2027 Nissan Z Adds Five Retro Cues With Real Purpose

The 2027 Nissan Z leans harder into heritage, but Nissan did not turn the car into a rolling museum label. It updated the Z Sport and Z Performance with five nostalgic design cues, then backed those changes with airflow, cooling, and usability work. Good. A sports car can wink at the past, but the radiator still needs air.

2027 Nissan Z Heritage Design: What Changed

The biggest change sits on the nose. Nissan revised the front bumper and grille with a horizontal bar inspired by the S30-generation Datsun 240Z, the original Z-car shape that still haunts every Nissan design meeting like a polite ghost with perfect proportions.

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Specifically, Nissan kept the grille functional. The bumper, internal ducting, and front intake package still feed the twin-turbo V6 while reducing lift and drag. That point counts because the Z uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, not a coffee-shop engine bay prop.

The Five Nostalgic Nods Explained

Nissan made the 2027 Nissan Z Easter eggs easy enough for casual fans to see and detailed enough for Z obsessives to argue about for three hours.

• S30-style front grille: The new split design gives the front end a cleaner, lower look.
• Z nose emblem: The hood badge swaps corporate branding for a model-specific mark.
• Z31-inspired 19-inch RAYS wheels: The thin-spoke design references the 1980s 300ZX.
• Shinkai Green Pearl Metallic paint: Nissan links the color to Grand Prix Green from the early Z era.
• Digital gauge startup animation: Sport and Performance models cycle through prior Z generations on startup.

In addition, the new tan cabin option gives the 2027 Nissan Z Performance a warmer interior contrast against black upper dashboard and door materials. The result feels deliberate, not decorative.

Performance Specs Still Do the Heavy Lifting

Looking at the data, Nissan did not let nostalgia carry the whole job. The Performance trim still packs 400 horsepower, a six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, and a long-hood, short-deck coupe layout.

By comparison, the Z NISMO now brings a short-shift six-speed manual, GT-R-derived front brake rotors, revised suspension, refined steering, and retuned active sound. Nissan also revised fuel delivery to keep the engine fed during high-G cornering. That sounds small until the tank pickup starves on a track day and your hero lap turns into a parking-lot shrug.