Nissan Z Kaze Concept Brings Back Glorious ‘90s T-TopsAutoweekMark VaughnWed, September 23, 2026 at 8:28 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleNissan Z Kaze Concept Brings Back Cool '90s T-TopsNissanT-tops were most popular from the 1970s through the 1980s, following their introduction on the C3 Corvette in 1968. They may have hit peak popularity when Burt Reynolds and Sally Field outran Sheriff Buford T. Justice and son from Texarkana all the way to Atlanta in Smokey and the Bandit way back in 1977.So it's with a heavy dose of nostalgia that Nissan introduces it's latest concept, the Nissan Z Kaze. The car was revealed today at ZCON, the annual enthusiast convention of the Z Car Club Association, keepers of the flames on the sides of Datsun/Nissan's great sports car."Designed around nostalgia, heritage and driving enjoyment for Nissan's seven generations of Z sports cars, the Z Kaze concept dramatically lifts the lid on the Nissan Z," Nissan said at the intro.NissanKaze is the Japanese word for wind, which you'll feel in your hair as you drive this one. But it's not just a convertible, in fact it's not even a targa, it's an actual T-Top, something that hasn't been seen in years.AdvertisementAdvertisementNissan says the concept is a passion project conceived and developed by a team of its product planners and designers who sought to showcase the open-top roots of the Z sports car.Nissan"The team was guided by a vision of an exhilarating drive along California's Pacific Coast Highway on a perfect summer day," Nissan said.The carmaker says the new concept is a nod to great convertibles from Nissan's past. For the record, there were convertible versions of this iconic sports car from 1993 to 1996 in the 300ZX, from 2004 to 2009 in the 350Z, and from 2010 to 2019 in the 370Z."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, senior vice president, chief product and planning officer, Nissan Americas. "This passion project combines Nissan's engineering excellence, creativity and celebration of the brand's heritage."AdvertisementAdvertisementAnother nod to nostalgia is the Pacific Teal paint scheme, reflecting what Nissan calls the spirit of '90s sports car culture. There are also subtly enhanced lines on the car to acknowledge the tuner culture of the '90s that helped make Nissans cool back in the day. There's a lightweight, vented carbon fiber hood; fender flares; and a custom carbon fiber aerodynamic body kit.Concept gets Greddy parts< too.NissanIt rolls on authentic, restored 18-inch NISMO LMGT2 wheels, "the legendary forged, multi-piece wheels revered by enthusiasts for their strength and motorsports lineage," Nissan said. Though the LMGT2 is long out of production, product planners sourced an original wheel set and had them restored and rebuilt for the concept. They measure 10 inches wide in front and 11 inches wide in back, contributing to the car's powerful stance. The suspension is redone with NISMO performance parts. The engine gets GReddy SUPREME SP exhaust, front mount air-to-air intercooler kit, and an Airinx air filter kit.The Nissan Z Kaze concept will be on display at ZCON in Phoenix, Arizona, through Saturday, September 26, before continuing to the Japanese Classic Car Show on Saturday, October 3, at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California.Does this mean there will be a Z convertible in our future? Nissan's not saying. The Z did outsell the Supra by almost two to one last year, but sales only amounted to 5,487 cars in 2025. Is that enough to spin off a T-Top version? The last Nissan Z convertible was the Nissan 370Z Roadster, which was discontinued after the 2019 model year. We can hope.