Datsun Cars for Sale

A Brief History of The Datsun Z Car

Datsun is a brand owned by Nissan to market its vehicles outside of Japan. Vehicles were produced under the Datsun umbrella from 1958 to 1986 until Nissan Relaunched the brand name in 2013.

The S30

Datsun 240Z: The S30 series of Z Car was launched in 1969. In Japan, the car was referred to as a Fairlady Z and featured a SOHC L20A straight-six engine and whilst the rest of the world received a 2.4-litre L24 unit.

Datsun 260Z: In 1974 on the back of the success of the 240Z, Datsun launched the 260Z. It came with a 2.6 litre engine and was available for the first time as a 2+2 model, with a slightly longer wheelbase.

Datsun 280Z: The 280Z was launched in 1975 in North America and featured a larger displacement 2.8 Litre engine, but for the first time Datsun had fitted their Zed car with fuel injection to help overcome the US stringent regulations.

The S130

Datsun 280ZX: The 280ZX continued to be recognised by the Fairlady moniker in Japan whilst the rest of the world knew it as either a Datsun or Nissan 280ZX. It featured T-Tops the introduction of a turbocharged engine option and the only thing that remained the same from the earlier cars was their 5-speed gearbox and 2.8 litres L28 Inline-Six.

The Z31

Datsun/Nissan 300ZX: The 300ZX (Z31) was a complete redesign for 1984, and with it came the introduction of a new range of engines dubbed the VG series. The VG was a V6 engine available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged form. It was also the last time a Zed car would wear the Datsun nameplate. For the 1985 model year, Datsun was dropped from all 300ZX sales.

The Z32

Nissan 300ZX: The new Z32 generation of 300zx continued to us the VG V6 engine however now it came fitted with a Dual Overhead Camshaft setup with Variable Vale Timing. There was also a twin-turbocharged variant of the Z32. The Z32 300ZX was available in 2+2 format as well as the option for a T-Top equipped model and convertible.

The Z33

Nissan 350Z: The 350Z was the first Z car to be built alongside Nissan’s shareholder Renault. It came fitted with a 3.5-litre VQ35 V6 engine and was available with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed automatic.

The Z34

Nissan 370Z: The 370Z was launched in 2009 to replace the 350Z, it features a 3.7-litre VQ platform V6 engine. With power varying from 328-350bhp depending on trim level, the 370z is the fastest production Zed car. The 370Z was the first production car with a manual gearbox to feature rev-matching technology, mimicking a heel-and-toe technique.