280Z

STORY

The Z began in 1969 as the Fairlady Z in Japan and as the Datsun 240Z abroad, two versions of one S30 body. The home-market car used a 2.0-litre six rated at about 130 PS, a Japanese gross figure of that era, while the export car carried the 2.4-litre L24, 2,393 cc and 151 hp SAE gross. Japanese buyers waited for the bigger engine: the 240Z joined the domestic lineup only in November 1971, having been an export model until then. The engine grew again in 1974 to 2.6 litres for the 260Z, and a 2+2 body arrived the same year. The S30 range also includes the twin-cam Z432, of which about 420 were built.