Nissan is reaching deep into its history for the 2026 SEMA Show, where one of the stars of its display will be a first-generation Datsun Z packing the twin-turbocharged heart of its modern descendant.
Created by Formula Drift champion and longtime Nissan collaborator Chris Forsberg, the Datsun S30 Concept combines the unmistakable shape of the original Z with the VR30DDTT V6 and six-speed manual transmission from the current Nissan Z. The result is the sort of factory-backed restomod that makes a compelling argument for looking backward when deciding what an enthusiast car should be.
A 1970s Z With Modern Nissan Power
The S30 Concept starts with the first-generation Datsun Z shape that Americans came to know through the Datsun 240Z. Under the hood, however, the original inline-six is gone. In its place sits Nissan’s modern twin-turbo VR30DDTT V6, paired with the current Z’s FS6 six-speed manual transmission and a NISMO R200 limited-slip differential. Nissan has not announced a horsepower figure for the finished concept, and this isn’t simply a stock engine swap: the build also uses Garrett PMAX turbochargers, NISMO cold-air intakes, a NISMO heat exchanger and a twin-disc clutch and flywheel.
Forsberg’s team didn’t stop with the drivetrain. The hood, front fenders, bumpers, air dam, hatch and spoiler are custom carbon-fiber pieces, while the car rides on 17-inch NISMO forged wheels backed by a Wilwood brake conversion. A heavily revised suspension uses components from Techno Toy Tuning. The whole thing is finished in Nissan’s Seiran Blue, giving the vintage body a color closely associated with the current-generation Z.
Importantly, it still looks like an S30. There are no giant screens pasted onto the dashboard or attempts to disguise the fact that the underlying design is more than half a century old. Instead, the concept largely follows the restomod formula that has become increasingly popular among collectors: preserve what made the original recognizable, then upgrade the mechanical pieces underneath.
The 240Z Changed the Sports-Car Market
That original shape carries more weight than most modern Nissan designs. Datsun introduced the Z in 1969 as a 1970 model in North America. At a base price of $3,626, the 240Z offered buyers a combination that was difficult to find at the time: European-style sports-car proportions and performance, everyday comfort and Japanese reliability at a relatively attainable price. Nissan says more than 40,000 Z cars were sold globally in 1970 alone.
The formula worked spectacularly well. The S30 turned the Z into one of the defining Japanese sports cars, and Nissan says the Z reached 500,000 sales in fewer than 10 years. It also developed genuine competition credentials, including overall victories in the 1971 and 1973 Safari Rally.
More importantly, the 240Z helped change expectations of what a Japanese car could be. Japanese manufacturers were already gaining ground in America by the late 1960s, but the Z wasn’t simply inexpensive transportation. It was aspirational. It offered a long hood, fastback roofline, independent suspension and sports-car performance without asking buyers to accept many of the compromises associated with contemporary European sports cars.
More than five decades later, that basic formula still explains why clean S30s attract collectors—and why the original Z remains such an effective source of inspiration for Nissan.
Nissan Is Leaning Into Its Past
The Datsun isn’t appearing at SEMA by itself. Nissan’s 2026 display also includes a 300-horsepower Sentra Spec-V Concept inspired by the company’s sport-compact history and Project NAT2, a current-generation Z prepared for SCCA Touring 2 competition. Together, the cars suggest Nissan is increasingly willing to use its enthusiast history as something more than a collection of old photographs.
That matters because Nissan has an unusually deep catalog to work with. The Z, Skyline and GT-R are obvious, but so are cars like the Datsun 510, Sentra SE-R and numerous oddball performance models that built followings long after they left showrooms.
The S30 Concept may be the most straightforward demonstration of what that history can offer. Nissan already sells a modern Z whose styling deliberately references earlier generations. Forsberg’s car essentially reverses the equation: instead of making a new car look older, it takes the old car and gives it modern Z hardware.
For now, it’s only a SEMA concept. Nissan specifically says these vehicles aren’t production models, though the company notes that ideas explored through previous SEMA builds have influenced later products and accessories. The Datsun S30 Concept will be displayed at the Las Vegas Convention Center when SEMA opens November 3.
A showroom full of newly built 240Zs is almost certainly not the lesson to take from it. But at a moment when automakers are increasingly mining their histories for names and styling cues, Nissan’s latest experiment demonstrates another possibility: sometimes the old car itself is still the best place to start.
