The history of the Datsun 240z begins in 1969 when it was launched as a 1970 model into the automotive world. The Datsun 240z was not a new concept, as many manufacturers had achieved sports cars with excellent performance, solid engineering, and attractive styling with mediocre interiors at low cost. The success of the 240z was due to the fact that the car perfected the idea of a low-cost, reliable sports car. The man responsible for the design and creation of the Datsun 240z was Yutaka Katayama, and in recognition of his involvement with this legendary vehicle, he was inducted into the Automobile Hall of Fame in 1998.
The history of the Datsun 240z engine is quite interesting as it is a departure from the Datsun 1600 engine which itself was a replica of the 1960’s Mercedes Benz six cylinder with two fewer cylinders. Add two extra cylinders to the Datsun 1600 engine and you have the 240z engine with 151 brake horsepower. With 146 pound-feet of torque, you have a vehicle that could do 0-60 in eight seconds, add to this the rack and pinion steering and independent suspension and you have a car with quick response, great performance and handling. To stop all this in just seconds, it had front disc brakes. With its introductory price of $3,500, it was much less than its rivals on the market at the time.
There is a strong history of the Datsun 240z with the Sports Car Club of America as it dominated the production C class category for 10 years from 1970 to 1979. John Morton, who drove for Brock Enterprises in 1970 and 1971, earned the first victory in SCCA C-class production racing with a 240z. In 1972, 1973 and again in 1975, Bob Sharp was victorious in a 240z with Walt Mass continuing the winning streak in 1974.
1974 saw an increase in engine size to 2.6 liters and the vehicle was renamed the 260z, ending the 240z series which sold just under 117,000 models during its lifetime. The 260z engine had a lower stopping horsepower of 139 as a result of increased emissions regulations in the United States each year.
The Datsun 260z proved to be a much more practical car than its predecessor and during its first and only year of production it sold 63,963 units, giving it the all-time sales record for the Z-series.
