It's always the 240z at #1. Lightest, purest, prettiest. Followed IMO by the Z32 TT for the power potential and importance.
The rest all have their place but I think those two really made the biggest statement.
It’s been almost a half-century since a relatively unknown company from the other side of the planet knocked the sports car world on its ear with a groundbreaking release that Road & Track called “the most exciting new GT car in a decade.”
That new-for-1970 Datsun 240Z had Jaguar-level good looks at an equally appealing price. The Z-car’s sticker of roughly $3500, which undercut the Alfa Romeo GTV by about 25 percent, translates to about $22,250 in modern dollars. That bought buyers an overhead camshaft, independent rear suspension, and a top that didn’t leak-all big-deal features back then.
It was a sales success of the highest order: The July 1971 issue of Road & Track reported that Nissan had anticipated moving about 1600 cars per month, but the market demanded closer to 4000 units per month. This led to six-month waits along with Kelly Blue Book values for used examples topping $4000.
That same issue of R&T featured a five-car shootout for GT machines priced right around $3500. The 240Z solidly took the gold metal, beating the already established Fiat 124 Sports, Opel GT, MGB GT and Triumph GT6.
The new 240Z became a track star, too. At the 1970 SCCA American Road Race of Champions–the predecessor to today’s season-ending Runoffs–John Morton famously claimed the championship in a 240Z prepared by Peter Brock’s BRE team. He was trailed to the checker by two more 240Z drivers, Bob Sharp and John McComb. In their wake were a string of 914-6 Porsches and Lotus Elans. The lone Triumph in the race, a TR6 prepared by Bob Tullius’s dominating Group 44 and driven by the team’s patriarch, failed to reach the checker.
Suddenly there was a shift in the American sports car landscape. Class leaders MG and Triumph would leave the American market a decade later.
Almost five decades after its launch, despite a slight hiatus, changing shopping trends and an oil crisis or two, the Z-car is still here with us. Other reasonably priced sports cars have come and gone–sadly, mostly gone–but the Nissan Z-car has endured.
New ones are as close as your local Nissan dealer, while past generations offer something for nearly every taste and budget. Whether you’re into turbos and twin-cams or louvers and loving cups, there’s likely a Z-car for you.
Today’s Nissan hasn’t forgotten this past, either. There’s a special place where the manufacturer keeps its private stash, and we recently raided it to sample a Z-car from each generation.
Has the original Z been superseded by later incarnations? Depends on what you’re looking for. Whatever your fancy, this exercise did remind us that there are few wrong answers here.
The Z-car story starts with the 240Z. The first. The most pure. Thin bumpers. Plenty of performance from that 150-horsepower inline-six. The basics would form the recipe for years to come: long hood, lift-back rear, six cylinders, and three displays right in the center of the dash. They got it nearly perfect right out of the gate.
The 240Z’s big change came for 1973: The original SU carburetors were replaced with some emissions-friendly Hitachis. Performance took a slight hit and, as a result, today those earlier cars are the ones that everyone wants.
This Car Here: Let’s hop in our time machine and jet forward a few years. In 1996, Nissan wasn’t selling too many Z-cars here in the States, so they dropped the model–their flagship model, of all things. To fill the gap and retain a halo offering in the quiver, Nissan USA President Bob Thomas had a dream: Nissan would sell restored examples of the original 240Z, aiming to rebuild 10 per month. Each would be backed by a one-year, 12,000-mile warranty.
Long story short, between delays and a little something called reality, the project didn’t pan out as expected and only 38 cars were delivered. This 1971 model is one of those restored Datsuns.
Behind the Wheel: The driving experience alone is worth the price of admission. Nissan hit a homerun first time at bat. Without any revisions or updates, the 240Z offers everything you could desire: a comfortable ride, great steering and perfect pedal placement. It’s not going to run down today’s supercars, but for its day performance is spot-on. It’s quick, willing and ready to deliver.
