Nissan Z Kaze Concept Revives the T-Top at ZCON

Nissan has unveiled the Z Kaze concept at ZCON in Phoenix, Arizona, with a removable T-top roof that recalls earlier open-roof Z sports cars.

The name kaze means “wind” in Japanese. Nissan product planners and designers developed the concept around the idea of a summer drive along California’s Pacific Coast Highway. The car is a design project and is not available for purchase.

Its Pacific Teal paint takes inspiration from 1990s tuner culture. A vented carbon fiber hood, wider fenders and a custom carbon fiber body kit give the current Z a more aggressive look.

The concept rides on restored 18-inch NISMO LMGT2 wheels. Nissan sourced an original set of the discontinued forged wheels and had them rebuilt. They measure 10 inches wide at the front and 11 inches at the rear.

White leather-appointed seats draw attention to the cabin when the roof panels are removed. The seats also have Bose Personal Plus speakers in their headrests, while carbon fiber trim carries the exterior theme into the cabin.

Nissan fitted NISMO suspension components and added parts from tuner GReddy to the Z’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. These include a SUPREME SP exhaust, a front-mounted intercooler kit and an Airinx air filter kit. Nissan did not provide a revised power figure.

“The Z Kaze concept celebrates some of Nissan’s most iconic open top sports cars, while recognizing the ’90s tuning culture that helped put Nissan and NISMO on the map,” said Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Americas senior vice president and chief product and planning officer.

The Z Kaze will remain on display at ZCON through September 26 before appearing at the Japanese Classic Car Show on October 3.