Datsun’s 240Z turned Nissan 370Z
When Nissan beat Porsche’s best time at Nurburgring in 2008, the world tilted on its axis. At least if you were German, and made or owned sports cars. It was as if Japan beat the Springboks at the World Cup. Wait! What?
In 2008, a Nissan GT-R posted a faster lap around the famous German race track than Porsche’s 911 Turbo or GT2. The Germans responded, tested a stock GT-R, and concluded that the Nissan had racing tyres, yadda yadda.
The fact that a Nissan could beat a Porsche around that beast of a track is a story, tyres notwithstanding. This story starts with the launch of the Datsun 240Z.
Fifty years ago, around the moon landing, Nissan (Datsun then for export market) launched its 240Z, a nimble two-seater with a 2.4L straight-six and very pretty lines. This Z was not intended to beat or ever frighten the dominant sports cars of the day, though it did compete with the lower-spec Porsches of the day, but at less than half the price.
A few years ago Top Gear (Clarkson, Hammond and May) compared the Aston Martin DB5 with the Jaguar E-Type of the same vintage. They found that neither the top speed nor the acceleration was as advertised. They then raced both cars against a Honda Accord and lost. This is not as strange as you may think – cars have dramatically improved during the last half-century.
So the Datsun 240Z of then cannot compare to the Nissan 370Z of today. But how do they stack up? Let’s have a look at the tale of the tape, as they say in boxing.
The 240 had a straight-six 2.4L with twin carbs, four gears, discs in front and drums at the back and quite a fancy suspension for the day. Top speed was around 200km/h and it went from 0 to 100km/h in just over 8 seconds. It had 113kW power and 198Nm torque. It has a curb weight of 1044kg.
The 370Z has a V6 3.7L with all the bells and whistles. It has a governed top speed of 250km/h and goes from 0 – 100km in 5.3 seconds. Power is 245kW and torque is 363Nm. It has a curb weight of 1466kg. Curb weight is ready to drive but without passengers and cargo.
In the last half a century, the Z has gone from a fun, sporty 2-seater to a powerful beast with serious sports car cred. Which was more appealing? It’s like comparing the Jaguar E-Type with the F-Type. Different cars, each a hit in its time. One thing the 240Z did in its day was to take Datsun beyond the econobox stereotype Japanese cars had then. And that gives a lasting legacy to every Nissan/Datsun on the road today.
Even if the sport Datsun 240Z is now a beautiful memory, the Datsun range of cars still remains a firm favourite. Why not visit our website and book a test drive in one!
Tags: Datsun
