Welcome to the Datsun and Nissan Z cars story! And yes, I’m going to be saying zed a lot
in this video. If you’re used to hearing zee then please
bear with me as we go on a more than 50 year journey over the life of this wonderful car. The Z cars didn’t singlehandedly kick start
the boom in Japanese import cars. That came from the solid reliability and good
value of regular passenger cars from Japan’s big three. And the biggest shot in the arm would come
from the 1973 oil crisis and the rush to fuel economical cars. But the Z cars certainly helped, creating
a halo car that showed that cheap and cheerful cars from a far off land can be exciting as
well. Over the years the car has grown, and shrunk
again, but it’s always stayed true to its roots. This is the Nissan Z Cars Story. (music) Nissan started looking at sports cars in 1952
with the DC-3. That didn’t do well, selling only 50. It was followed in 1959 by the S211, based
on the Datsun 211. That was even less successful, selling only 20
cars. It was followed by the SPL212 and 213, that
sold less than 500. It seems Nissan had about as many tries at
making a successful car as the King of Swamp Castle did building his castle! But eventually Nissan sports cars started
selling modestly well. The first to do so was the 310, or Datsun
1500 as it was known in North America, again based on the 310 Bluebird. It was also known as the “Fairlady”, a
name chosen because the Nissan president saw “My Fair Lady” on Broadway in 1958 and
thought the name evoked elegance and beauty. Nissan was exporting its cars around the world,
but only in small amounts. When they arrived in establish car markets
such as Europe, the USA and Australia they didn’t meet with much success. They were slow and frequently seen as sweat
boxes, with engine heat and bad ventilation systems making driving uncomfortable. Enter Yutaka Katayama. He was a true autophile, having grown up around
his dad’s classic cars, and when he was old enough to drive, getting his own. So, when it was time to get a job, he naturally
sought one at Nissan, one of Japan’s small but growing car companies. Yet Katayama was a square peg in a round hole. He didn’t agree with Nissan’s labour union
practices which got him into trouble on numerous occasions. He read of a gruelling 10,000 mile motor race
in Australia in 1958 and presented the idea of Nissan running one of its pedestrian but
reliable cars there. Maybe Nissan could be the tortoise in the
tortoise and hare fable. But he ran into resistance. Nissan, like many Japanese companies at the
time were afraid of failure and the shame that would bring to their brand. They only agreed if Katayama would race the
cars under the Datsun brand, to shield the parent company. But they needn’t have worried. Nissan’s reliable cars meant the Datsun
100 won its class and finished 25th overall. This helped Nissan start to think about exporting
more widely, and maybe looking at more sporty cars. Not knowing what to do with the troublesome
Katayama, Nissan packed him off to the USA to help sell their cars there. Katayama threw himself into the job and embraced
American culture. But in the process, he learnt how American’s
thought, and more importantly what they wanted in a car. Although Nissan had a presence on both coasts,
he decided to focus his attention on the west coast. He managed to convince a few used car dealerships and
service stations to start up as Datsun dealers. This was no mean feat, as Japan’s reputation
at the time was of making cheap, unreliable things. Again, Nissan was worried of failure, so the
Datsun name would be used outside of Japan. Katayama won the favour of the dealers as
he listened to them and worked hard to get what they wanted. However, as he still wasn’t flavour of the
month in Japan, often his suggestions fell flat at Nissan’s headquarters. He lobbied for larger engines, and larger
cars, but Nissan was reluctant to make cars bigger as they would fall foul of Japan’s
tax laws. But his tenacity was growing Nissan’s sales,
and by 1965 he was made President of Nissan USA. In his new role he went back to Japan to meet
with Nissan big wigs over the next generation of car, with a hope that it might focus a
little more on North American customers. With little to no marketing budget, Katayama
had been promoting Nissan through motor racing. By now Nissan’s open top sports cars had
some serious power behind them. The Datsun 1500 had become the 1600, and then
the 2000 with some serious grunt – up to 121hp through a 5-speed gearbox. But while in Japan, Katayama lobbied for a
larger engine in the 510, plus a new car – a coupé with a bit of power to compete against
cars like the MGB GT. As it happens, Nissan had been working on
a car similar to what Katayama wanted, headed up by designer Yoshihiko Matsuo. This project hadn’t been funded by Nissan
yet, but Katayama found an ally in Keiichi Matsumura, a recently arrived Nissan executive. The upcoming 510 would have its bigger engine
that US dealers wanted, and Katayama would have his coupé. All he had to do now was sell them in large
enough quantities, or his head would be on the chopping block. Although Katayama wasn’t popular in Japan,
the 510’s success with the larger engine provided credence that the new coupé could
also sell, and so the project continued. And that new car had better sell because it
had grown from its original design to better accommodate Americans, but that meant it would
