Nissan’s sports hero is close but no pricing yet.

‘MID-year’ arrival of Nissan’s latest, and simply named, Z car has been confirmed, with a limited count special also in the mix.

However, pricing for a model that presumably could be here as early as next month is still under wraps, which will likely fuel intense speculation as Nissan Australia, which includes NZ in its sphere of authority, has released its stickers.

The neighbour has determined to release the car in its standard format, with either a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic, for the equivalent of $NZ80,000.

The special edition Proto Spec flagship version (pictured), meantime, will sit at the equivalent of $NZ89k across the Tasman.

Set to be offered until sold out, the limited count variant presents exclusively in Ikazuchi Yellow paintwork topped by a Super Black roof and has 19-inch bronze forged alloy wheels enclosing yellow brake calipers.

Nissan Australia said it has received several hundred reservations for the Proto Spec.

Nissan NZ managing director, Ben Hamilton, in his own announcement, echoed the sentiment of Adam Paterson, his equivalent in Melbourne, in saying “the fastest, most powerful and most exciting Nissan Z car ever is now ready to launch … and I can’t wait for people to climb behind the wheel of this new icon.”

Nissan says offering the model with a close-ratio manual gearbox is in keeping with the type’s lineage, which traces back to the 240Z introduced in 1970.

The new Z is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with variable valve timing, force-fed by small-diameter turbochargers, regulated for maximum spooling speed and to balance power output and throttle-response time.

These enhancements improve power to weight by 13 percent over previous car, called the 370Z.

Peak power and torque are respectively cited at 298kW and 475Nm, the latter being 31 percent higher than its predecessor.

The standard specification runs to a leather-accented interior, launch control, a fully customisable 12.3-inch TFT display, an 8.0-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smart-phone integration, and three driving modes – Standard, Enhanced and Sport – each one automatically optimising the information provided to the driver.

The manual gearbox pairs with a high-performance clutch supplied by Japanese motor racing specialist Exedy, and linked to the rear wheels via a carbon-fibre composite driveshaft. The automatic is fly-by-wire with aluminium paddle-shifters and features standard and sport drive modes.

The automatics have launch control. The manual has downshift rev matching.