Nissan is celebrating the Z sports coupe’s 55th birthday in the United States with a special Heritage Edition. The star of the show? A new split-grille bumper – a vast improvement over the standard design, if this author may be so bold. Let’s face it, the standard Z grille wasn’t exactly a slam dunk with everyone. Nissan listened to the feedback because they introduced this split-grille option in Japan last year. It first appeared on the Proto concept car, then found its way onto the production-ready Fairlady Z Customized Edition for their domestic market.
Beyond the newfound grin, the Heritage
Edition throws it back to the S30-gen Datsun 240Z with a flashy new color
scheme. Dubbed “New Sight Orange,” it’s accented by a contrasting, stealthy
black hood decal, bodyside stripes, and special Heritage Edition badges
flanking the Z emblems. Black 19-inch wheels and fender flares round out the
sharper look.
Borrowing
from the Z Performance trim, the Heritage Edition packs a twin-turbo 3.0-liter
V6 pumping out 400 horsepower and a peak torque figure of 350 lb-ft. A 6-speed
manual or 9-speed automatic sends power to the rear wheels, with a limited-slip
differential and Nissan Performance brakes with red calipers keeping things
tight.
Production of the 2024 Z Heritage Edition
will be limited, but just how limited remains a mystery, as Nissan’s keeping
that info for itself. Expect the Heritage Edition to hit dealerships in the
coming weeks, with a starting MSRP of US$ 59,135 for either transmission — a US$ 6,165 bump over the standard Performance trim upon which it is based.
