Nissan Z Prototype Has Impromptu 'Race' With Subaru WRX STI

If you’re into cars, the natural reaction to spotting a development prototype while out for a drive is to bark at your passenger to start filming or taking photos. A Subaru WRX STI driver went one step further after spying a Nissan Z on a highway recently, deciding to race the thing.

The test driver in the Z was clearly up for some fun and duly obliged. We can only speculate as to what their boss will have made of this, but the result is a good advert for the Z’s performance, with the car easily pulling ahead.

Not that we should be hugely surprised. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 is good for 395bhp, giving it around a 100bhp advantage over the Subaru. The latter is said to be “modified,” but from the sounds of it, the car hasn’t been extensively tweaked.

See also: Here’s How The Nissan Z Sounds Under Load

We don’t get to hear the Z’s V6, with the WRX’s burbly boxer-four completely drowning it out. We did get to listen to this very same test car under load a few weeks ago, though, releasing a thoroughly pleasant din from its twin-exit exhaust.

It’s a sound we won’t be enjoying in the UK, sadly, with Nissan electing to keep the Z away from Europe as a whole. You can thank the poorly performing sports car market here and tougher EU emissions rules for that.

As for those in the US who will be able to buy one, they can expect to pay about $40,000 for the entry-level Sport-trimmed version. It’ll probably be worth upgrading to Performance spec, which includes bigger brakes, a rear spoiler and a limited-slip differential among other improvements.