"Beautiful Lady" Datsun 240Z - Japanesea sports car made in the back of a coupe and staying at the peak of the popularity of car market in the USA and Japan in the 70-80s of the last century. It is about this machine that our story will go.
Car brand Datsun for domesticmotorists was unfamiliar until the collapse of the USSR. Faced with the reality of the legendary Nissan-Datsun 240Z was impossible, so car enthusiasts had to be content with photos of a beautiful sports car. Until the 1960s, almost every car from the Nissan corporation was manufactured under the name Datsun. Nissan's nameplates were found only on the company's freight vehicles.
During the war, the Japanese concern Nissanwas engaged in the production of technology with an identical name, which was known to Americans from a not very pleasant point of view. Marketers of the company were well aware that it would be impossible to sell cars produced with a similar name that brings negative memories to the markets of the United States, which is why it was decided to supply cars to America under the name Datsun.
Budget small-car Japanese cars,appeared in the 60's in the markets of North America, did not like the Americans. Changes occurred only in the 70's, after the stylish and powerful representatives of Datsun began to appear in the markets.
Concern Nissan in 1963 sent an invitationto the position of design consultant Albrecht Hertz - a well-known German auto-stylist, whose work the entire automotive world is responsible for the appearance of such luxury cars as the Toyota 2000GT and BMW 507. Over two years under the leadership of Hertz, Japanese designers have learned to create world-class vehicles, such cars as Nissan Silvia Coupe 1600 and Datsun 240Z.
Over the creation of Fairlady they worked on sketcheshimself A. Hertz in the sports car studio under the direction of Yoshihiko Matsuo. In Japan, dealerships sold a model called Nissan Fairlady Z, but in the US it was supplied as a custom Datsun 240Z. Almost immediately after the presentation, the car broke all sales records.
Nissan 240Z was characterized by incredible dynamics andcontrollability: the acceleration to the first hundred took place in nine seconds. Affordable cost - about 3500 dollars at that time - did its job: in this price category, none of direct competitors could offer similar high-speed and stylish cars. We should also note the dynamic characteristics of the Datsun 240Z, comparable to German and Italian machines, which cost several times more expensive. This combination of qualities guaranteed Fairlady an unprecedented success.
As mentioned above, in the North Americanautomotive market vehicles Nissan Motor Company sold by official dealers under the brand Datsun, while in Japan they were sold under the emblem of Nissan. During the 240Z demonstration, company representatives said that the letter "Z" in the name could mean anything, and in the future all sports cars of the brand will be designated. To the professional motor sport, the Datsun 240Z has a direct relationship: the pilots of this model twice won the East African Safari rally, not to mention the establishment of American records for cars of this class.
The first series of Nissan 240Z was produced before1971, after which the restyling of the exterior was carried out, which only increased the popularity of the model and in no way affected its technical equipment. Buyers, as before, were offered different types of transmission: three- and four-stage automatic and mechanical. The American market in 1974 was replenished with two new modifications of the Datsun 240Z under the names 260Z and 280Z. Both models were equipped with engines of increased volume: 2.6 and 2.8 liters respectively.
The sports car from the Japanese concern was equippedsix-cylinder in-line engine volume of 2.4 liters and a capacity of 151 liters. from. At the top of the power unit was a camshaft. The curb weight of the coupe is 1068 kilograms. The maximum speed is 200 km / h, the acceleration to the first hundred takes exactly nine seconds. The fuel consumption is 11 liters per 100 kilometers of run.
The sports car was equipped with three types of transmission.The most popular was the mechanical four-speed gearbox. Only for the Japanese market the car was equipped with a five-speed transmission, and the model with a three-speed box was the rarest. Pendant Datsun 240Z standard - McPherson struts. Excellent performance characteristics of the car is largely due to such struts and stabilizers of lateral stability. According to its technical characteristics Nissan 240Z is also relevant in our time, bypassing many Russian models of cars.
Besides American markets, the Datsun 240ZHe enjoyed considerable popularity in his homeland. It was produced in Japan under the name Fairlady Z. From the American model the car was distinguished by the presence of a two-cylinder engine in the range of power units.
Model Fairlady Z432 in the Japanese marketwas extremely rare in view of the limited series: only 419 items were produced. Equipped with a car with a forced engine of 200 horsepower and was created specifically for racing.
You can buy a unique sports car Datsun 240Zand today: the average cost of a car on Russian markets is 160-180 thousand rubles. Of course, there are no guarantees that the car will be on the go and in good condition, besides it is extremely rare and in single copies. The huge disadvantage of the car is its body, which is prone to corrosion. You can buy and rebuilt models, but their cost exceeds 15 thousand euros, which, however, is completely justified: these cars look chic, which is confirmed by photos of one "Beautiful Lady" Datsun 240Z from Ksenia Shel.
Before buying a used Nissan 240Z it is desirable to weigh all its advantages and disadvantages, so as not to be mistaken with the choice. In the body of the coupe the car has the following advantages:
Datsun 240Z is a real Japanese legendcar industry, enjoyed an incomparable success in the years of its heyday. The sports car from concern Nissan was distinguished by excellent technical characteristics and driving qualities, thanks to which it showed itself well on the track and in motorsport.
