RicerX

Huh?

Oh... you must have gotten that 800lbs from the weight difference between your beloved Porsche Cayman and the Camaro. Well... the Camaro SS already out-accelerates the GT4 with the extra 800lbs. But if you're really curious as to how that works out in your argument with a weight reduction, you'll be able to get a Z/28 with reduced weight for several thousand less than the GT4, and it will likely walk all over it.

For those of us in the room talking about evolving/redesigning an existing product, the Camaro SS of today shed roughly 300lbs from its previous model. It added 24hp and 35tq. That, along with some suspension revisions, translated to a half a second improvement on a 0-60 time, greater lateral acceleration, and better braking. It is also capable of dipping into the 11s on the quarter mile off the lot when the old model was in the high 12s. (WHAT?!) It also does this for a modest price increase of roughly $3,000 from the previous generation. I will save you some math, since that is hard - that is not even a 10% increase in price.

Now tell me, sir, what kind of ramen-noodle-eating, bud-light-drinking, money saving sorcery is this ****?! Please pinch me... I must be dreaming that a company can significantly upgrade and evolve their product and offer it at a competitive price point.

Ford reduced weight and added power on the Mustang. Mazda SIGNIFICANTLY reduced weight with the Miata and provided a more efficient engine, though down on power, and it translated into a faster car.

We can expect Nissan to do the same. We expect them to do so because they have the tools at their disposal to do so. Follow me into the toolbox below:

The Infiniti Q50 is based on the existing FM platform that upholds the Z and G coupes. It is retooled with lighter weight materials. It is now available with a 400hp twin turbo V6. It makes that power using a modest 14.7psi of boost. That motor produces not only 400hp, but an orgasmic 350lb-ft of torque across 1800-5200 RPMs! It's orgasmic because it's peak torque across a broad range. Feel free to google that whole "power under the curve" concept. Because, in most cases, that translates to BETTER PERFORMANCE.

Now, kids... what did we just learn about our toolbox? A lighter platform that is already built to house a higher performance engine! Both of which are in production! Guess what that means, kids? We have a more powerful business case! We may even be able to stick to a similar price point with our new model Z because... well, not only do we have the tools, but OUR COMPETITION IS ALSO DOING IT!

Why are we in business? TO COMPETE.

A 3100lb Z pushing 400 to 450hp for $45k is what we would call COMPETITIVE. FOR 2016. We aren't trying to be competitive in 1970. Gas isn't 86 cents a gallon. Apples don't cost a nickel. Oldsmobile doesn't make cars.

You can spend your $85k on a niche premium branded car that, despite what you may think, is a limited production car (examples are Cayman GT4, GT-R Nismo) and not what we refer to as a full scale production car (370Z, Camaro SS) and be slower than some other sports cars that cost less, but have a gorgeous, exclusive machine that can perform very well. Or, by your logic, buy a 1991 Ferrari Testarossa and be slower than everyone else on this board, but hey, you have a Ferrari, right? Nothing could possibly be faster for the money you spent - that **** was top of the line, state of the art! NO ONE WILL EVER MAKE THAT KIND OF POWER WITH LESS THAN A FLAT 12! YOU MUST BE DREAMING!

I would quote the rest of your posts and obliterate them accordingly, but I'm too busy dreaming. Wake me up later when I'm right.

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