The 2023 Nissan Z’s retro-futuristic guise makes it one of the most nostalgic sports cars. The RZ34 generation continues the long tradition of attainable, but fun, Japanese sports cars from the Nissan brand. The 2023 Tokyo Auto Show saw a redesigned model that addresses the new Z’s one controversial design element – the grille. The redesigned front-end design was, actually, unveiled at last year’s Tokyo Auto Show with the intention of gauging the audience’s reactions. Apparently, they were good enough for Nissan to decide to offer the new bumper design as a dealer option. While it certainly looks good and reminiscent of the most hardcore version of the original Z, Nissan could have used the opportunity to improve the now-known shortcomings of the Z.
The 2023 Nissan Z Is Inspired By The Z432R
By now, it’s clear that the 2023 Nissan Z is an amalgamation of design cues from various Z models of the past. The design is mostly-inspired by the original Datsun 240Z S30, also called Fairlady Z in Japan. What many have forgotten is that the 240Z had a more hardcore version that shared an engine with the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R C10. The S20 straight-six unit featured three Mikuni carburetors and was good for 160 horsepower and 130 pound-feet (177 Nm). All 240 Fairlady Z432R were stripped of many non-essentials and painted bright orange with black aluminum wheels and hood. They were used as police cars in Japan.
When the Nissan Z Proto was introduced, many thought that the square front grille was a bit too much. The production variant mended the “gaping hole” by giving the upper half a more pronounced mesh compared to the lower section. With the introduction of the new design, the Nissan RZ34 model has a proper, two-piece front grille. The design of the 2022 Nissan Z Customized Proto seems to have carried over to the “mass-market” version of the Z Customized Proto, as Nissan refers to it.
Although the company might refer to the aesthetic upgrade as a "mass-market" version of the model we saw at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Show, it seems it will be a dealer option reserved for the Japanese market. With that said, if we know one thing, it is that JDM fans always find ways to get the most exciting upgrades for their beloved cars, so we definitely see an aftermarket niche that will be heavily exploited in the near future.
A Wasted Chance To Perfect The New 2023 Nissan Z
The 2023 Nissan Z sit on the same platform as the Nissan 370Z and even features the same wheelbase as the model we have known since 2008. The platform is even older than that, and since the “new” Nissan Z is, essentially, a parts-bin special, it shows when pushing it to the limit. The car is more jumpy and less-composed when going through a bump mid-corner, compared to the outgoing model, and the choice of rubber — Bridgestone Potenza — causes lots of wheel spin. This has been the main cause for the Nissan Z losing drag races left and right when pitted against comparable models like the GR Supra, Mustang GT and even the Infiniti Q60 RS.
We know that the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO is on its way, and it will likely, come with plenty of chassis enhancements, in addition to more power and more aggressive aero, but Nissan could have taken the mass-market Z Customized Proto further by bridging the gap between the regular model and the NISMO. At the very least, more aggressive tires and minor suspension tweaks would have been appropriate, which would be enough to turn this from a body-kit option to a proper homage to the S30 Z432R.
The Nissan Z Customized Edition is what the 2023 Z probably, should have been from the start. Looking at the NISMO spy shots, it’s clear that, at least on the outside, the Z432R-inspired version will have more in common with that instead of the regular model, even though no performance tweaks have been mentioned by Nissan. It would have been nice to have some under-the-skin changes as it would have turned the Customized Edition into Nissan’s equivalent to Porsche’s GTS models, which are typically the mid-range models of the brand. Nevertheless, Nissan is playing the nostalgia card to the fullest right now, as it is most notably testified by the customized Nissan Z and the 2024 Nissan GT-R, both drawing heavily from the brand’s past performance models. Nevertheless, the Nissan Z has a potent engine that already proved to be a force to be reckoned with after minor tweaks, so Nissan once again, has an attainable tuner car for the masses.