The gearbox might only offer four forward speeds, but the action is nearly perfect. Today we use the Miata’s gearbox as a benchmark, but, really, we should be comparing everything to the original 240Z.
Things on the American automotive landscape drastically changed for 1974, with bigger bumpers and cleaner, more efficient engines becoming the new norm. Performance, as expected, took a major hit.
Datsun responded with the 260Z. As the name suggests, engine displacement was upped to 2.6 liters. The compression ratio was lowered, though, and horsepower fell as well-down to 140 on U.S.-spec cars.
The Z-car lineup was also expanded with the addition of the 2+2 model. A teeny-tiny back seat meant that technically four souls could enjoy the 260Z, provided that at least two of them were rather small.
The 260Z would be a one-year-only model, with the 280Z arriving for 1975. Its big upgrade: Bosch fuel injection feeding a 2.8-liter engine. This bumped the horsepower rating to 149, but new mandated bumpers added weight to both ends of the car.
This Car Here: Among Nissan fans, Yutaka Katayama needs no introduction. After 24 years in Nissan’s home office, in 1959 he was dispatched to the U.S. on an exploratory mission of sorts. He planted the company’s flag and was soon named president of Nissan’s U.S. operations–which carried the Datsun name. Mr. K’s tenure in the States would run through 1977, and during that time Nissan grew into a major force. Two of the brand’s biggest early successes, the Z-car and 510, can both be traced back to his desk.
This 260Z 2+2, fitted with the optional sunroof plus available three-speed automatic transmission, was Mr. K’s personal car. It’s easily spotted as an early 260Z, as the later ones adopted the bigger bumpers also seen on the 280Z.
Behind the Wheel: Where the original Z feels crisp and sharp, the 260Z, especially with the automatic box and extra length, feels kinda lazy. The ride is comfy, but much muted compared to the earlier car. The automatic box actually isn’t that bad, and when placed in context–this car was owned by a Z-loving enthusiast who faced L.A. traffic–it makes some sense.
The Z-car got a reboot for 1978. Yes, it still looked like a Z and followed the same story arc, but up close it was a new animal. And that animal loved disco, as interior options included a sea of velour upholstery punctuated with the latest high-tech gadgets.
T-tops, a popular option, made this an open-air affair. Two-tone paint jobs let everyone know that the party had arrived. In short, the 280ZX reflected the times: more emphasis on looking sporty than being sporty.
The Z got a new name, too: 280ZX. The brand itself also got a new moniker, with Nissan starting to phase out the Datsun name in 1981. Nissan, the parent company, would become the brand name as well.
Think of the 280ZX as a fleshed-out version of the original. The body lines were crisper. Nissan flared in the bumpers. The 2+2 version looked natural this time around.
Engine displacement remained 2.8 liters, but by now that block was covered in a net of hoses, lines and cables. Power was down to 135 horsepower, but remember that this is when a base Corvette made do with just 185.
One bright spot: A five-speed transmission, an option on the 280Z since 1977, became standard. Wait, let’s make that two bright spots: Nissan started offering a turbocharged 28OZX starting in 1981, bumping engine output to 180 horsepower.
This Car Here: To celebrate the Z-car’s first big birthday, Nissan sent over 3000 copies of the 10th Anniversary 280ZX for the 1980 model year. In addition to the requisite badges and stickers, all received leather seats, automatic temperature control, T-tops and two-tone paint–2500 wore black over gold, with 500 receiving black and red. We drove the very car that Nissan used for all of that model’s publicity shoots, and it’s bone-stock, down to the original, 38-year-old Goodyear Wingfoot tires.
Behind the Wheel: It’s like a 240Z, but softer and cushier. The injected 2.8-liter engine revs smoothly, but delivers only decent, lazy power. The power steering makes the 280ZX easier to park, though, and the five-speed transmission is a welcome addition in today’s world.