fall into Japan’s higher tax bracket. Nissan was now essentially building a car
to export, and for a company that was cautious about failure outside of Japan this was a
high stakes venture. But they weren’t producing cars in a bubble. Rivals Honda and Toyota were also exporting
and starting to get some success and recognition. Honda had even gone racing in Formula 1, winning
the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. Nissan management saw there was a future in
exporting, but Katayama’s direction was at odds with management. They’d previously looked at making a coupé
in the mid 60’s using a Yamaha engine. Toyota had released their interpretation of
a sports coupé in 1966 as the 2000GT, using that same Yamaha engine, but the pricey car
had failed. Nissan were concerned they were going to make
the same mistake. But what they hadn’t made the same mistake
on was the price. The new car would be much cheaper to manufacture,
and Katayama himself wanted it to be a sports car that everyone could afford. The new coupé hit Japanese showrooms in 1969,
and American shores in 1970, but the badge on the back wasn’t to Katayama’s liking. Nissan had named it the “Fairlady Z”,
the “Z” coming from the project name of “Project Z”. Katayama felt the name just wouldn’t work
in the US. All the cars were held up from delivery until
the badges could be replaced with “240Z”, and the story goes that Katayama took all
the Fairlady names off the cars himself. The car was a really good deal – around
the same price as the MGB GT that was 5 years older. But the 240Z looked more modern. It could beat some Porsche 911’s or Jaguar
E-Type’s in a drag race yet cost a lot less. The 1.6L from the Datsun 510 was stretched
to a 121hp 2.4L 6-cylinder that gave the 240Z its name. That sporty body was made from steel, not
fibre glass like some of its more exotic competition. That meant it was heavier, but Nissan used
thinner steel to try to shave some weight. Inside the car Nissan continued the sporty
looks with deep dials and lots of gauges, but the car felt cheap with black vinyl used
throughout. The handling was good, but not in the category
of some sports cars, but for pure power and enjoyment, it couldn’t be beaten at its
price point. That price, just $3,500, made it an affordable
2-seat Grand Tourer with bags of space for your… bags. And unlike the British sports cars, the 240Z
was reliable. And American car makers didn’t make a car
that competed with this – they were still making pony and muscle cars like the Camaro
or the Mustang. Long waiting lists formed, of up to 6 months. Katayama’s bet had paid off. The motor critics largely praised this newcomer. Telling words came at the end of a 1970 Road
and Track review: “…we expect to see the Datsun establish a market of its own, one
which will force other makers to come up with entirely new models to gain a share in it. The Japanese industry is no longer borrowing
anything from other nations. In fact, a great struggle may be ahead just
to prevent a complete reversal of that cliché.” Prophetic words indeed. Soon the cars would be exported beyond the
United States, with cars appearing in Europe with that 240Z badge on the back. But the UK was more fixated on another type
of Z Cars, the TV programme, and a certain domestic coupé – the Ford Capri. However, Nissan would find their more pedestrian
cars selling in increasing numbers, as Europeans, like Americans, found these cheap cars were
a lot more reliable than domestic cars. To make the car more palatable to American
buyers, Nissan started offering an automatic gearbox later in 1970, and air conditioning
in 1972. And Katayama would sell the car the only way
he knew, by taking the car racing. After a shaky start where they found the engine
would literally tear itself apart at sustained high revs, the car won the SCCA C class title
in both 1970 and 1971. With the car beating Porsche 911s on the racetrack,
customers started asking why they’d pay more for a Porsche! The 1973 oil crisis helped Japanese car companies
that in general had more fuel efficient cars. Although it wasn’t particularly fuel efficient
against European rivals, it was against American muscle cars, and thanks to a favourable exchange
rate, Nissan found its inexpensive cars in high demand. By the end of the 240Z run, over 160,000 had
been made with 97% of them had been exported to North America. The updated 260Z model was launched for the
1974 model year. As you can imagine from its name, the 2.4L
engine had grown an extra 200cc to become a 2.6L by lengthening the engine’s stroke. But power output was down, at least in the
USA due to Federal emissions regulations. Handling was improved by making a few changes,
such as a rear sway bar. But the car was essentially the same old 240Z
that had been selling well with little direct competition. Nissan also introduced a 2+2 model, initially
for the 240Z, then the 260Z. The car used a chassis that was stretched
12” to allow at least a modicum of room in the back for passengers. The regular 260Z was also available as a “T-Roof”
that allowed the roof panels to be removed. After just one year of selling the 260Z, Nissan
introduced the 2.8L 136hp 280Z in 1975. The extra engine size was achieved by boring
the engine out, and it gained Bosch fuel injection, but apart from a few changes the car remained
roughly the same as before. But with those emission regulations, the car,
at least in the USA, remained about as fast as the 1970 240Z. Katayama was doing great work for Nissan in
