New York: Nissan's NISMO Z: Factory hot-rodded sportcar

Nissan spent little time hotrodding its 2010 370Z. Right alongside the newly debuting 370Z Roadster at the New York Auto Show is the NISMO edition of the Z coupe straight from Nissan North America's Specialty Vehicles Group in conjunction with Nissan's conversion partner Autech Japan.

Designated a 2009 model, the NISMO sports a larger rear wing, new bumper treatment, an aggressive front splitter and 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels from RAYS with Yokohama Advan Sport tires all around.

There's been tweaking under the bonnet where the VQ V6 has been bumped to 350 horsepower at 7,400 rpm from the standard 332 mainly through exhaust tuning and optimized ECU.

NISMO mechanical upgrades include specially tuned dampers, shock tower bracing, beefed up spring rates front and rear as well as stiffer sway bars at both ends all resulting in a 15-percent increase in roll stiffness. The speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering has been improved to reduce kick-back and vibration.

The 2009 NISMO Z will be available for delivery in June.