Car Spot: 1st gen Datsun 240Z

Is the original Z the best?

American car companies really didn’t do sports cars in the early ’70s, and that left the perfect opportunity for Datsun. For you, younger people, Datsun fully changed its brand name in the US market to match its parent company Nissan Motor Corp. by 1986. The company had been selling cars in the US as Datsuns since 1958, including a small pickup, and sedans. But its big win came in 1970, hitting a grand slam with the 240Z, the subject of this week’s spot. By the way, by 1975 Datsun/Nissan was the top-selling import in the US.

The 1971 Datsun 240Z was a groundbreaking sports car that quickly gained popularity in the US market for its attractive design, impressive performance, and affordable price. It featured a stylish fastback body, a powerful inline six, and a well-equipped interior, setting a new standard for Japanese sports cars.

When you think of all those features I described above, imagine this, Nissan management originally wanted to name it the Fairlady, which is what they called the Z in Japan. I guess they just weren’t feeling that performance vibe. What were they thinking?

The company claimed the name came from them having a good understanding of Japanese culture and the things that would be seen as prestigious in 1960s Japan. Ummm, OK. But it gets even crazier. Nissan’s marketing executives decided to have beautiful ladies trained in customer relations and product knowledge to personally show the cars on display to customers. Because the Lerner and Loewe musical “My Fair Lady” was a hit on Broadway at that time, they decided to call these car sales representatives “Miss Fairladies”. Oh boy! Thank goodness that tactic ultimately was not used in US marketing.

Smartly, when the cars were unloaded from ships on the West Coast, the car was called, and labeled, the Datsun 240Z. It came with a 2.4-liter SOHC L24 inline six fitted with twin Hitachi SU-style carburetors delivering 151 hp, mated to either a four-speed manual gearbox or a three-speed automatic transmission. The Z could go from 0-60 mph in 7.5 to 8.7 seconds. With an original MSRP of $3,526 ($29,313.15 in 2025 dollars), it was a super deal compared to an MGB GT, and had performance similar to a Porsche 911. In the US, the 240Z sold 45,000 cars in 1971, more than 50,000 in 1972, and more than 40,000 in 1973. It was a winner.

RELATED: Read Mark’s review of the 24 Z Nismo.

Not only was it a hit in showrooms, but also on the race track. In Japan, a twin-cam Datsun Fairlady Z432 won the 1,000km race at the Suzuka circuit which was used for the F1 grand prix. Meanwhile, in the United States, Bob Sharp Racing and Peter Brock’s Brock Racing Enterprises began racing the new Z cars with championship victories in SCCA C Production in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973. I was at many of those races at Road America.

Bob Sharp was the man who introduced Hollywood star Paul Newman to auto racing, with Newman beginning in a Datsun 510 before moving up to a Datsun 280Z race car in the mid-late 1970s. The Z cars had arrived and made their mark in no uncertain way.

By the time the Datsun 240Z was replaced by the 260Z, it had proved itself to be a “halo” car, and had given Datsun a very substantial dose of street cred. The Datsun Z cars would sell well and continue to make their mark in motorsport for many years to come. If the Datsun 510 can be described as “the poor man’s BMW,” then the 240Z might well be described as “the poor man’s E-Type”.

Ok, I’ve caught your interest, and you just have to have one, right?

According to Hagerty, one in #4 Fair condition can be bought for just under $10k, but the prices jump significantly for ones in #3 Good condition, $24,100, and in #2 Excellent condition $53,600. Still, not a lot of money for so much fun. But if you’re looking for a #1 Concours condition Z, it will set you back $100 grand. Z’s in that condition have been trending up recently, and one sold for $310,000. I can hear the buyer’s justification for buying it. Hey, it was the first Z car.

As you read this, I have had one of the most fantastic weeks ever! I spend Sunday through Friday at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh with daughter Meg and my flying buddies. It was a great time, and I’m counting down the days until next year. On Saturday, I headed down to Kenosha, Wis., where American Motors Corp. built cars until the mid-’80s, and attended the Kenosha Homecoming Car Show held every three years. Damn, so many AMCs that I fell in love with, and you will some in future spots.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest spot. I’ve got tons more on our site, so since it’s Sunday morning, fill up your cup of coffee and peruse. Come back next Sunday for another one of my spots, along with some of its history. Have a great week.

Rust, particularly in the unibody structure, is a major concern, as is wear on suspension components. Additionally, carburetor issues, fuel delivery problems, and electrical wiring complications can arise.