North America, opening up a critical export market. But he was always out of step with Nissan
executives in Japan, and some criticised him for “going local”. He was summoned back to Nissan headquarters
in 1977 where he was forced into retirement. However, he was inducted into the Automotive
Hall of Fame in 1998 and continued to promote Nissan for the rest of his life – ever the
autophile he had been since he was a child. Nissan updated Katayama’s coupé as the
280ZX in 1978. It was almost entirely new, with just the
engine and drivetrain from the 280Z. Like with the previous car it was available
as a 2-seat or 2+2 version, although the 2 seat version was always the more popular. And the T-Roof option was back for a semi-open
top experience. The focus was less on a raw sports car and
more on a leisurely grand tourer. Engine output was broadly similar, but acceleration
was a tad slower due to further emissions regulations. The car became much more refined, with softer
suspension, better sound insulation, more comfortable seats, cruise control, electric
windows and power steering. That black vinyl interior had also got a complete
makeover to help it compete with more luxury models. And Nissan needed a better car, with new competition
coming such as the Toyota Supra. In Japan, the Fairlady Z was offered with
2.8L and a 2.0L engine that hit a lower tax bracket. And abroad, for the first time conservative
Nissan felt secure enough to put their name on the back of Datsun branded cars, but for
now it was just a sub-brand. So, did the more laid back GT 280ZX lose its
edge and put customers in North America off? Not a bit of it! The car sold better than ever, and the addition
of the 180hp Turbo version in 1981 only helped sales. The Turbo initially only sold as an automatic
as Nissan were worried the poor 5-speed manual gearbox just couldn’t cope with all that
power! And with the Turbo’s introduction, Nissan
also firmed up the soft suspension that wasn’t as good as it could be on mountain roads. Nissan had a true hit on its hands. They also kept racing with famous names like
Paul Newman. Those of you who only know Paul Newman from
acting may not know he was also pretty good at motor racing. And the 280ZX got him to three of his four
SCCA national champions wins. Nissan would trade on this success with the
limited edition 280ZX-R model with large rear spoiler similar to the one the race car had
used. The car got a small update in 1982. The outside changes were minor, but under
the skin the car got revised steering and rear suspension. And the non-Turbo engine got a small bump
in power. But by this time the price had also got a
bump which meant the car wasn’t the bargain it had been in 1970. Nissan introduced the new model as the 300ZX
in 1983. As you’d expect from the name, the car got
an uprated 3.0L engine. In this case Japan’s first mass-produced
V6 engine producing an uprated 164hp, or 225hp when it was turbocharged. European models made 240hp due to a better
shaped camshaft profile. The chassis was the same, but the turbo models
got electronically controlled shocks, and motor critics reported that it had improved
handling. The car also got a slippery outside, getting
the drag factor down from 0.385 to 0.31. The interior was updated, with climate control,
and an optional electronic dashboard that also utilised a "Voice Warning System”. As you can imagine, this spoke warnings when
the driver needed alerts such as an open door, low fuel, or the lights being left on. Nissan celebrated their 50th anniversary with
a special edition in 1984 with all the bells and whistles, including a “Body Sonic”
audio system that used a separate amp and transducers in the seats to make the bass
be felt by the occupants. Sort of like a mainstream version of this. The Australian 50th anniversary edition didn’t
have all these features. In fact, it seems Nissan Australia took something
that wasn’t much more than a standard car and got the dealers to attach 50th anniversary
badges to it. By 1985 the transition from Datsun to Nissan
had been completed. And Nissan were right to feel proud of its
cars, with them being known around the world for high quality and dependability. The 300ZX got a slight restyle in 1986, and
new side mouldings were colour matched as was the trend for cars in the 80s. Another style change followed in 1987, and
it was the first car to use LEDs for a brake light, in this case the middle light. The 1989 model was again all-new, with only
the block of the engine being carried over from the old car. It was the first car to be wholly designed
on computer, in this case a CRAY supercomputer. The new shape rounded out those straight edges
of the old model, to keep up with automotive fashion. And it got extra interior gadgets, such as
electrically adjustable seats. The engine got a double overhead cam, variable
valve timing and twin turbos to boost output to a massive 279hp, giving the car a blistering
0-60 speed of just 5.6 seconds. Pretty good for a car weighing 1600kg! In Europe only turbo models were sold, but
in Australia only the naturally aspired version was available. But that wasn’t the best the 300ZX could
do. In 1990 Motorsports International and Japanese
tuning company HKS produced the SR-71 Z32. With uprated turbos, new electronics and a
body kit the car produced a reputed 464hp. Just 8 were made and each cost $65,000. The regular 300ZX also got four wheel steering,
which was the latest feature to appear on Japanese cars. As a side note, the car behind me the Lego
