Nissan Z Soon Available With Downsized, Two-Part Grille

Remember the alternative grille design for the Z sports car Nissan displayed at the Toyko Auto Salon last year? It wasn’t just for the sake of making a nice show car. The ‘Fairlady Z Customized Proto’ has spawned what the company describes as a “mass market” version for the 2023 running of the event, and now, Japanese Nostalgic Car is reporting that the latter car’s body kit has been given the go-ahead for production.

The catch is this is just for the Japanese market, where it’ll be a dealer-fitted option from mid-2023. There is still a chance the design might make it to the USA, however, as possibly suggested by a recent batch of spy shots showing a prototype Z with a lot of camouflage at the front. As for us in Europe, we can’t buy the Z in any form - it’s not sold here due to emissions regulations. Boo.

The newer ‘Fairly Z Customized Edition’ looks very similar to last year’s Customized Proto at first glance, but there are a few differences. The wheels are a little smaller, for instance, and the arch flares are gone. The black contrasting roof paint isn’t quite the same either - it now covers the whole roof, whereas before there were still thin portions on either side left body-coloured in a nod to the concept’s katana-blade-inspired elements.

Importantly, though, the new front bumper is much the same. It ditches the big, single rectangular grille of the stock car with a split design that’s much more in line with Z cars of old. There are a couple of cutouts further down, plus a neat-looking splitter.

Do you think it’s an improvement on the standard Z?