After popular demand we decided to dedicate this weekend's classic car photo tribute to Nissan's first generation Z sportscar, the ancestor of today's 370Z.
Codenamed S30 and S31 for the mid 70s facelift versions, the first Z made its Japanese market debut in November 1969 as the Nissan Fairlady Z and remained in production until 1978 when it was replaced by the Nissan / Datsun 280ZX.
Depending on the market and the engine displacement, the Fairlady Z was also sold as the Datsun 240Z, 260Z and 280Z.
The rear-wheel drive Nissan Fairlady Z was launched in Japan with a high-revving 2.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine producing 160PS at 7,000 rpm and 177Nm of torque at 5,600 rpm, while the first U.S. spec model, the 1970 Datsun 240Z, was equipped with a 2.4-liter straight six engine cranking out 150PS at 5,600 rpm and 206Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm.
Soon after, the Z was upgraded with two larger 6-cylinder engines with a displacement of 2.6 and 2.8-liters.
Even though it was no easy task, we did manage to find a descent number of high-resolution photos of various Fairlady Z and Datsun Z models, including competition and rally cars, and a Japanese patrol vehicle that served the Kanagawa Prefecture Highway Police from March 1972.
The gallery also contains numerous commercial photos of the European-market Datsun 240Z and 260Z, some of which are pretty weird indeed...
11 Comments:
So, uum, what's with the girl in the gravel pit?
Loved the old Z though...
Great collection! Although, I have to be honest, the one with the lady in the kimono seems a bit strange... I never quite imagined this car in the same realm with traditional Japanese attire, but oh well.
These poor gals really need a shave ! lol
WOW love the hairy arm pits! Mmmm so sexy!
Gotta love the 70's eh! >=D
WOW check out the hairy underarms!
Mmmm thats so sexy! Gotta love the 70's eh! >=D
Yet another excellent collection.
Please do keep this series running.
Stewart.
Great car, beautiful. The design is from the german designer Albrecht Graf Goertz, the same man that designed the wonderful and legendary BMW 507.
TS
Google "Yoshihiko Matsuo" if you really want to know who designed the Nissan S30.
BEAUTIFUL! one of the most beautiful cars in its days! i wish that sports cars were lighter, had powerful engines and has the modern safety features. not the current trend in where a 'sports car' or 'sports coupe' weighs in at almost 4000lbs..which is sad!
TALL TALE TIME, I deny that in the early 80s I jumped the Hillsboro bridge while my friends held the drop gate. I denied it to the state troopers who came to my house, and I continue to deny it to this day.
And yes, you can have doggie style sex in a 1972 240Z, anyone care to speculate as to exactly how? :-)
That 260Z 2+2 is a nice looking car with a unique character all its own, but the original 240Z just has perfect flowing lines that could never really be improved upon in later versions. Sometimes a designer gets it right the first time, and each attempt to improve upon perfection is an exercise in futility.
I'd like to put a turbocharged M3 BMW in-line six engine in one of these early 240s. With more than 400 hp these old Datsuns are insane. :-)
more great pics s-w-e-e-t. I have a 71 240Z I'm finishing (10-year project) - a little over 2000 lbs. and 3.1L, triple weber monster motor. Comin' off the porch to run with the big dogs.
I looked at V8 swaps, turbos, new jap motor swaps, and none make the sweet sound of an inline 6 at 6-7000 rpms.
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