This is something you won’t see every single day.
A teaser showing a snowy mountain and the distinctive sound of a 370Ztwo seat sports car in background was dropped by Nissan a few days ago. We were also given the curious name of 370Zki. For those who have ever wondered what a Nissan snowmobile looks like, here’s a look in all its mad-scientist, crazy-mental glory. The answer is no, before you start having wild thoughts about ordering one from Nissan.
It doesn’t mean you can’t make one, but it is possible. You might be wondering how far. American Track Truck supplied Nissan tracks and skis. This company advertises that it is easy to install these items on a small sports car. The next step was to remove the entire driveline. Although the car was raised three inches around by a custom lift kit, it didn’t allow for enough clearance for the four-foot tracks. To remove the tracks from the car, custom mounts were made for the rear springs. Three-inch wheel spacers were attached to the hubs using bolts. The exhaust was also rerouted, but it wasn’t enough. So the Z’s wheel wells were modified so that the tracks wouldn’t chew up the body. Although the suspension work was simpler up front, it still required modifications to the wheel holes. Stock hubs were kept, but adapters were needed to achieve the suspension travel and rotation required for the sky. Also, more spacers were needed to move the skis farther apart. A custom skid plate was also installed to protect the under-car components from damage by ice chunks and other debris.
Both the engine and transmission are completely unchanged. This means that a new 370Z has 332 horsepower (248kW) being sent rearward through an automatic seven-speed. Although we don’t know the exact weight of the conversion, we believe that top speed and corner-carving abilities are not affected by it. However, carving snow-covered trails and slopes could be spectacular –atleast until the wheel bearings fail. We’d still be smiling fools up to that point.This winter-ready Nissan 370Zki will be on display at Chicago’s 2018 Auto Show. It will also be accompanied by the more civilized Nissan Armada Snow Patrol SUV.