The interior also recalls the original Z-car, but now there are even more buttons, knobs and switches. We wouldn’t call this a 240Z replacement, but it perfectly captures a time when sportiness took precedent over lap times.
After more than a dozen years of evolution, the Z would be all-new for 1984. Where the 280ZX was an evolution of a 1960s design, this new car started with a fresh sheet of paper.
The look was fully contemporary. The sugar scoop headlights were long gone, replaced by rectangular units hidden behind articulated covers–well, half covers, technically. The bodywork became even more chiseled, dominated by a flat, wide hood.
And beneath that hood was a 3.0-liter V6 engine. This was groundbreaking news from Japan. In base form that V6 delivered 160 horsepower; the turbocharged model initially produced 200 horsepower, with that figure eventually bumped up to 227.
That 3.0-liter engine, of course, warranted a new name: the 300ZX. Like its predecessors, the 300ZX was again available as a two-seater or a 2+2.
The 300ZX weighed a touch more than the 280ZX, but more power and a better suspension kept performance near the top of the heap. Car and Driver’s initial review praised the performance, but was less kind to the overall package. “The emperor has no clothes,” Don Sherman wrote, “and the ZX Turbo lacks a pretty face.”
This Car Here: For the 1984 model year Nissan celebrated another corporate milestone with their 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition; this one received all of the available extras, from the turbo engine and electronically controlled dampers to mirrored T-tops, digital dash display and leather seats. The Anniversary Edition also sported flared fenders, two-tone black and silver paint, and all of the obligatory badges. A few more than 5000 copies were produced and, of course, Nissan has one of these cars in their collection. To date it has only covered a tick more than 11,000 miles.
Behind the Wheel: Call this one of the biggest surprises of the day. While largely ignored by our world, the 300ZX still feels like a Z-car. Thin A-pillars don’t obscure the view, while handling and acceleration easily feel on par with the first model. The touch of turbo whine is a welcome addition. This is a very lovable neo-classic that still delivers the Z-car experience.
The Z again got a redo, and Nissan hit this one out of the park. Dennis Simanaitis’s Road & Track review started with the highest of praises: “I’ve just driven one of the best sports cars in the world.”
The new 300ZX’s sheetmetal could have come from Italy, while the suspension made no excuses–double wishbones up front paired with a four-link rear setup and meaty tires all around. The new 300ZX still relied upon a 3.0-liter V6, but it now featured twin overhead cams along with 24 valves. The non-turbo version produced 222 horsepower. But wait, there was more: a twin-turbo 300ZX to the tune of an even 300 horsepower.
Starting price for all of this goodness? About $30,000 at launch. In today’s dollars, that’s about $56,000–nearly twice the starting price of a new 370Z. But as the ’90s got rolling, Nissan was simply on fire as the much-heralded Z shared showroom space with the 240SX, Sentra SE-R, Maxima SE and NX2000. Convertibles had joined both the 300ZX and 240SX model lines. In short, Nissan offered a performance car for seemingly every taste and budget, while on track their IMSA programs were dominating.
But there was trouble brewing ahead. The dollar-to-yen ratio was tipping against Japan, and in 1995 you’d pay at least $41,000 for a new Z. Consumers had also become more interested in SUVs and the like. Nissan sold nearly 75,000 Z-cars in 1984, and a decade later that figure had fallen to fewer than 5000. While production of the 300ZX continued through 2000, U.S. imports ceased after 1996. Nissan marked the moment by importing 300 Commemorative Edition cars. The end of the 300ZX was just part of Nissan’s problems, as the company had simply stopped turning cars into piles of cash.
This Car Here: Nissan’s private stash includes a Commemorative Edition car as well, and the odometer shows just 790 miles on the clock. The trip odometer displays 788.8 miles, and we resisted the temptation to reset it.
Behind the Wheel: Low side windowsills and lots of glass make this one feel smaller than you’d think, while the turbo engine is torquey and flexible. The gearbox is nearly perfect. The ride felt a little stiff, but we’re going to blame that on the 20-plus-year-old tires.
