Nissan unveiled the refreshed 2013 370Z today at the Chicago Auto Show, though little is different over the 2012 model year.

The same 3.7L DOHC V6 making 337 hp sits under the hood, or 350 hp out of the NISMO tuned version. A new euro-tuned suspension is the only performance-minded change to the updated Z car — the rest is cosmetic. The company actually revealed it yesterday, but this is the first time we’ve had a chance to get up close and personal.

Brand enthusiasts will appreciate the LED accents on the car’s lights and the brake calipers which match the paint job. The car also gets new 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels on the Sport package models and 18-inch alloy wheels for the coupe. Those thinking of buying the car when it becomes available can look forward to two new exterior colors as well: magma red and midnight blue.

GALLERY: 2013 Nissan 370z

See video of the updated 370Z below:

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The Nissan 370Z will officially debut tomorrow at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, but the details for this update were released today by the Japanese automaker.

The updates for the 370Z will be almost strictly paint and plastic, with new Euro-tuned shock absorbers being the only new feature that will add to the performance of the car. For looks, the car will sport a refreshed front fascia, 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels on the Sport package models and 18-inch alloy wheels for the coupe, brake calipers finished in red paint and two new exterior colors, magma red and midnight blue.

On the inside, the 370Z will get a new dark finish fuel gauge trim, and if you opt for the NISMO tuned 370Z, you will get a Bose sound system complete with sub-woofer and two additional speakers.

The engines offered in the 370Z are unchanged from 2012. For the 370Z coupe and coupe touring you have a 3.7L DOHC V6 capable of making 337 hp and for the NISMO 370Z you get the same 3.7L DOHC V6 paired with an H-configured exhaust system design and an optimized Engine Computer Module which as a package puts out 350 hp.

The 2012 model of the 370Z started at $32,690, but prices for the 2013 will not be announced until closer to the June release date.

Check out the video after the jump to see exactly how the 370Z will look inside and out.

GALLERY: 2013 Nissan 370Z

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The team of racers assembled from the Nissan Playstation GT Academy earned themselves a remarkable honor at the Dubai 24 Hour race this weekend, finishing third in their class and 26th overall. All four drivers, Lucas Ordoñez, Jordan Tresson, Bryan Heitkotter and Jann Mardenborough, are GT Academy grads, having started out behind the wheel of virtual race cars to win the opportunity to attend the GT Academy racing program.

The team qualified the #100 car fourth in their class and despite some mechanical issues the four drivers endured all 24 hours of the race without any damage to the Nissan 370Z while earning a podium finish.

This is truly an unprecedented achievement in the world of motorsports. As we all know, it’s tough enough to earn a podium finish as a professional racer with a complete team backing you up. So to take four virtual gamers from Gran Turismo, train them – with Heikotter and Mardenborough having less than a year to go from gamer to racer – and to finish third in the class, the GT Academy should be extremely proud.

Who said video games are a waste of time?

Nissan and Playstation are flexing their GT Academy muscles this year, enlisting four winners of previous GT Academies and campaigning a full gamer line up at this year’s Dubai 24 Hours Race. In previous years, GT Academy only used one winner along with three pros, but this year the team of drivers will consist of all virtual-to-reality competition winners.

The four drivers will take on the race in a Nissan-prepped, 410-hp 370Z as they try to take the crown as the first ever “all-gamer-turned-real-racer-team to tackle a major international race”. The four drivers are Lucas Ordoñez from Spain, the winner of the first GT Academy in 2008. His accolades since then also include second place in the LMP2 class at Le Mans 2011, winner of the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup (ILMC) series and ILMC Rookie of the Year in 2011. Winner of the 2010 GT Academy is Jordan Tresson from France, who was also the winner of the 2011 Blancpain Endurance Series. Winner of this year’s GT Academy is Jann Mardenborough from Great Britain and the last driver is Bryan Heitkotter from California, US who was the winner of GT Academy USA 2011.

Both recent winners Jann and Bryan undertook a rigorous five month Driver Development Programme, competing at regular races in a standard 370Z then in a GT4 race car. Both qualified for their International C race licenses quickly, but continued to undertake personal training sessions at Silverstone, karting to improve their race craft, physical training, race psychology, heat chamber sessions and race simulator sessions.

It will be awesome to see all four drivers compete on the big stage and to see how well they do – all thanks to Gran Turismo.

