The new Nissan 400Z is an undeniable success, with lots of interest from sports car communities and general enthusiasts of JDM coupes. While the new turbocharged V6 is a key part of its arsenal, the styling is what really sells this 2023 car, as it echoes the design of the original 240Z. One rendering artist decided to further this connection by creating a 400Z G-Nose, the ultimate retro tribute to the 1970s Datsun era.
The Datsun 240Z is the first Japanese sports car to reach mass-market success, especially in America. During its first year of production, more than 150,000 were made. The formula is actually the same as many other JDM specials, including the Miata, and that’s to imitate the ultra-cool British sports car of the era while getting rid of the engineering flaws and lowering the price.
In the case of the 240Z, that meant borrowing from the MGC and Triumph GT6, which are largely forgotten now. However, Datsun already had a nice design blueprint from the 1960s with the concept that Count Albrecht Goertz made for them.
Early 240Z models are quite expensive and desirable, but the G-nose is a couple of steps beyond even that.
The G-Zose Z was a homologation special sold in Japan as the Fairlady ZG. It was designed to Nissan could compete in Group 4 Racing and thusly received a streamlined nose, over-fenders and a rear spoiler. They only made 500 units for 1971-72. It was not offered outside of Japan, but you could order a copy of the kit through local dealers.
There’s obviously a lot more history than that. This type of aerodynamic nose design was combined with aero wheels to make a 240Z that held numerous salt lake speed records. It took us a while to find the appropriate walkaround of the original Japanese model, which comes in the form of a decade-old Jay Leno review which you can find below.
400Z G-Nose: What would it take to make one?
Most widebody kits designed for the new Nissan Z have aggression in mind. They want the car to look good when fitted with big wheels or parked next to a Supra build. However, the famed digital artist Khyzyl Saleem aka “Khyza” decided to go in another direction and have a functional speed machine.
Salt lake flat records are out of the question, but this thing looks like it could reach 200 mph at the drag strip, fill up with fuel and challenge IMSA Corvette the next day.
The G-Nose conversion looks like it adds at least six inches to the nose of the car. Visually, you can just feel the air being streamlined from the deep chin which almost rests on the ground. It’s unusual to want long overhangs on a sports car.
There’s obviously also a widebody kit that looks massive compared to the original overfenders from 50 years ago. But then the original 240Z made only about 150 horsepower, whereas this makes 400 hp out of the box and probably deserves a good tuning to 600 hp.
For the back, a ducktail spoiler has been created, wrapping all the way around the fenders. Maybe Nascar would be the best venue for the G-Nose. Of course, you can’t have a modern sports car without some kind of carbon fiber diffuser as well.
