Datsun 240Z, 260Z and 280Z: the first Z-cars

The Datsun Z was the closed sports car that replaced the Fairlady roadster in 1969. It was sold as the Fairlady Z in Japan and as the Datsun 240Z, 260Z and 280Z for export, and it turned the brand into a serious name among affordable sports cars, above all in the United States.

Datsun Z at a glance

The English article on the S30 could not be read when this page was written; the text follows the German Wikipedia article on the Datsun Z, which covers the 240Z, 260Z and 280Z in detail.

History of the Datsun Z

Nissan showed the new closed sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of 1969 as the successor to the Datsun Fairlady. It was a two-seat fastback coupé with a self-supporting steel body, sold at home as the Fairlady Z and abroad as the Datsun 240Z. Export cars used the 2.4-litre L24 straight-six with an aluminium cylinder head and two Hitachi HJB carburettors, mated to a four- or five-speed manual gearbox or a three-speed automatic. All four wheels were independently sprung, with MacPherson struts at the front and a Chapman strut axle at the rear.

Japan could not have the 2.4-litre engine, because cars above two litres paid a luxury tax there, so the home-market Fairlady Z used a 2.0-litre S20 twin-cam six with three Mikuni carburettors. The Fairlady ZG added a nose almost 20 cm longer, with plexiglass covers over the headlamps and the cooling opening moved into the bumper. The Z432 was a motorsport evolution with a 24-valve S20 that revved higher than the production engine, and the Z432R was a lightweight version of it with plexiglass windows.

The 260Z appeared at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1973 and went on sale in 1974 with the larger 2.6-litre L26. A 2+2 body on a wheelbase 30 cm longer joined the range in spring 1974. The bigger engine was a response to American emission rules, and it produced little more power than the 2.4 because compression fell and cars sold in California received a catalytic converter. In the United States, about 80,000 260Z and 260Z 2+2 cars were sold in 1974 and 1975, but only 1,638 2+2 cars reached Europe.

From summer 1975 North America alone received the 280Z, with the 2.8-litre L28E and fuel injection on the Bosch L-Jetronic pattern; more than 150,000 were sold up to the end of the 1978 model year. Europe kept the 260Z, where the 2+2 arrived in early summer 1975 at DM 23,950 and stayed on the price list until June 1979. A revision at the end of 1977 raised power by 3 kW (4 PS) but dropped top speed from 205 to 194 km/h. In autumn 1978 the whole range gave way to the Datsun 280ZX.

Design and features

• Long bonnet, fastback tail: a closed body in place of the open Fairlady roadster.
• Straight-six engines: 2.4, 2.6 and 2.8 litres for export, 2.0 litres in Japan.
• Independent suspension: MacPherson struts in front and a Chapman strut rear axle.
• American rules shaped the range: the 260Z and 280Z grew in size and gained injection for US emission limits.
• Racing derivatives: the Japanese Z432 and lightweight Z432R.

Datsun Z versions

• 240Z (1969–1973): the original 2.4-litre export car.
• 260Z and 260Z 2+2 (1974–1978): 2.6-litre engine and a longer 2+2 body.
• 280Z (1975–1978): North America only, with the injected 2.8.
• Fairlady Z, ZG and Z432: Japanese models with the 2.0-litre engine.

The Z was replaced by the Datsun 280ZX and had taken over from the Datsun Sports roadster. More models are in the Datsun collection.

Sources

• Datsun Z, German Wikipedia: history, engines, prices, production
• Nissan Fairlady Z (S30), English Wikipedia: model line and Japanese derivatives