GALLERY: GT Academy Dubai 24 Hours Line Up

Model Year 2011-2012 Nissan 370Z sports cars and Infiniti G37 luxury coupes are recalled due to a programming error in the power window switch controller in select vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into Nissan’s auto-reverse power windows, which contains a sensor that can stop and reverse the windows when a blockage is detected, preventing the occupants from having their finger’s pinched. In approximately 1,788 Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 cars built between July 2 to August 29, the auto-reverse power windows might malfunction.

Owners can bring their recalled vehicles to local dealerships for free servicing. For more information, contact NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (reference recall campaign number 11V538000) or Nissan at 1800-647-7261 or Infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.

Nissan has just launched its high performance limited edition 370Z GT Edition, to celebrate 40 years of the Z in the UK as well as its GT racing heritage.

The 370Z GT will feature grey stripes running along the both sides of the car as well as three unique colours- Kuro Black, Pearl White and Black Rose. The suspension has been revised to include refined dampers providing “ideal balance and high speed handling,” according to Nissan. Interior features include a rear parking camera and tire-pressure monitoring system. The 7 speed automatic gearbox will feature a snow mode for better traction and 19-inch alloys will also come as standard.

Vice president of product planning Pierre Loing said, “The 370Z is an iconic sports car and the GT Edition underlines its appeal to enthusiasts everywhere.

The 370Z GT will start from £35,000 in the UK, with orders starting at the beginning of June.

GALLERY: Nissan 370Z GT

Get ready to see more Nissans competing on race tracks across American, with the Japanese automaker announcing the debut of a new 370Z race car. A factory backed team isn’t in the company’s plans, but Nissan is building a spec Z racer with its NISMO motorsports division, that will be eligable to compete in the World Challenge’s GTS class and Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Challenge GS class.

In addition, Nissan is supporting all those out there racing their Nissan vehicles by offering contingency payouts. Prizes range from $250 for a Formula Drift first place finish, to $5,000 for a World Challenge or Grand-Am win.

To get more on the new 370Z race car or the Racer Support and Contingency Awards Programs, contact Nissan Motorsports at 888 833-3225 or nmc.race@nissan-usa.com; or visit www.nissan4parts.com.

*Note: The above image is that of the NISMO Z-based BRE 370Z race car. Photos of the new car have yet to be released..

Companies like Abflug have developed a reputation over the last couple of decades for having some of the most aggressive body kits out there. And while it still fits the desires of some, our eyes just aren’t accustomed to finding it attractive.

In Abflug’s defense, this Nissan 370Z kit isn’t as extreme as we’d expect from the body kit manufacturer. The front end design of the car is pretty acceptable, not our favorite but surely not the worst we’ve seen. But the rear bumper and spoiler is just way too extreme and aggressive. We’re sure some love this race-inspired look for the street, but we feel it’s way too much for such a refined sports car like the 370Z.

This particular 370Z was built by Mid Night International and also sports a set of 19-inch Abflug Gran Revolfe Prism II wheels. For the most part they’re OK, but again, not exactly on the top of our list for 370Z wheels (especially with the assortment out there that fits the car). Performance wise a Power Craft Hybrid exhaust system was bolted on.

Perhaps wild aero kits are set to make a return? Then again, maybe not.

[Source: Farm of Minds]

GALLERY: Abflug Nissan 370Z

Nissan‘s resurgence with the Z model has been quite a hit and the 370Z has been the perfect successor to the ever-popular 350Z. With the VQ37HR powering the way to a more streamlined body, it’s no surprise that the aftermarket has embraced the 370Z with open arms. While there are tons of nicely built 370Zs in America, it’s always nice to see what’s being done in Japan as inspiration of fully functional, cleanly built cars.

Most enthusiasts often find it sacrilegious to mix and match parts from various manufacturers when it comes to building their car. Perhaps it’s just brand loyalty or a fancy way of keeping a clean spec sheet, but we don’t always run across cars like this. Instead of sticking to just one brand for the entire vehicle, this owner mixed and matched with what he/she thought looked best on the 370Z. The result? A Top Secret front spoiler with integrated brake ducts has been combined with Varis twin carbon fiber intake ducts and Varis carbon fiber hood. On the hood are Top Secret aerocatch hood pins and in the rear is a carbon fiber wing from Mine’s. And outfitting each corner are none other than Volk Racing’s TE-37 wheels in a classic white finish enhanced with a blue pinstripe on the lip.

One thing’s for sure, every part of the car is a nice high quality component from a reputable brand in Japan. While we’re more used to seeing full out Top Secret cars, or full Varis cars, it’s refreshing to see someone break the mold a little bit, blending the best of all worlds for a great looking car.

