Nissan prepping new 240 sx to battle the FT-86 and MX-5???
12-11-09, 08:34 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Nissan prepping new 240 sx to battle the FT-86 and MX-5???
There's talk brewing in the dark corners of the Internet that Nissan is preparing to take on Toyota and Subaru's joint sports coupe and Mazda's ur-roadster, the MX-5, with a revived take on the 240SX--and that it's coming to the U.S.
With everybody, even Hyundai, getting in on the inexpensive rear-drive action, it's no surprise that Nissan wants back in as well. After all, with the Z-car legacy and the strong history of the SX lineup, Nissan has as much sports car cred as any Japanese carmaker. For a glimpse at what the car might look like, check out this speculative preview story, and compare it to the Urge concept, pictured above.
The rumors say that the reborn 240SX would get a smaller version of the platform that underpins the current 370Z, making a perfect use of existing architecture, but potentially leading things down a porky road. If there's one single complaint against the recent crop of Z-cars, it's that they are too heavy for their own good.
Delivered with a smaller powerplant--something like a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-banger--the 240SX redux would be even more sensitive to excess weight. While the Hyundai Genesis Coupe might be doing OK with 3,300-3,400 pounds of curb weight, if Nissan wants to take the affordable performance stakes, it'll need to do better. But that's no problem, according to the reports--the car could weigh in as low as 2,800 pounds, a veritable featherweight by today's standards, with the notable exception of the Mazda MX-5, which is due out around the same time as the 240SX, and is expected to lose even more weight.
We'll have to wait about two years until late 2011 or early 2012 to see if the 240SX revival is for real, but it'll be fun speculating in the mean time.
With everybody, even Hyundai, getting in on the inexpensive rear-drive action, it's no surprise that Nissan wants back in as well. After all, with the Z-car legacy and the strong history of the SX lineup, Nissan has as much sports car cred as any Japanese carmaker. For a glimpse at what the car might look like, check out this speculative preview story, and compare it to the Urge concept, pictured above.
The rumors say that the reborn 240SX would get a smaller version of the platform that underpins the current 370Z, making a perfect use of existing architecture, but potentially leading things down a porky road. If there's one single complaint against the recent crop of Z-cars, it's that they are too heavy for their own good.
Delivered with a smaller powerplant--something like a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-banger--the 240SX redux would be even more sensitive to excess weight. While the Hyundai Genesis Coupe might be doing OK with 3,300-3,400 pounds of curb weight, if Nissan wants to take the affordable performance stakes, it'll need to do better. But that's no problem, according to the reports--the car could weigh in as low as 2,800 pounds, a veritable featherweight by today's standards, with the notable exception of the Mazda MX-5, which is due out around the same time as the 240SX, and is expected to lose even more weight.
We'll have to wait about two years until late 2011 or early 2012 to see if the 240SX revival is for real, but it'll be fun speculating in the mean time.
12-11-09, 09:35 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/11/y...ringing-it-to/
Hopefully it has nothing to do with this concept.
Hopefully it has nothing to do with this concept.
12-12-09, 12:01 AM
#4
Moderator
The concept model looks somewhat okay to me...
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12-12-09, 11:47 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I hope when they bring it back they call it a Nissan Silvia, not a 240sx. Its probably going to have a different displacement so it wont be a 240 for the most part any way.
12-13-09, 11:29 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Nissan's plans to revive the 240SX (Silvia in JDM parlance) has almost become a running joke, right up there with the fake moon landing and Tom Cruise's heterosexuality. But still, this old chestnut carries forth, with a new report from Insideline's editor in Japan who says the coupe's revival is due to hit the market sometime in 2011 or 2012.
Details, per usual, are both scarce and obvious. The next-generation Silvia will supposedly be built atop Nissan's popular FM platform (370Z, Infiniti G, etc.), come in a 2+2 seating configuration and tip the scales around 2,800 pounds. Naturally, as the S15's successor, it will be a front-engine, rear-drive setup, and is rumored to be packing a turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four putting out around 200 horsepower. A naturally aspirated variant will also be available to keep the cost of entry low, but the turbo'd model is obviously the pick of the litter and should deliver a 0-60 time of between six and seven seconds.
IL's man in Japan points to the Nissan Foria concept (shown above) as the stylistic inspiration, but notes that the coupe would only be "loosely based" on the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show concept. Judging by Nissan's recent design endeavors, we doubt the Foria -- or as previously rumored, the Urge concept -- will be a heavy influence on this supposed Silvia revival.
Although we're all for more budget-oriented FR sports cars, the popularity of the Toyota FT-86 is sure to be a factor in Nissan's decision to bring the 240SX back to life. That, coupled with the unknown demand for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Hyundai doesn't break out Genesis Sedan from Coupe sales in its monthly reports) makes the proposition of a new 2+2 from Nissan even more hazy. So until we hear something solid from Ghosn and Company, we'll resume our normal respiration routine.
Details, per usual, are both scarce and obvious. The next-generation Silvia will supposedly be built atop Nissan's popular FM platform (370Z, Infiniti G, etc.), come in a 2+2 seating configuration and tip the scales around 2,800 pounds. Naturally, as the S15's successor, it will be a front-engine, rear-drive setup, and is rumored to be packing a turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four putting out around 200 horsepower. A naturally aspirated variant will also be available to keep the cost of entry low, but the turbo'd model is obviously the pick of the litter and should deliver a 0-60 time of between six and seven seconds.
IL's man in Japan points to the Nissan Foria concept (shown above) as the stylistic inspiration, but notes that the coupe would only be "loosely based" on the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show concept. Judging by Nissan's recent design endeavors, we doubt the Foria -- or as previously rumored, the Urge concept -- will be a heavy influence on this supposed Silvia revival.
Although we're all for more budget-oriented FR sports cars, the popularity of the Toyota FT-86 is sure to be a factor in Nissan's decision to bring the 240SX back to life. That, coupled with the unknown demand for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Hyundai doesn't break out Genesis Sedan from Coupe sales in its monthly reports) makes the proposition of a new 2+2 from Nissan even more hazy. So until we hear something solid from Ghosn and Company, we'll resume our normal respiration routine.
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