The sports car Nissan abandoned became Toyota's 2000GT instead
Before the first Z car, Nissan worked with Yamaha on a sports prototype, the YX-30 of 1961. By 1964 Nissan had lost faith in Yamaha's twin-cam 2.0-litre engine and scrapped the project. Yamaha finished the car anyway and took it to Toyota, where it turned into the celebrated Toyota 2000GT.
Nissan then started again. Yutaka Katayama, running the company's American operation, pushed for an affordable sports car that could sell worldwide, and planners wanted something stylish and fast yet cheap to build by sharing parts with other Nissan models. Engineers from the recently absorbed Prince Motor Company, makers of the Skyline, added expertise. The result went on sale in Japan in October 1969 as the Fairlady Z and reached America as the Datsun 240Z on October 22 that year.
Seven generations have followed, the latest simply called the Nissan Z and built since 2022. Early cars came from the Nissan Shatai factory in Hiratsuka; later ones from Oppama and then Tochigi. In Japan every generation has kept the Fairlady name, while export badges have included 280ZX, 300ZX, 350Z and 370Z.
The second generation leaned towards comfort. The 280ZX won a top award from Motor Trend in 1979 and sold a record 86,007 in its first year, though many enthusiasts felt luxury was crowding out the fun. A clean-sheet redesign in 1984 brought wedge styling, a new 3.0-litre V6 from the VG family and the 300ZX name; the same engine family powered a GTP racer that dominated IMSA in 1988 and 1989. That car sold over 70,000, the second-best Z figure. For 1985 Nissan finally dropped the Datsun brand in America.
The second 300ZX, with a twin-cam, variable-timing version of the V6, collected Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year again in 1990, plus Automobile Magazine's Design of the Year.
Source: Nissan Z-car