At the 1999 New York auto show the news was made official: Nissan was bringing back the Z. Renault had righted the manufacturer with an infusion of cash, and after some long, dark days things were looking positive for Nissan.
The 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle ushered in a new era of retro styling, which the reintroduced Z fully mastered. Its new shape recalled the original 240Z, yet was modern at the same time. Call it an homage more than a gimmick. The interior also recalled past Z-cars, down to those auxiliary gauges propped on top of the dash. Power came from a 3.5-liter V6 that produced 287 naturally aspirated horsepower.
The 300ZX had priced itself out of the market, so the new car harkened back to the original 240Z with an MSRP starting at $26,800. The base car was rather stripped, but optional packages added things like a limited-slip differential, bigger wheels and even Brembo brakes.
Buyers responded favorably, with Nissan selling nearly 40,000 units during the 350Z’s first 12 months in the showroom. A convertible joined the lineup in the summer of 2003, further expanding the car’s appeal.
We compared the 350Z to the 240Z in our May 2004 issue. While the 350Z offered superior performance, it didn’t capture all of the charm. “Side by side, the oldest and newest Z cars illustrate the advances that have been made in the past few decades,” we said, “but the 240Z still gets our vote as a superior package, taken in the context of when it was created.”
This Car Here: Nissan’s VQ35HR engine, dubbed the High Rev, became standard for 2007, bumping the 350Z’s output to 306 horsepower. Solar Orange was also added to the options that year. If the Nissan collection is going to contain one 350Z, might as well be a Solar Orange 2007 model, with this one originally doing duty in the manufacturer’s press fleet.
Behind the Wheel: While the 350Z felt totally new and modern to us more than a decade-plus ago, today it almost has a retro feel. We’re going to credit some of that to the thin steering wheel rim: Where most everything today has a thick, meaty rim, the 350Z’s almost feels like a ’90s car in comparison. And we’re not complaining.
Performance is still on par for today, and the gearbox still feels like a benchmark. Pedals and seats are right where you want them. If there’s a blemish, while the A-pillars are nice and thin, over-the-shoulder visibility could be better; and that rear tie bar sucks up way too much trunk space.
The back-from-the-dead 350Z wasn’t a brief flicker of reanimation: Nissan followed up with the 370Z for 2009. Engine displacement was upped once again, with the 3.7-liter V6 making 332 horsepower. The body also evolved with the times: lower, wider and just meaner. The look to the past was replaced with a stare into the future.
And after 10 model years, we’re still sitting in the exact same place. Aside from some minor changes here and there, plus a very mild facelift delivered for 2013, the 370Z has carried on unchanged for a solid decade. It continues to be offered in both coupe and convertible guises.
Nissan hasn’t tipped its hand about the Z-car’s future, but its U.S. sales numbers do tell a story. Nissan sold 7391 units during the 2015 calendar year; the following 12 months, that figure dropped to 5913. Through the fall of 2017, Nissan shows 370Z sales down nearly 25 percent. (To put things into comparison, the Rogue is Nissan’s best seller in the States, with sales climbing to more than 30,000 units sold this past October alone.)
This Car Here: We sampled a new 370Z Heritage Edition in Chicane Yellow. The $790 Heritage Package basically adds the ’70s-tastic graphics along with some yellow interior accents and gloss black exterior mirrors. Like every other 2018 Nissan 370Z with a manual transmission, an Exedy clutch now is fitted as standard equipment.
Behind the Wheel: The 370Z basically transports the 350Z into modern times. The steering wheel is thick and contoured, the Exedy clutch offers smoother articulation, and the seats feature even deeper bolstering. While the 370Z’s spec box lists more power, around town both cars are still plenty quick.
Those side sills have crept up a bit, though. Add in even less over-the-shoulder visibility, and the 370Z can offer a cocoon-like feel. On track, you learn who to trust; in downtown traffic, the result can be a little stressful.
