Nissan Z-series is the sports sector of the company which started back in 1969 with the 240Z. All the Z cars were named “Fairlady Z” in Japan but exported under the names 240Z, 370Z etc. As I was saying 240Z started the Z-series with a 2.4L inline-6 which produced 151 bhp. Back then Nissans were branded as Datsun for the western market.
The 240Z was replaced by 260Z which had a bigger engine with a 2.6L capacity and power output of 162bhp, the 260Z offered a 2+2 seating option. The 260Z was replaced by the 280Z with an engine capacity of , ya u guess it right 2.8L and an output of 170bhp, the 280Z is the first in the series to get a fuel injection by Bosch, until now all the Z-series cars used carburetors.
The 280Z was replaced by the 280Zx which was designed to be more luxurious because of the growing demand for luxury. The 280Zx had Tagra-top (removable top), automatic and turbo-charged options. The 280Zx was named Motor Trend’s car of the year 1979 which helped Datsun gain recognition.
Then for the first time ever V6 engine was introduced in to the Z family. In 1984 the 3.0L V6 engined Datsun 300Zx was launched. This later became the cult favorite among Japanese Drifters. This was the first model to have both Datsun and Nissan brandings in the U.S. then from 1985 Datsun brand was killed off for good and the Nissan name emerged.
There were numerous variants of the 300Zx from 1985 to 1989 but none were worth mentioning, but then came the 1990 version of the 300Zx which is still the most prettiest Z. the only thing which the 1990 300Zx had in common with the previous 300Zx was the engine displacement. The model went through a complete overhaul. The 300Zx was one of the cars to have been completely designed using CAD. The 300Zx offered top of the line technical advancements like twin-turbo, intercoolers, variable valve timing, dual over-head camshafts and 4-wheel steering in one of its special variants. The car won so many awards that helped it reach the 1 million sales mark in 1990 and made it the all time best selling sports car at that time.
The 300Zx saw the glory days of Nissan and the Z cars. After the 300Zx Nissan almost went burst with its financial problems but recovered and under the new leadership of Renault which bough 44% of Nissan’s stakes, the Z-series came back to life with the launch of the 350Z in 2002. The 350Z as evidently had a 3.5L V6 engine with a power output of 300bhp. The car was priced at 26,000 US$ (13lakh Rupees).
The 350Z came in a variety of trims starting from the basic model to the track ready variant named “Nizmo”. The nizmo soon grows popular among sports car enthusiasts. The 350Z had limited slip-differential, traction control, vehicle stability control, satellite navigation, Bose music system and Brembo brakes.
The 350Z was replaced by the current Z model the 370Z, which is making its debut in India during the January of 2010. I will post another article complete on the technical insights of the 370Z with complete analysis of the various features and its applications.
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January 21, 2010
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