Datsun 240Z & 260Z Road Test Portfolio: Road Test Book Paperback – November 1, 2011

You can get some idea of the importance of the Datsun 240Z when you realise that Nissan commissioned a specialist to restore batches of 25 year old 240Zs to as new condition so that they could sell them through their own showrooms alongside modern Nissan products. The 240Z, for Nissan, is its heritage and wasn't Datsun's first attempt at a sports car, of course, but the roadsters built between 1962 and 1971 never had anything like the same sales success. A cynic might argue that the moribund state of British sports cars in the early 70's gave more that a helping hand to the Japanese contender, but there can still be no doubt that the Datsun was a class act. The 240Z and 260Z scored in reliability, performance and excellent handling, achieved by setting the big straight-six engine well back in the structure. There was plenty of room inside, even though the cabin was a little austere to look at and there was also no doubt that the Datsun's hardtop coupe configuration gave it additional appeal at a time when the safety aspect of open cars was beginning to be questioned. Attractive styling played its part too, and it is interesting that the 240Z and 260Z came from the drawing board of Albercht Goertz, the same man who had penned some of the classic BMW models of the later 1950s and early 1960s. Included are: road, track, comparison and long term tests • new model introductions • performance data • tuning • racing plus advice is offered on acquiring a good pre-owned 240Z & 260Z. Read more