After spending some personal time with the Nissan Z Proto Concept, we are excited to see what the production Z sports car will be like. Leaked photos show that it should look nearly identical to the concept, and further leaks hint at a reasonable $34,995 starting price. Official confirmation from Nissan has been nonexistent, with the Japanese automaker keeping an official reveal close to the chest. According to the New Nissan Z threads, order books for the car will open before the end of 2021.

A post on the threads claims to have a Nissan staff member as an inside source. This person is reportedly familiar with the Z sports car project and does not work for a dealership. The source claims order books for the car will open on November 15, 2021.

While this date is still unconfirmed and likely subject to change, it is the first time we've seen an exact date mentioned about the Z. As we've seen from other recent car reveals, automakers like to open order books on the same day of the unveiling, which means we could see the Z in production guise on November 2021.

If this rumor is correct and orders begin in November, we suspect the car won't reach customer hands until mid-way through 2022. This car was initially expected to arrive as the 2021 Nissan 400Z, but the latest information indicates the car will go by "Nissan Z" and arrive as a 2022 model year vehicle.

The wait for the next-generation Nissan Z is proving to be lengthy, but it could be worth it. We know the car will use the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60, rumored to crank out 444 horsepower. If the rumored power output is correct, the Z could be in a perfect position to challenge the Toyota Supra, which uses a BMW-sourced inline-six producing 382 hp.