{"id":686288,"date":"2026-07-11T16:50:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/686288\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T16:50:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:50:20","slug":"denza-z-driven-first-taste-of-chinas-173k-1584bhp-911-rival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/686288\/","title":{"rendered":"Denza Z driven: First taste of China’s \u00a3173k, 1584bhp 911 rival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Under the Italianate bodywork (for which we can credit BYD Design Director Wolfgang Egger; Alfa Romeo 8C<\/a>, etc) sits BYD\u2019s \u2018e3\u2019 (pronounced \u2018E Cube\u2019) platform, however – shared with the larger Denza Z9 GT<\/a> shooting brake.<\/p>\n

That means the car has a unitary chassis \u2018gigacasting\u2019 (like a 911<\/a>) rather than a monocoque \u2018tub\u2019 (like a supercar). The chassis makes room for one of BYD\u2019s second-generation LFP \u2018blade\u2019 battery packs, worth 76kWh, within it; which works as a stressed part of it, and contributes to impressive torsional rigidity – albeit perhaps not the kind of low kerbweight you might expect of a sports car (2250kg).<\/p>\n

Denza will offer three versions: Coupe, convertible Spider, and track-ready Racing (a special edition, engineered ostensibly to win the Nordschliefe lap record for production EVs back from the Manthey-kit Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, will also be made, but in very small numbers).\u00a0They are priced from \u00a3142,900, \u00a3159,900 and\u00a0\u00a3172,900, respectively, putting the Z\u00a0squarely in Carrera 4 GTS territory (for want of a more technically similar reference point) and making this comfortably the most expensive car China has yet put on our shores.<\/p>\n

In advance of the car\u2019s public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed<\/a> this week, Denza\u00a0graciously afforded us one flying lap of Goodwood circuit as a preliminary test; with an instructor in the passenger seat making sure we didn\u2019t exceed its \u2018recommended speed limit\u2019, or experiment with the drive modes.<\/p>\n

For that lap, we did at least get the Racing version, which uses steel coil suspension in replacement of the air springs of other models; magnetorheological dampers, too; and will be available with proper circuit-appropriate semi-slick tyres (although ours didn\u2019t have those).<\/p>\n

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