GALLERY: JDM Nissan 370Z

[Source: The Real JDM]

Well that surely didn’t take long. A 2010 Nissan 370Z that was built by Chris Forsberg Racing in conjunction with NOS Energy Drink debuted at the E3 Expo this year and marketed as a giveaway car. And just like that, the winner of the giveaway has promptly placed it up on sale on eBay with a buy it now price of $37,999.00.

Considering he got the car for a pretty price of $0.00, it may seem like a scam, but for what you’re getting it’s not a bad price at all. The Cherry Red 370Z currently has about 2,000 miles and is located in South Carolina. None of the modifications are over-the-top, but rather a collection of finely selected parts that complement the 370Z’s natural bodylines and performance quite nicely.

Performance enhancements include a K&N Typhoon dual intake kit and a custom Chris Forsberg Designed stainless steel axle-back exhaust system. We’re guessing the power increase isn’t anything substantial from those two parts, but certainly the tone of the vehicle is enhanced.

The exterior has been repainted Cherry Red (in collaboration with NOS Energy Drink’s Loaded Cherry product) and accented with a set of SSR Type F Wheels in gold. The staggered setup features 18-inch wheels in the front and 19-inch wheels in the rear. Naturally the wheels are wrapped with Maxxis Tires, Chris Forsberg’s tire sponsor. Suspension is handled with a set of Tanabe lowering springs and carbon fiber goods were given by Seibon in the form of a lip kit and hood. Interior and ICE upgrades are scant with just a new head unit from Clarion.

The starting bid is at $29,999 and so far there are none. But what is interesting is that the seller is Upscale Automotive a distributor for go-fast parts for the sport compact and import community. So either they got really lucky, or they’ve got a friend that was the winner.

[Source: eBay]

We’re not too sure what to think of this 370Z Convertible. Scratch that, we know exactly what we think of this butchered 370Z. When the newest Z debuted we immediately fell in love with its progressive lines and remarked how, unlike its predecessor, it looked purpose built to be a convertible.

As for the ARK Design vehicle, it just doesn’t seem to work at all. The complete aero kit looks somewhere between Nissan’s ulra-cool URGE Concept and the newly-released Mercedes-Benz SLS retro supercar. The modern and retro designs just don’t seem to work together at all.

But don’t listen to us. Tell us what you think.

GALLERY: ARK Design Nissan 370Z

Nissan never fails to impress at Tokyo Auto Salon and 2010 was no exception to the rule. In-house tuning company NISMO showed off its offerings for the brand’s most popular performance platforms, the FairladyZ, Skyline Coupe and Skyline Sedan, or as they’re known in North America: the Nissan 370Z, Infiniti G37 Coupe and G37 Sedan. All three carry the “Sporty Package” option from Nissan which looks to include a mild performance increase though a new sporty exhaust system, as well as a new lip kit for both the NISMO Skline Coupe and Sedan. The Skyline Sedan package also looks to include some additional LED fog lights.

As for the NISMO 370Z, that model is already offer in the U.S. after being introduced at last year’s New York Auto Show. This NISMO edition takes the Z to an even higher level in every performance category with 350hp – an increase of 18 ponies over the stock Z. Torque is up as well, but just slightly, to 276 ft-lbs – an increase of 6 ft-lbs. Power is also achieved at a higher rpm with the 3.7-liter V6 strung-out to 7400 rpm to acheive maximum horsepower, as opposed to the stock cars, 7000 rpm max power level.

To give the car even better track performance, Nissan gave it a standard limited slip differential and stiffened up the chassis with special “body dampers” on the front frame rail and below the rear cargo area. And of course, the car comes with a NISMO springs and a big NISMO strut tower bars front and rear. The front springs are 15 percent stiffer and rear springs are 10 percent stiffer, with the new strut bars incresing stifness by 15 and 50 percent respectively.

As expected, the stock brakes are replaced with front 4-piston calipers and 14-inch rotors and rear two-piston calipers and 13.8-inch rotors. Those big brake sit inside a set of amazing looking 19-inch NISMO wheels. Manufactured by RAYS forged, the new wheels measure 19×9.5-inches up front and 19×10.5-inches in the rear witt front 245/40/19 tires and rear 285/35/19 tires.

Finally, the NISMO Z gets some styling additions including a new front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper and rear spoiler that are all functional, reducing lift on the front axle and increasing downforce in the rear.

GALLERY: NISMO 370Z

GALLERY: NISMO Skyline Coupe

GALLERY: NISMO Skyline Sedan