Imagine somebody walking into a showroom and ordering a sports car out of necessity. Short of spy or freelancing stunt drivers providing the full logistics, this is mere fantasy. And that’s just a non-standard way to say that people buy sports cars based on their emotions. Determining the precise emotions, though, might be a bit more difficult. For one, once the 2023 Nissan Z comes to the street this June, it will eat straight into Toyota Supra sales and we’re wondering how many buyers will compare the two for real and how many will be brand loyalists (more on this below). Meanwhile, things are just as heated as in this rendering depicting a race between two drag-spec iterations of the JDM coupes.
This pixel portrait revives a rivalry that’s been going on for decades-since the Toyota was dormant for the better half of two decades, you can understand the sky-high level of anticipation.
Sure, the 2023 Z and the A90 Supra are sports cars, but people will also compare them to muscle cars. In fact, if these toys were American, their makers would release factory-spec drag racing versions. And since this is obviously not the case, digital artist Ted Li (aka flathat3d), came up with this sort of transformation for the Nissan and the Toyota.
The change is only partial since these are still street cars. However, we can easily observe the drag pack wheels and tires, with skinny units for low rolling resistance up front and smaller rear wheels shod in what appear to be monstrous slicks.
Another mod involves the parachutes strapped to the posterior of the machines. And while one might argue that a deeper change would’ve been welcome, this restrained approach means we can better assess the drag strip visual presence of the standard designs. Oh, and for the record, the said artist is one of the pioneers of the community, often being the first to release a 3D model when a new model comes out, Z and (if memory serves us right) Supra included.
Toyota Supra vs. 2023 Nissan Z spec comparison
Toyota’s and Nissan’s de rigueur sportscars both pack turbocharged six-cylinder engines delivering around 400 hp to the rear wheels. Interestingly, the Z is animated by a V6, while the Supra sports a straight-six, just like they did back in the 90s.
However, as we dive further into the on-paper battle, one of the two seems to edge ahead. For starters, the Z is the only one available with a manual (both use eight-speed autos). Alas, using the info from an ordering guide leaked in January 2022, the lightest Z weighs in at 3,486 pounds (1,580 kg), which makes it some 120 lbs (55 kg) less scale-friendly than its rival.
Based on the $40,000 starting price estimate of the 2023 Nissan Z, this will be noticeable more affordable than the Toyota Supra-that kind of money will buy you the turbo-four entry version of the Supra (no word on such an iteration for the Nissan), while getting the six-cylinder Toyota means parting ways will well over $50,000. Note that the said Supra engines are of Bavarian origin, given that the current Supra shares its powertrains and chassis with the second-generation BMW Z4. The Nissan, on the other hand, rides on a heavily revised platform of its predecessor, the 370Z, which, in turn, is based on the 350Z introduced in the early 2000s.
And, returning to the emotion-related point in the intro, many enthusiasts feel the Supra comes with a busy design using plenty of faux elements, such as the bumper vents-many artists have brewed their own designs due to this. The Nissan, on the other side, is the definition of revived retro design, sporting a clean approach. And, at least until the driving impressions land this April, it looks like the Z would be the better bet.
