2009 Nissan 370Z

The Channel that's all about Grand Touring (or something), posted a rendering that could foretell the future styling direction Nissan may take with the next Z car. With the current "Zed" getting a bit long in the tooth after five years of diligent service, and the recent speculation surrounding the next iteration, the image above confirms Autocar's initial report that the next Z will be keeping the general shape of the outgoing model, but with a more smoothed out appearance. Then again, this looks like a scan from one of the dozens of speculation-happy Japanese mags that come out every week, so we're not holding our breath.

Naturally, with an appearance upgrade, changes under the hood are all but assured, and the smart money seems to be on the 3.7-liter VQ-series V6 that's currently found beneath the bonnet of the new G37/Skyline.

The obvious question remains, when will Nissan unveil the next-gen Z? We would like to think it would be at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, but with the unveiling of the production GT-R and a rumored Silvia-replacement concept, we doubt they'd want to blow it all on one show. Frankfurt? Geneva? Detroit? We'll be waiting, as always.