For the Z, Nissan couldn't just use any old engine. It had to be special. It had to be Z-specific. Thus, the L-Series was born (for greater details on the L-series engines, please visit my engine page). Combined with a lightweight chassis, quick manual transmission, rear differential, rear wheel drive, and a lively engine that was the pride of Japan at the time, the Z was soon known to be the first "affordable" sports car.
The first 240Z's hit the USA in late 1969. These 240's, called Series 1's, were lightweight and powerful for the time. They cost less than half of a new Corvette and handled better and could nearly keep up with one on a track let alone the street. It was the fastest car out of Japan of the time.
In 1973 new USA emissions were passed and the 240Z took a serious performance hit. The SU carbeurtors were redesigned to perform worse to gain better emissions, which they did. With only 2.4 liters of displacement, they upped the displacement of the 6 cylinder with a stroker crankshaft to create the 260Z- the forgotten Z- for sale in 1974. The 260Z only sold for one year in the USA, but sold until 1977 in Aulstria.
In 1975, the 2.8 liter, fuel-injected 280Z debuted. The SU carbs were ditched in favor for new Bosch fuel injection which enhanced performance along with the increase in bore and stroke. And because they didn't use catalytic converters, they had softer bronze for use with leaded gasoline. This was on the N42 cylinder head. All 280Z's use dished pistons to further lower emissions.
In 1977, the 280Z got an avaliable 5-speed (which isn't a good transmission if you read about it in my aftermarket page) transmission, a catalytic convert, an a new rear differential, among other things. The cylinder head changed to the restrictive N47 with diamond-shaped exhaust ports and emisssions liner further limiting flow, yet the 280Z was still the highest horsepower early Z-car produced. It weighted considerably more than the Series 1 240Z, the lightest of the Z's, and did not handle as well.
1978 was the last year of the first generation Z-car, and the 280ZX replaced it in 1979. 280Z's were still selling briskly and dealers had trouble keeping them in their lots, so Nissan engineers had to cook up a new car fast. So when the 280ZX was introduced in 1979, it resembled it's predecessor- a long hood, fastback profile, and sugar-scope headlight buckets. There was, however, a brand new chassis under-pinning the car. The suspension was fully independent, with struts up front, but the rear struts were changed to semi-trailing arms. Enthusiast complained as handling took a hit.
Suprisingly enough, the engine and drivetrain carried over largely intact, although new stricter emissions reduced horsepower to 135 in California-equipped cars with cats. The 4-speed manual was dropped all together and replaced entirely with a new 5-speed manual. The optional slushbox still had only 3 forward gears.
The interior was roomier and marked improvements on the appointments; the ZX was more luxurious. The car was becoming more luxury-oriented and sport-oriented, with added noise-insultation and softer suspension bushings for a plusher ride.
The ZX-R package was introduced the same year and included a "whale-tail" rear wing for racing. Only 1,000 units were produced. In addition to the larger spoiler, the ZX-R had special badging, broad blue stripes, and only available in silver mist paint.
In 1981 the ZX got fast with new technology. A turbo model was introduced that cranked out 180-bhp, and even the non-turbo model got higher compression and a new catalyst to bump power by 10 to 145-bhp. Automatic climate controls were introduced as well, furthering the luxury-designation of the Z. The thrill was finally back with the addition of the turbo Z, while it passed the 1/4 mile in 15.6 seconds compared to the Corvette's 16 second quarter mile time of the same year. The turbo sold for a stunning $16,999 with the automatic transmission. A 5-speed manual finally debuted for the Turbo model in 1982, and sales slid from 71,533 in 1980 to just 57,260 in '82.
The second-generation Z ended in 1983 and in 1984 the 3rd-gen 300ZX went on sale. It's styling was dated the engine designs dated back to the late 1960's. Plus, other Japanese manufactures started to enter the sports car arena, including the turbocharged Mitusibhsi Starion, Mazda RX-7, and Toyota Supra all started becoming potent contenders. In 1984 the new 300ZX changed dramatically from the late 280ZX. The original round contours of the Z were dropped for a more "wedge" shape and new semi-concealed headlamps were installed. The in-line 6 was dropped for a new 3.0 liter V-6. The 300ZX grew even more luxurious and was losing it's focus on a sports car. The styling was undiluted 1980's- chiseled and Italinate. It was still available as a 2-seater or 2+2 and in a fastback profile.
The new V-6 was shorter front-to-back, not as tall, and only slightly wider, alowing for a lower hoodline. The naturally aspirated V-6 made 160-bhp and the inevitable Turbo made 200-bhp with the aid of a Garret AiResearch T-5 turbocharger. Finally a 4-speed automatic was offered, but the 3-speed auto was still optional along with the 5-speed manual. Slaes, however, sagged to only 19,357 in 1987. The designs final year was 1989, and the word on the street was "wait for the new model". Sales dropped to a studdering 1,300 per month, until April when the new Z arrived. In 1985, Datsun changed it's name to Nissan for reasons unknown.
Why Datsun?
This is an age old question that even experienced Datsun veterans still don't have a clear answer to. Depending on who you ask, you'll probably get a different answer. The most widely accepted asnwer is that when Nissan decided to export their car outside of Japan, they changed their name to Datsun as not to ruin the good name of Nissan incase their cars sold poorly. Kind of a weird scheme, but it worked. In fact, most people will now agree Datsun has a worse public name than Nissan does, so the plan worked flawlessly. In Japan, Nissan's were sold with both Datsun and Nissan badges, but Nissan is the widely accepted name in Japan.
The Z cars were all badged as a Datsun, but carried lots of Nissan logos throughout the car. For example, one of the most obvious placements of the Nissan name was on the valve cover of the engine. It said, right atop the valve cover, "Nissan". And if that wasn't a giveaway enough, the VIN plate also says Nissan LTD Motors. The owners manual refers to the car as a Nissan and a Datsun- it uses them interchangeably.
Nowadays, some people will call their 240Z a Nissan 240Z or a Nissan 510, partly because it ensures everyone knows what the hell they're talking about (some youngens don't know about Datsun), and because Nissan has a better name than Datsun- it's known for better cars. Datsun's were known as econo-boxes that sipped fuel and rusted away. That was all true, until the Z came. But me, I call the car a Datsun. Why? Because Datsun has a rich racing heritage, and, quite frankly, the car is a Datsun.