Original vintage 1972 Datsun 240-Z sports car advertisement - "The Datsun 240-Z on the left is no ordinary GT...Come to think of it, neither is the one on the right"
Dimensions: Approx. 10 inches wide by 13 inches high
The Nissan S30, sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in other markets as the Datsun 240Z, then later as the 260Z and 280Z, was a grand tourer auto produced by Nissan (Datsun in USA) from 1969 until 1978 - it was the first car in Nissan's Z series of sports cars.
Aiming to compete directly with established European sports cars, Datsun priced the new 240Z within $200 of the British MGB-GT in the United States, a five-year-old design that showed its age. The 240Z's styling, engineering, relatively low price, and impressive performance resonated with the public, received a positive response from both buyers and the motoring press, and immediately generated long waiting lists.
As a halo car, the S30 contributed to the popularization of Japanese carmakers beyond producers of traditional economy cars. Datsun's growing dealer network—compared to those of imported sports cars manufactured by Jaguar, BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat—played a major role in this popularization.
The S30 was initially sold alongside the smaller four-cylinder Datsun Sports, which was dropped from production in 1970; however, the S30 240Z was unrelated to the later 240SX, sold as the Silvia in Japan.
The 1970 240Z was introduced to the American market by Yutaka Katayama, president of Nissan Motors USA operations, widely known as "Mister K."
The early cars from 1969 to mid-1971 had some subtle differences compared to late-71 to 1973 cars. The most visible difference is: these early cars had a chrome 240Z badge on the sail pillar, and two horizontal vents in the rear hatch below the glass molding providing flow through ventilation.
In mid-1971, there were production changes, including exterior and interior colors, was restyling of the sail pillar emblems were with just the letter Z placed in a circular vented emblem, and the vents were eliminated from the hatch panel of the car, due to complaints of exhaust being circulated into the car.
Design changes for the US model 240Z occurred throughout production but were not always reflected in the JDM Fairlady if they were specific to federal requirements, including interior modifications for the 1972 model year and a change in the location of the bumper over-riders, as well as the addition of some emission control devices and the adoption of a new style of emissions reducing carburetors for the 1973 model year.
The 1970 models were introduced in October 1969, and received the L24 2.4-liter engine with a manual choke and a four-speed manual. A less common three-speed automatic transmission was optional from 1971 onward, and had a "Nissan full automatic" badge. Most export markets received the car as the "240Z," with slightly differing specifications depending on the various market needs.
The Z was very successful in SCCA racing in the 1970s: Bob Sharp Racing out of Wilton, Connecticut with Sharp, Elliot Forbes-Robinson and later Paul Newman driving; and Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) in the western US with John Morton driving a #46 240Z to the SCCA C Production national title in 1970 and 1971.
Other drivers, such as Clearwater, Florida (and later Maryland) racer Don Kearney had much success with the Z-car between 1970 and 1978. The Z and Datsun 510 are credited as catalyst for the U.S. Japanese import performance parts industry. Nissan also supported and was associated with Bob Bondurant's race driving school from its inception.
In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number two on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s.