After driving seven cars you’d think that it would be tough to pick a winner, but the star of the day was clearly the 240Z. It’s the first, it’s the most pure, and it’s the one that will always serve as the genre’s benchmark. The driving experience perfectly captures everything we love about the best sports cars of the day.
Thanks to all of its attributes, the 240Z has basically become the Converse All Star of the automotive world: Like the iconic canvas basketball shoe, you can take a 240Z anywhere. It’s still a staple at all kinds of motorsports events, works well at a car show, and makes a fine get-away vehicle. Add a five-speed transmission from a later Z, and it can easily gobble up the highway miles.
Not interested in that vintage charm–meaning that you want a daily featuring air-conditioning and modern rustproofing measures? Then we’re going to recommend a 350Z or 370Z. An earlier 350Z, especially one that you can find for $7000 or so, seems like a lot of performance packed into a usable package.
And we have two honorable mentions, with the vintage sleeper pick going to the original 300ZX. Ignore its reputation as a boulevard cruiser for a moment, as even our own testing back in the day showed the 300ZX to nearly equal the 240Z on track. The 300ZX still delivers that vintage Z-car experience, yet does so with a dash of ’80s style.
Another one to watch is the second-generation 300ZX. Japan offered three iconic supercar darlings during the ’90s: the Mazda RX-7, Toyota Supra and Nissan 300ZX. Supras have always commanded a premium, while the RX-7 has proved to be a bit delicate. If you’re looking to relive those glory years, the sometimes overlooked 300ZX might be the logical pick.
We did learn one big thing from this exercise: No matter what the future holds for the Z, at least time has given us nearly half a century of favorites.
Like what you're reading? We rely on your financial support. For as little as $3, you can support Grassroots Motorsports by becoming a Patron today.
It's always the 240z at #1. Lightest, purest, prettiest. Followed IMO by the Z32 TT for the power potential and importance.
The rest all have their place but I think those two really made the biggest statement.
That was a great article. I really enjoyed it.
In reply to crankwalk :
Couldn’t have said it any better. For those that would disagree, they haven’t owned a s30 chassis.
Original 1970 240Z hands down. Mostly cause we had one in the family and it is the car I learned to drive stick on and drift before drifting was invented! ( Cause snow eh)
Mine? I may be biased. I do want to drive a 370 to see if i like them as much as i do the s30.
I grew up with them when my dad placed an order for a new 240z. There was a 6 months wait and you had to choose a possible 3 colors. We got the 3rd color choice of white. I learned to drive in it and a '76 280z. Later there was a '83zx before the switch to BMWs which the parents still buy.
Personally I've had several Zs including the '83 above, a '71, and a 2011 370. I loved the 370 and it is much better as a daily, but there is really no competition here, it is 240 all day. None of the others come close, not even the 260s and 280z's. The 300's are even further removed, although still nice cars.
it was an early 260z that scared me silly with it's speed. I came from a ratty Fiat spider and was driving my father's 260 to work as the spider was waiting on some parts. It was an early sunday morning on a freshly repaved road in early fall. This road had no place for the cops to hide and was arrow straight.
I looked down to see an indicated 140 and climbing, and the car was just as smooth at 140ish as it was at half that speed. It wasn't the speed that scared me, it was how smooth and unobtrusive it got there. It simply didn't feel that fast
Loved this article in the magazine! First mag I've gotten with my new subscription 
Im partial to the 280zx but I also,love a good s30.
racerdave600 said:
Personally I've had several Zs including the '83 above, a '71, and a 2011 370. I loved the 370 and it is much better as a daily, but there is really no competition here, it is 240 all day. None of the others come close, not even the 260s and 280z's. The 300's are even further removed, although still nice cars.
the early 260s are not all that different from the 240. They look almost identical with a bigger engine.
Displaying 1-10 of 61 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
