Nissan Fairlady Z (S30)

Nissan Fairlady Z (Datsun 240Z, 260Z, and 280Z)
1970–1973 Nissan Fairlady Z
Overview
Manufacturer	Nissan
Also called	Nissan Fairlady Z Datsun 240Z Datsun 260Z Datsun 280Z
Production	1969–1978
Assembly	Japan: Hiratsuka, Kanagawa (Nissan Shatai Plant)
Designer	Yoshihiko Matsuo
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	3-door hatchback coupé 3-door hatchback 2+2 coupé
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Datsun Sports
Successor	Nissan Fairlady Z (S130)

The Nissan S30, sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z but badged as the Datsun 240Z, 260Z, and 280Z for export, are 2-seat sports cars and 2+2 GT cars produced by Nissan from 1969 until 1978. The S30 was conceived of by Yutaka Katayama, the President of Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A., and designed by a team led by Yoshihiko Matsuo, the head of Nissan's Sports Car Styling Studio.^[1] It is the first car in Nissan's Z series of sports cars.

The S30 had four-wheel independent suspension and a powerful straight-six engine with an overhead camshaft, features identified with far more expensive premium European sports cars and coupés such as the Jaguar E-Type and BMW 2800 CS, but absent from similarly priced sports cars such as the Alfa Romeo Spider, MGB and Opel GT, which had smaller four-cylinder engines and rear live axles. The S30's styling, engineering, relatively low price, and impressive performance resonated with the public, received a positive response from both buyers and the motoring press, and immediately generated long waiting lists.

As a halo car, the S30 broadened the acceptance of Japanese carmakers beyond their image as producers of practical and reliable but prosaic and unfashionable economy cars. Datsun's growing dealer network—compared to limited production imported sports cars manufactured by Jaguar, BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat—ensured both easy purchase and ready maintenance.

The S30 was initially sold alongside the smaller four-cylinder Datsun Sports, which was dropped from production in 1970. The S30 240Z is unrelated to the later 240SX, sold as the Silvia in Japan.