In case you've missed it, the new Nissan Z is a fantastic analog sports car built for the modern age. We loved the Z so much, not even a flat tire in a snow storm could stop us from enjoying it. Apparently, Nissan doesn't think this is enough. As such, it appears Nissan is working on a NISMO variant of its new sports car.

A reader reached out to us and shared these photos of the new Z. This is, frankly, highly unusual. Usually, a brand will let the new car breathe before the fast (or faster, in this case) one comes along. How long was it between the BMW M2 and the M2 CS? Not so here, and we believe this is the new Nissan Z NISMO, spotted testing in the Angeles Crest Forest.

As of now, the three images you see here are really all we have to go on right now. Still, it's better than nothing. However, we have seen this Z car once before, if only briefly. Back then, it was spotted cruising the highways of Arizona. That car also had a similar camo pattern, with only the bumper covered.

Here, we see much the same, just in much more clarity. It appears the nose will be reworked to allow for better cooling and a slight aesthetic update to differentiate this from the current car. Last time, we hypothesized that it was an almost carbon copy of the bumper off of the retro Fairlady Z Customized Proto concept from Tokyo auto salon. Around back, the car appears to keep the base Z's appearance, which is no bad thing.

We don't have photos of the interior right now, but reports indicate the seats are Recaro units right out of the previous 370Z. Given the shared architecture between the new Z and the previous car, we wouldn't be shocked to see that the seats fit right in there.

Seats aside, the interior will remain a mystery. News on any other changes will have to wait, but the NISMO was seen testing with a caravan of other Z models. Perhaps these are a few of the off-the-boat Z cars from last week. Regardless, it's strange to see the NISMO Z here instead of somewhere more fitting, like the Nurburgring. We'll keep an eye out for it while we're up in the LA canyons with our Audi S3 loaner.