competitors in the Toyota GR Supra and Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the Z Nismo has exclusively been produced with a Mercedes-Benz developed nine-speed torque-converter automatic, with no option of a manual offered.
That’s despite the standard Z being available with a six-speed manual transmission, however Nissan executives said at the launch of the Nismo that a three-pedal version would ultimately be slower than the auto base model, despite the hot model’s power and torque advantage.
Speaking to Automotive News, Nissan Americas chairman Christian Meunier said that’s set to change.
“Z is obviously very, very exciting. We have a lot of special editions in the pipeline. We have a Nismo manual transmission coming,” the executive said.
The move to add a manual transmission will allow Nissan to service a wider audience of enthusiasts, especially now that the Supra has all but disappeared from global showrooms.
Meunier didn’t provide additional details about when the manual Z Nismo will launch, and it’s not yet clear if it’ll be for North America only, or if an Australian berth is possible.
There is also a question mark over whether it’ll retain the same outputs as the automatic version.
Carmakers such as BMW traditionally have less power and/or torque in manual models compared to their auto counterparts, mainly to better protect the driveline.
The Nissan Z Nismo currently produces 313kW and 521Nm from its twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, up 15kW and 47Nm on the standard car.
In the case of the Australian-delivered GR Supra (285kW/500Nm) and the Mustang Dark Horse (349kW/548Nm), outputs are unchanged regardless of transmission.
The revival of manual transmissions in Nissan’s lineup has clicked into gear within the past month, after it was recently announced to US dealers that luxury division Infiniti will launch a Q50S sedan with a six-speed, three-pedal option.
