Detailed interview with Hiroshi Tamura - Part 1 & Part 2 w/Translations
The Essence of Z-ness: Hiroshi Tamura, Chief Product Specialist of the Z Proto Since 1969, the venerable Fairlady Z has enthralled sports cars enthusiasts the world over. While there have been many iterations of the model through the years, it has constantly maintained its identity as the...
www.nissanzclub.com
Important takeaways:
- Modern street tires can mathematically put 150hp to the road each without breaking traction. Therefore the GTR was sold with 600hp (150x4). But to put 400hp through 2 wheels, that's exceeding the adhesion limit of 2 wheels by a good 100hp. Therefore the VDC tuning here is specifically tuned to make u feel good about it and it's programmed to make you think you did all that driving yourself, no matter how hamfisted you are. Gone is the very intrusive power cut off but in will be the progressive, slightly playful safety leash to reel back the situation if it sees it.
- Cooling deficiencies of the existing 370z is taken into serious consideration with its front ventilation design. The massive grille is supposed to be 200% size of the old, housing all sorts of coolers inside. Even the rear differential has some localized dodats to cool the differential better than the outgoing model (although it's the same diff architecture).
- Unfortunately due to UN requirement (united nations, yes those bastards), the car cannot make all the noise they wanted it to make outside, so fake sound is gonna come through the speakers (boo)
- Z is not going to be an all out racing machine. The team behind the Z is the team behind the GTR, but the GTR has to have some GT and some Racing. The Z is more GT than racing. Even with the cooling upgrades he does not think this is the car for someone who frequents the race track. Couple slides and drift around here and there sure, but it is not designed as an all out time attack machine.
- Trunk size was again designed to swallow up 2 golf bags, (even tho the project lead Tamura said himself, "I don't golf, you know") they made it that way so the car could in theory drive 2 people to golf course with their irons. This is what's deemed sufficient for 2 adults on a weekend getaway, as American would like their supersize everything . Nissan themselves would like to make it even smaller, had it not been for this requirement.
- There is misconception that the car is a retro modern S30z, but they think anyone who owned any gen Z prior, should find this shape nostalgic and unmistakeably Z.