The Nissan 370Zki Is An Outrageous 332bhp Soft-Top On Tracks

Behold the maddest Nissan 370Z in the world, riding on skis and snow tracks. This astonishing creation actually works, too!

As part of a project destined for display at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, the half-roadster, half-snowmobile dubbed the 370Zki has dumped its wheels and sticky tyres in favour of a more snow-friendly setup, but that’s only the tip of the modification iceberg.

In a press release Nissan outlines a huge raft of adaptations, starting with the total removal of the engine of a standard 370Z convertible. A custom lift kit was designed to raise the ride height by three inches. The Dominator tracks were never going to be a straightforward fit, though, so custom mountings had to be engineered and linked to bespoke three-inch spacers to push them out sideways.

The brakes are the standard items but the hoses had to be rerouted, along with a new path for a redesigned exhaust and clearance mods to the rear wheel arches to avoid fouling from the tracks. It’s almost like the 370Z was never really designed to be a snowmobile, or something.

At the front the skis were attached to the standard hubs via modified suspension and more custom spacers. Finally, the 332bhp 3.7-litre V6 needed a whole new mounting setup and a skid plate to protect it from impacts.

For some reason Nissan USA also thought it’d be a good idea to take style inspiration from the sort of God-awful day-glow ski suits that middle-class Americans seem to enjoy wearing when they’re on the slopes. Give us a black one, any day. That would look mean as hell.

The 370Zki will be on display at the Chicago show from 10 February.