I'm sure this is blasphemous, but what if Nissan took the Z back to it's original weight and...gasp...power?
My wife and I were discussing how Nissan could make the next Z without pricing it into extinction and we looked up the original 240Z.
The power/weight numbers are very close to fun car that's being sold for around 30K right now{
1969? 240Z = 2300 lbs, 151 HP
2017 ND Miata = 2332 lbs, 155 HP...and it starts at $26,395
A fun, nimble, driver's car can be made for under 30k. Mazda is doing it now.
The Z has always had 6 cylinders, so unless Nissan has been working on a small (light) 6 cylinder they plan to use on many vehicles in the fleet, (cost sharing) the motor may be the biggest obstacle.
via GIPHY