Bananarama - Datsun 240Z
A very appealing early 70's Datsun 240Z. This great looking ride participated in the Cars and Coffee car show held at the Kansas City Auto Museum in Olathe Kansas. It was a great little show.
The decades-long Z Car legend starts with the original Datsun 240Z, which entered production in October 1969 as a 1970 model year vehicle. Produced as something of a response to Toyota's 2000 GT sports car, the Yamaha proposal for which was passed over by Nissan before it became a Toyota project, the 240Z would ultimately be far more successful, with more than 160,000 of the two-door, two-seat, rear-drive sports cars sold in just four years of production in the United States. With a 151-hp 2.4-liter straight-six engine paired with a four-speed transmission, fully independent suspension, and an affordable $3,526 MSRP, the 240Z was seen as a performance bargain, with 0-to-60 mph times in the 8.0-second range and a 125-mph top speed.
The 240Z was sold in four unofficial series. Series 1 240Zs include the earliest cars built in late 1969 through mid-1971, identifiable by two ventilation grilles below the rear hatch and "240Z" badging on the C-pillar. These early cars are typically the most desirable to collectors, although the vents, removed from Series 2 cars, would allow exhaust fumes to enter the cabin when parked or at low speeds. Production of the 240Z ended in September 1973.
The 260Z launched for the 1974 model year to replace the 240Z, and as its name suggests, displacement from the straight-six was stroked to 2.6 liters. U.S. emissions regulations initially forced the automaker to detune the larger engine's output to 140 hp, but by mid-1974 the full 165 hp that the 260Z made in the rest of the world was available to American buyers. The 260Z's interior was significantly revised from the 240Z, the chassis was reinforced for greater rigidity, and a rear anti-roll bar was added as standard, while the four-speed manual transmission carried on, with an optional three-speed automatic available. From the outside, 260Zs were identifiable by larger bumpers, new taillights, and a new, longer-wheelbase 2+2 variant. While the 260Z was sold for several years in most markets, the U.S. had just a single year of production before moving on to the 280Z, which bumped engine displacement to 2.8 liters (and output to 170 hp) to help guard against ever-tightening emissions standards.
Other changes to the 280Z included a switch to Bosch electronic fuel injection (another emissions-friendly change) and new, heavy U.S.-spec 5-mph bumpers. Models from the 1977 model year were given the option of a new five-speed transmission, a space-saver rear tire, and a larger fuel tank, which cut into cargo space. The 280Z continued in both short- and long-wheelbase models into 1978. All told, by the time first-generation Z car production ended, Nissan and Datsun had sold over 520,000 examples worldwide.
Source: MotorTrend/
Bananarama - Datsun 240Z
A very appealing early 70's Datsun 240Z. This great looking ride participated in the Cars and Coffee car show held at the Kansas City Auto Museum in Olathe Kansas. It was a great little show.
The decades-long Z Car legend starts with the original Datsun 240Z, which entered production in October 1969 as a 1970 model year vehicle. Produced as something of a response to Toyota's 2000 GT sports car, the Yamaha proposal for which was passed over by Nissan before it became a Toyota project, the 240Z would ultimately be far more successful, with more than 160,000 of the two-door, two-seat, rear-drive sports cars sold in just four years of production in the United States. With a 151-hp 2.4-liter straight-six engine paired with a four-speed transmission, fully independent suspension, and an affordable $3,526 MSRP, the 240Z was seen as a performance bargain, with 0-to-60 mph times in the 8.0-second range and a 125-mph top speed.
The 240Z was sold in four unofficial series. Series 1 240Zs include the earliest cars built in late 1969 through mid-1971, identifiable by two ventilation grilles below the rear hatch and "240Z" badging on the C-pillar. These early cars are typically the most desirable to collectors, although the vents, removed from Series 2 cars, would allow exhaust fumes to enter the cabin when parked or at low speeds. Production of the 240Z ended in September 1973.
The 260Z launched for the 1974 model year to replace the 240Z, and as its name suggests, displacement from the straight-six was stroked to 2.6 liters. U.S. emissions regulations initially forced the automaker to detune the larger engine's output to 140 hp, but by mid-1974 the full 165 hp that the 260Z made in the rest of the world was available to American buyers. The 260Z's interior was significantly revised from the 240Z, the chassis was reinforced for greater rigidity, and a rear anti-roll bar was added as standard, while the four-speed manual transmission carried on, with an optional three-speed automatic available. From the outside, 260Zs were identifiable by larger bumpers, new taillights, and a new, longer-wheelbase 2+2 variant. While the 260Z was sold for several years in most markets, the U.S. had just a single year of production before moving on to the 280Z, which bumped engine displacement to 2.8 liters (and output to 170 hp) to help guard against ever-tightening emissions standards.
Other changes to the 280Z included a switch to Bosch electronic fuel injection (another emissions-friendly change) and new, heavy U.S.-spec 5-mph bumpers. Models from the 1977 model year were given the option of a new five-speed transmission, a space-saver rear tire, and a larger fuel tank, which cut into cargo space. The 280Z continued in both short- and long-wheelbase models into 1978. All told, by the time first-generation Z car production ended, Nissan and Datsun had sold over 520,000 examples worldwide.
Source: MotorTrend/