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Cliff Chambers18 Apr 2019
FEATURE

Nissan Z: 50 years of being different

Five decades after its debut, Nissan’s accessible sports car is still an icon of the brand

From the groundbreaking 240Z to the just unveiled 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition, Nissan's sports car has always said much about the brand.

As Nissan Motor Company’s stocks have waxed and waned, so too has the commitment and courage devoted to the Z-car and therefore its status as a brand icon.

But all along the way, it has never failed to illicit passion and opinion from brand fans and detractors.

One thing’s for certain, debuted in New York in 1969, the very first Z-car changed forever the notion that mass-market sports cars needed to be fragile, uncomfortable and fitted with a leaky convertible top.

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240Z-260Z

Not even Nissan could anticipate the demand that would be generated on the day in October 1969 that its 240Z was first displayed at the Pierre Hotel in Uptown, Manhattan.

Buyers were prepared to wait months for their cars and the company by 1971 had adjusted its production targets from 2000 cars per month to 7500.

The Datsun 240Z arrived just in time to heighten fears that United States regulators would outlaw open-top cars. It didn't happen but coupes like the Z pointed the way of the future…

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Those early Zs could reach 200km/h, handle virtually any road (with shelves full of rally and racing championship trophies as proof) and provided hatchback convenience.

Four years after coming into existence and with a more powerful 2.6-litre engine, Nissan extended its range by adding a four-seat 260Z 2+2.

This practical and handsome alternative to conventional family transport boosted volume with Australian buyers who christened the car the ‘26 Ounce’ (26oz).

280ZX

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The 280ZX that appeared on Australian roads in 1978 was a more substantial car than the 260 version; a genuine Grand Tourer with a fuel-injected 2.8-litre version of the Nissan six.

Power was by then being expressed in net terms and while the posted 103kW might not have seemed much, weight did remain at a manageable 1265kg so performance was decent.

Inside, the shift from sports car to luxury coupe was obvious with more sumptuous seats, electric windows, power mirrors, air-conditioning and, of course, an auto box option.

In February 1980, when the nameplate changed from Datsun to Nissan, lift-out Targa roof panels became optional. Australian Z-car buyers relished the prospect of a little 'open-air' motoring but the Z’s sports car relevance was on the slide.

300ZX Z31

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The 2.8-litre ZX lasted until 1984 before being overhauled with a brand-new look, more power and the onset of turbocharged performance.

While Z31 Series cars were wider and heavier than the 280, compensation came via improved performance and greater stability.

Most early 300ZXs sold in Australia were three-speed automatics with overdrive and were priced at almost $28,000 – big dollars for the time.

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What the 300ZX needed was a dose of performance to exploit a very competent chassis and in 1986 a 2+2 version with a single-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine and 155kW arrived.

Although an unlikely contender for motorsport honours, with a degree of careful rule book interpretation the 300ZX Turbo was a front-runner in burgeoning local production car racing scene.

300ZX Z32

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In Z32 form, the 300ZX evolved into a car of exceptional competence. Completely reshaped for the 1990s, it delivered handling and braking ranked alongside Europeans like the Porsche 928S.

Australian-delivered cars typically used a four-speed automatic transmission and made do with normally-aspirated engines.

Those wanting to experience the ultimate in 300ZX performance therefore had to wait until the mid-1990s when low-volume imports of Japanese market twin-turbo 300ZXs began to arrive.

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Delivering 208kW at 6400rpm, the turbo 300ZX was available in two-seat and four-seat versions, with and without removable roof panels.

Performance was impressive for a car of its size and weight, with the five-speed manual running 0-100km/h in under six seconds.

350Z/370Z

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More than 30 years after the 240Z appeared, Nissan delved into its design archives and rediscovered the essence of the Z-car.

The 2003 350Z was again a compact two-seater with a liftback and non-turbo six-cylinder engine.

The new Nissan even retained a dash design where major gauges were housed in a binnacle ahead of the driver, with three others centrally-mounted above the console. In this it echoed the layout used originally in the 240Z.

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Track and Touring versions were offered and the range included convertibles. Technical advances that could only be seen in Nissan engineers’ dreams half a century earlier helped the 3.5-litre V6 produce 206kW without the aid of a turbocharger.

In the late Noughties the 370Z arrived, essentially a restyled 350 with 3.7-litre engine and up to 245kW. A number of variants were offered, topped off Down Under by a long-promised 370Z NISMO in 2017.

While now very obviously aging and dismissed by some, the 350/370Z exhibits familial links with the original 240Z that are arguably as strong as ever.

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However, that its mechanicals and form are fast approaching 20 years in production (even the GT-R is closing on 15 years) says much about Nissan’s focus away from passenger cars and towards SUVs and LCVs.

The timing, character and perhaps even the existence of the next-generation Zed will speak volumes about the future of Nissan.

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Written byCliff Chambers
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