In 1970 Nissan Motors USA sprung a car onto the American market that shoot the sports car scene at the time. While Detroit was churning out pure muscle cars and pony cars, this little known Japanese company introduced the Datsun 240Z.
With a 2.4 liter inline six that churned out 151 horse power and 146 foot pounds of torque, the 240Z was more like a European sports car than anything that had been seen coming out of Japan (and very little had been seen coming out of Japan as yet). With a wheelbase of a mere 90.7 inches and a curb weight of less than 2400 pounds, this car could top out at over 150 miles per hour.
If the car looked more European than Japanese it is because the body work, by designer Yoshihiko Matsuo was “borrowed” heavily from Sergio Scagliette’s Ferrari 275 GTB/4 design that was introduced in 1966.
Updated for 1974 with 2.6 liter single overhead cam straight six engine and a whole host of features that added to the weight, the renamed 260Z lasted only one year in the USA for a couple of reasons. Primarily it needed to be changed to conform to new stricter emissions and fuel efficiency laws. In addition, the changes to the 260Z took away from the car’s performance.
In 1975 the 280Z came to market, driven by a fuel injected 2.8 liter inline six that growled out 150 horse power and 163 foot pounds of torque. Along with a number of sport luxury features, the 280 Z became one of Datsun’s (and later when they changed their release name officially to Nissan, it was one of theirs, too) best selling cars in the American market.
My uncle down in Florida was one of the many people who bought a 280Z. When my brother and I went down for a visit during my sophomore year in college, he tossed me the keys and said, “You pay for any tickets you get.”
I held the keys so I was the one who got to drive it first. We headed to the lightly traveled roads outside of Ocala and got the chance to see what this car could do. And it could do all that we wanted. At one point I remember heading down a long straight stretch of road with the speedometer long since pegged and the tach running out of room near 7000 rpm. Suddenly (though I knew it was coming because these roads are open and flat), a sharp left hand turn approached. Believe me, when you’re pushing 100 mph it comes sooner than you realize.
Backing off the gas and applying the brakes I slowed enough to downshift into fourth and then into third which, if I were a better driver at the time I probably wouldn’t have had to do. I took a clean line through the turn and hit the gas, jumping back to fourth before doing it again in a crisp right turn that was on me in a heartbeat.
A couple miles later we came to a main road and I pulled into a gas station to top it off and hand the keys to my brother, Steve. We were both smiling like crazed maniacs. Which, as early 20 somethings we were.
Years later a friend let me drive his 300ZX. It was nice but it wasn’t the same. More sport luxury than sports car it handled well enough but lacked the adrenaline pumping excitement and exhaust note that the 280Z gave. That was one of the first great drives of my life.
Somewhere, and I’ve looked all over for it, I have a picture of me standing next to that 280Z. Trust me; the car looks a lot cooler than I did at the time.
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