Originally Posted by wstar

That just goes back to the compromise argument.

Nissan could change the 370Z's specs a bit and sell it as an awesome track-only car. Strip the interior, drop the power windows, power door locks, radio, etc. Give it an oil cooler and a factory roll cage, etc. You'd probably come out about even on mfg cost changes and it would be a great track car. But then it would never be worth it on the market: not enough of them would be sold because it'd be a horrible daily driver for a commuter, so they couldn't really afford to produce them that way in the big picture.

So they make compromises. The idea is to put out a track-capable car that's still cheap to buy, just barely commuter-friendly enough to keep the sales volume high enough to keep the car around, and only need a few key mods to be ready for amateur track use.