Key Highlights
- Nissan Z Nismo gets a six-speed manual with a short-throw shifter and strengthened clutch.
- Updated Fairlady Z gains suspension, styling and tech upgrades in Japan.
- Manual Nismo could appeal to Australian enthusiasts, but local availability is yet to be confirmed
Nissan has done something Z Nismo fans have been begging for since the current-generation car launched: it’s added a proper six-speed manual to the range-topping Nismo variant. The update lands as part of a broader Fairlady Z facelift that just went on sale in Japan, bringing chassis tweaks, styling updates and a manual-only gearbox option to the flagship.
For four years, the Z Nismo was stuck with a nine-speed automatic as its only transmission choice, a strange call for a car wearing a badge built on driver engagement. Nissan has now closed that gap, and the way it’s gone about it suggests this wasn’t a box-ticking exercise.
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What’s new on the Nissan Nismo?
The headline change is the six-speed manual itself, but it’s what’s bolted around it that matters. Nissan paired the new gearbox with a dedicated short-throw shifter and a strengthened clutch, and retuned the throttle and ignition mapping so the twin-turbo V6 behaves the way a manual-focused driver would expect, rather than carrying over settings tuned for the auto. That’s the kind of detail that separates a token option from a genuine engineering effort.
Nismo buyers also pick up an updated brake package, bright red calipers matched to two-piece drilled rotors, echoing hardware Nissan has used on the GT-R. Ride comfort gets attention too, with larger-diameter monotube shocks fitted across the entire Fairlady Z range, not just the Nismo.
Styling leans into heritage
The facelifted Fairlady Z brings back a front-mounted Z badge, a design touch that reportedly hasn’t featured on the car in over five decades. It’s paired with a reworked front bumper and a fresh colour palette of 10 exterior finishes, including a new green-over-black two-tone option. Inside, both the standard car and the Nismo now get Qi2 wireless charging, a small update, but a sign Nissan is keeping the cabin tech current on what is otherwise a heritage-driven design.
The Japanese-market range runs from the base Fairlady Z through Version S and Version ST, topping out at the Nismo.
Pricing in Japan
Local Japanese pricing starts at roughly 5.7 million yen for the base Fairlady Z and climbs to around 9.75 million yen for the Nismo, with a special two-tone finish adding a small premium on top. Converted roughly, that puts the Nismo somewhere in the ballpark of $95,000–$100,000 in Australia before any local taxes, duties or options are factored in, though buyers here should treat that as a rough guide only, not a landed price.
Will this reach Australia?
This is the detail local buyers actually care about. The manual update has already rolled out in the US, where it’s offered as a no-cost option on the Z Nismo. Australia has historically followed the US on Z powertrain decisions, so there’s a reasonable case for the manual eventually reaching local showrooms but nothing has been confirmed for the Australian market yet, and this specific Japanese-spec facelift, with its unique styling and colour options, may not translate directly to what lands here.
We’d suggest treating this as a strong signal rather than a guarantee. If you’re chasing a stick-shift Z Nismo, it’s worth staying close to local Nissan Australia announcements over the next few months rather than assuming this exact car turns up on local lots.
Cars24 Australia says
A manual gearbox doesn’t just add a third pedal, it changes what the Nismo badge stands for. For years, buyers wanting the sharpest Z had to accept an automatic-only deal, which undercut the whole pitch of a driver-focused halo car. Pairing the new gearbox with genuine throttle and ignition retuning, rather than just bolting a manual onto an unchanged engine map, tells us Nissan actually listened to what enthusiasts were asking for. Whether Australia gets this specific version remains the open question, but the direction is a good one.
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