Here’s what a Nissan 350Z would look like with Datsun 240Z headlights

There’s no doubt that the S30 Fairlady Z was a styling icon. It’s the most beloved of all the designs, and it’s something that Nissan has been trying to chase ever since with varying degrees of success. Chief among the styling cues that made the original Z so distinctive was its “sugar scoop” headlights. One Japanese shop has now answered the question, could that look be replicated on a modern Z-car?

When it was launched in 2003 the Nissan 350Z was the first Z with a throwback design. At the time, many argued that it wasn’t retro enough, but in the years since the design has grown on us. One of its more controversial elements were its blocky rectangular lights, which didn’t seem fitting with the Z’s character.

Well, a small shop — self-described as a one-man operation — in Japan called SKP Bodyworks has answered the question of what the Z33 would look like if it had S30 headlamps. And surprisingly, they work quite well on the 350Z’s nose. They do stick up above the Z33’s hood profile, but not by much, and represent the original sugar scoops perfectly.

What is perhaps a bit distracting is the fact that the demo car is wearing a body kit meant to turn the Z33 into the facelift RZ34. It’s a kit of SKP’s own design, and the side skirts and rear valance look pretty decent. But now that Nissan itself has reworked the large rectangular grille into something sleeker, a kit with that nose may look even better with these headlights.

Images: SKP Bodyworks.