The Nissan 240z

In the 70’s a car was produced that had great racing success, was affordable, fast, and sold like crazy. It was called the Datsun 240z

The reason it was called a Datsun was because when Nissan first started producing cars in the states, “Nissan” sounded too Japanese and in the up until the 70’s Japanese cars did not have a good reputation in the states. So, Nissan released their main cars as Datsuns. In Japan however, they had a model they call the Fairlady Z. This was primarily the same vehicle we know as our 240z. There were some differences, the Fairlady Z had a smaller 2 liter version of the straight six 2.4 liter 240z which both produced about 130-160 hp. These cars only weighed about 2300 pounds with full interior making them much lighter than american sports cars in the 70’s. They were nimble, quick, and unbelievable reliable.

Moving forward many people consider the 240z to be the original import tuner car. Now people use these cars to make automobile masterpieces mixing modern features and performance with old school style. The shape of the car it self is timeless and makes the car attractive to almost any generation. The engine bay leaves plenty of room for almost any type of engine. The suspension is easily upgradeable and the car is very attainable as there were thousands produced and they are much cheaper than classic muscle cars.

Oh, the modifications… I could go on for days giving you all the possible combinations people have tried. Personally, I love the Nissan upgrades. From the suspension, to the motor, to the interior, and much more.

In the states many people have done corvette V8 swaps, carb swaps, and other swaps using parts that are all over.

You can put newer Z engines or skyline engines that work surprisingly well in the chassis keeping weight balances and such. I have personally owned a couple 240z’s and have had a race chassis sitting in my garage for a couple years now. Unfortunately, many Z’s end up torn apart in barns and garages without proper funding or motivation from their owners.