After 13 years of being on sale, Nissan has ceased production of the Nissan 370Z. Fret now, however, as the iconic Z-Car will live on in the form of the Nissan Z Proto. Z Proto is the name given to the prototype version of the upcoming Z-Car, though the rumour mill is saying that the next Z-Car could be christened as the Nissan 400Z.

While we know for a fact that the Z Proto’s platform is shared with the older Nissan 370Z, what remained a mystery is the exact powertrain of the upcoming Z-Car.

That is, until now.

According to an post by Instagram user layersworks, a photo depicting the engine bay was shot when Nissan staff popped the bonnet up at the Nissan Crossing showroom in Japan.

Eagle-eyed readers would have noticed one crucial detail of the Nissan Z Proto’s now-exposed engine bay – the three radiator caps. The three radiator caps plus the position of rubber hoses does seemingly confirm that the production version of the Z Proto will get the same engine found in the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400, which is a twin-turbo 3.0-litre VR30DDTT. In the Q60, the VR30DDTT does 406 PS and 475 Nm.

A six-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels will be a standard option. Nissan will offer an automatic version as well as an all-wheel drive version at a later stage.

Nissan says that the production version of the Nissan Z Proto will hit dealerships in the US in 2022. But Europeans will have to sit out, as ever-tightening emissions regulations in Europe killed the Z’s potential there.