Nissan’s New Z Heritage Collection Pays Homage to a Classic

The year 1969 abounded with cultural touchstones that continue to resonate today, from Woodstock to the release of the film Midnight Cowboy. On the automotive side of things, 1969 was the year Datsun (now Nissan) released its first Z car, the 240Z. It’s a vehicle that Car and Driver stated in 2021 “now ranks in the pantheon of great Japanese things.” Full disclosure: I am the son of a longtime 240Z owner and am tremendously fond of the car, from both nostalgic and aesthetic perspectives.

Now, Nissan is paying tribute to its own rich history with the 2024 Z Heritage Edition, a limited edition version of the Z Performance.

In late 2022, Benjamin Hunting called the 2023 edition of the Z “a two-seat steed that serves to carry the Z’s colors into the future long enough for the trends to turn and bring affordable performance back into vogue.” Imagine a more current Z Performance with a redesigned front fascia, fender extensions and a color scheme that recalls the first Z cars and you’ll have a sense of what to expect here.

Prospective buyers of the Z Heritage Edition will have two transmission options to choose from: a 9-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual. The Z Heritage Edition has a 3.0 liter V6 engine with 400 horsepower; the retail price starts at $59,135.00.

By aiming squarely for the middle, the all-new version of the long-running Japanese coupe makes a compelling case

As Autoblog’s Chris Teague pointed out, that price point puts the Z Heritage Edition in between the standard Z Performance and the Z Nismo, the latter of which has more horsepower than both the Z Heritage and Z Performance. The Z car continues to have its staunch advocates today; this new edition is a welcome tribute to that history.