370Z Roadster

Make
Nissan
Segment
Compact

Winter is upon us, for better or worse, and Nissan has wisely decided to make the most of it. Set to debut this week at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show are a pair of highly modified vehicles born to play in the snow. First up is the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol SUV. Starting with the already off-road capable flagship SUV, Nissan has tacked on several Pro Comp and Katzkin aftermarket parts so that it'll properly live up to its Snow Patrol name. A suspension lift kit adds 2-inches and 1-inch front-rear, respectively, of ground clearance.

There's also an off-road bumper with a 12,000-lb winch, side steps, five-inch LED motorsport fog lights, light bar with LEDs, fenders flares providing 2-inches of extra tire coverage, and a roof rack. The SUV rides on a set of satin black wheels with 20-inch extreme off-road tires. The interior features premium Katzkin leather upholstery front seats that are described as a pearl color with cement color perforated inserts and cobalt wings and contrasting stitching. There's also Armada Snow Patrol logo seatback inserts along with all-weather floor liners. Power comes from the familiar 5.6-liter V8 with 390 hp paired to a seven-speed automatic transmission. With either 2WD or 4WD, maximum towing capacity reaches 8,500 pounds.

And speaking of towing, Nissan is also bring something totally unique and pretty crazy all at once to the Windy City: the one-off 370Zki. Although it may have started life out as a regular 370Z Roadster, Nissan has heavily modified it for the ski slopes. The first clear indicator is the replacement of its entire drivetrain in favor of a custom lift kit that raised the roadster three inches from its normal height. Nissan then fabricated custom mounting for the rear suspension springs and three-inch custom spacers to mount the snow tracks to the stock wheels hubs. Nissan even retained the factory brakes but had to reroute the brake lines. The exhaust system was also modified so that it'd fit under the car.

Not surprisingly, the rear wheel wells required work to accommodate the four-foot long Dominator snow tracks. The front suspension was also tinkered with because of the new ride height. New adapters, courtesy of American Track Truck Inc., were also added to allow for the necessary travel and rotation for the front skis, also mounted to the wheel hubs. There are no changes under the hood with the 3.7-liter V6 with 332 hp still doing its duty, while the same seven-speed automatic sends power to the rear...skis. Both the 370Zki and Armada Snow Patrol exteriors are have custom body graphics.

"The Nissan 370Zki continues our recent tradition of bringing imaginative winter vehicle concepts to the Chicago Auto Show. With the Nissan Z's long heritage of motorsports competition, the 370Zki seemed like a natural combination," said Michael Bunch, vice president of producing planning for Nissan North America. Both the Armada Ski Patrol and 370Zki will be on display starting February 10th in Chicago.