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Nissan 370Zki test drive

Feb 5, 2018
  • Image Credit: Reese Counts

It's a car. It's a snowmobile. It's the Nissan 370zki!

"What would happen if we turned a sports car into a snowmobile?" Nissan asked itself that exact question, and the result is this: The 370Zki (pronounced 370 ski).

Simply put, Nissan took a standard 370Z Roadster and replaced the wheels with skis and four-foot long, 15-inch wide tracks from American Track Truck. They then tinted the headlights and covered the car in a bright orange wrap from Icon Image Graphics to make it pop against the backdrop of snow and evergreens.
  • Image Credit: Nissan

How'd they make it?

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A custom lift kit raised the Z three inches, providing just enough room for the rear tracks to clear the wheel wells. The front suspension was fitted with adaptors to give the skis enough travel and rotation. The 370Zki has a reasonable turning radius. The engine and transmission mounts were custom fabricated and a skid plate was added to keep the 3.7-liter 332 horsepower V6's guts from spilling out like a lightsabered tauntaun. Out back there are custom mounts for the rear springs, rerouted brake lines and a new fitment for the exhaust system.

Nissan 370Z Information

Nissan 370Z
  • Image Credit: Reese Counts

What's it like to drive?

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The final product is both incredible and ridiculous. It takes a minute to get a feel for the car, but once things get going all you want to do is pop off gears and toss up a never-ending rooster tail of snow and ice. Braking is the most difficult aspect, but proper technique comes quickly. You simply have to let the tracks do the work and slow down in a straight line. Stab the brake pedal like you would on a street car and you'll send the ass end whipping around (the front brakes don't work since the hub doesn't rotate).

Nissan 370Z Information

Nissan 370Z
  • Image Credit: Reese Counts

Keep your foot planted to the floor.

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The 7-speed automatic means you can just put the car in drive and go, but it's far more entertaining to use the paddle shifters. From a dead stop, floor the gas and snap through gears one through four. The tracks take will a second to catch, but once they do the best solution is to just keep your foot in it. With the top down, expect a localized storm to shower you with ice, but it's all part of the fun. There's a hell of a racket from the tracks, but it's matched by the Z's V6 shrieking V6 cracking at the rev limiter.

Nissan 370Z Information

Nissan 370Z
  • Image Credit: Reese Counts

Want to know more?

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As with any rear-wheel drive car in the snow, oversteer is the name of the game. It's easy to induce, but the Z is so easy to reel back in that you keep goosing the gas to see how far you can push it. Approach a corner, back off the gas and downshift to transfer the cars weight and then nail it again to power out. It's intoxicating.

Want to know more? Click here for Autoblog's video review of the Nissan 370zki.

Nissan 370Z Information

Nissan 370Z
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