Born: 1969 Died: 1999: Probably the only Nissan car ever to attain almost cult status, the first 240Z was powered by the same 2.4-litre straight-six engine which was used in many of the brand's larger cars.
In the 240Z's application, it came originally with 150hp on tap. The "Z" in its native Japan was known by the unlikely name of Fairlady Z, and if that had been applied to the US and UK markets, where the Z cars were most popular, it is unlikely that the car would ever have become as important as it did.
Once it became clear that the company had a sports car winner on its hands, with performance and handling matching those of contemporary Porsches, but without the price premium, the engines were successively uprated, by increasing capacity to 2.6- and 2.8 litres, becoming the 260Z and in 1975 the 280Z. That last was the first of the Z cars to feature fuel injection. In 1979, for the US market, a 280ZX was offered.
Meanwhile, markets outside the US were limited to getting the 260Z, which was a reasonable proposition because European emissions regulations hadn't yet come on stream with the same intensity as the US. In addition, European drivers were less concerned with raw power than they were about drivability.The 240Z also put Nissan into the important sports car racing business in the US, and it did well for the brand through the early 1970s.
However, the 260s and 280s weren't nearly as powerful as the original car, because the advent of emissions regulations led to diminished power outputs. The 280s were also heavier, and the sense of sportiness that had made the original a "must-have", especially in the US, was substantially diluted. It did have, though, an option of a 5-speed manual transmission.
The 240Z was, of course, the most popular -- Nissan even offered restored ones through its dealerships in the late 1990s, to try and meet demand from true aficionados. And if you ever come across a V8 240Z, don't be totally surprised some specialist conversion companies provided these for owners who wanted more than the original 150hp inline six.
The 280Z also marked a redesign of the car's body, as well as offering a turbo option for the first time. It was also a 2+2 configuration. The 300ZX came along later, with the dropping of the aged straight-six in favour of a new V6 of three litres capacity, and the option of a twin-turbo. The 300ZX brought back power to the Z cars, with greater output than the original 240Z now available. It sold very well, but never gained the sports car cachet of the 240. The 300ZX actually went through two generational changes, but sales outside Japan were discontinued in 1996. The car was eventually dropped altogether in 1999.
The 240Z was in one influential poll by Sports Car International in 2004 listed as the second most important sports car of the 1970s. Nissan has in recent years reintroduced the Z sports car concept in the form of the 350Z, which comes in both convertible and coupé formats. It has proved highly successful and capable, but is in reality a different genre to the first generations of the classic Nissan "muscle" car.
- BRIAN BYRNE