8880 is the only one made the has four wheel steering on it. This feature had appeared on the Mazda 626
and the Honda Prelude just a couple of years before and had already appeared on the Nissan
Skyline. It was cool technology that not only reduced
the turning circle but at high speed allowed for quick direction changes. But most customers weren’t willing to pay
the extra money for it, and it was discontinued by most car companies after a few years. The 2+2 remained popular, and in Europe and
Australia it was the only model imported. And by now the T-Roof was sold on most cars,
with the hardtop models becoming something of a rarity. Nissan went the whole hog in 1992 and took
the whole roof off with the convertible 300ZX. They approached two companies to produce designs,
Stramann and ASC or the American Sunroof Company. ASC’s winning design was manufactured by
Nissan back in Japan. Sales of the 300ZX started well but tailed
off quickly. And a strong Yen didn’t help. The car’s price in the USA increased 67%
over the 1990s. But not all of this could be attributed to
the exchange rate. Nissan wasn’t as lean as other car companies,
which meant it had to charge more for its cars. But this meant the company was starting to
lose money. The 300ZX wasn’t the bargain-priced sports
car everyone could own any longer, and buyers were looking elsewhere. In the late 90s the 300ZX was withdrawn from
sale outside Japan after a run of 28 years. It soldiered on in Japan for just a couple
more years with very few sales. Japan never bought Z cars in large numbers
with the car being heavily taxed either for a large engine or its large size. Nissan did try to keep the Z car name alive
in the USA with a program of restoring and reselling old 240Z’s, but they were losing money
on each one, so this program was quickly canned. But in the background they were working on
a new Z car – and worked with Yutaka Katayama to build it. The team wanted to go back to the car’s
roots. A 2-seater you can throw through the bends
and have a lot of fun doing it. It would also compete with the Mitsubishi
Eclipse that was starting to sell well in the US. A concept was shown at some local US road
shows in 1998 to gauge opinion. However, despite getting Katayama’s seal
of approval, Yoshihiko Matsuo, the person who’d originally designed the 240Z hated
it. A revised “Nissan Z” concept in a brilliant
orange was launched at US auto shows in 1999. Like the original it used a 2.4L engine powering
the rear wheels, but this was a 4-cylinder unit from the Nissan Altima. There was pushback on the styling, and also
on the engine that was seen as underpowered. Nevertheless, this provided excitement about
what a new Z car could look like. Despite Nissan having massive debts in 1999
which led to Renault taking a large stake in the company, Nissan returned 2 years later
in 2001 with an updated design. The new car had a more powerful 3.5L V6 engine
also ripped from the Nissan Altima but tuned for more power. Nissan sold the 350Z in a slightly modified
and more upmarket guise as the Infiniti G35 coupé, Infiniti being Nissan’s premium
brand. The car was a foot longer, and that was needed
to allow for a 2+2 layout. The original 240Z had cost a little more than
the less powerful European imports, and cheaper than more powerful domestic muscle cars, and
it hit a perfect sweet spot. The new car hoped to do the same. At $27,000 the 2002 Nissan 350Z was more than
a Mazda Miata, but the 287hp engine wasn’t that far off the power of a Porsche 911 at
a fraction of the price. And that engine got the car to 60 in the same
5.6 seconds it took the 300ZX. That was Porsche Boxster territory for much
less money. Before BMW produced their series of promotional
films starring Clive Owen, Nissan produced a promotional film for the 350Z called “The
Run”. Shot in closed down streets in Prague, it’s
a 6 minute high octane run that showed off the speed of Nissan’s new car. The interior quality wasn’t great compared
to the competition, another trait it shared with the 240Z from the 70s, but had heated
seats and satellite navigation, and all the other luxury features customers were looking
for. But all that faded into insignificance when
you got the car on the road - it handled beautifully. The old 240Z was back! The new car was strictly a 2-seater, and there
was no T-Roof option, but in 2004 the 350Z Roadster appeared with a roof that could be
electrically retracted. The same year Nissan’s performance tuning
division, NISMO, tuned the car to give it extra power. By 2006 even standard 350Z’s had 300hp or
more. But despite all these improvements, sales
were never as high as in the heyday of the 1970s and 80s. Although the 2009 370Z looked very similar
to the 350Z, many components under the skin had been reengineered. The wheelbase was 4” shorter, and as the
name suggests the engine size was increased to 3.7L, by lengthening the engine’s stroke
as they’d done with the 260Z. The car now accelerated to 60 in 5 seconds,
giving almost supercar-like speed all for the low, low price of around $29,000. And NISMO tuned special editions also continued. The new innovation for the 370Z was “SynchoRev
Match” which automatically “blipped” the engine on downshifts to help the engine
match the speed of the wheels. And on the interior, better quality materials
fixed the cheaper feel of the 350Z. But with a lower roof and shorter car, the
already cramped interior from the 350Z wasn’t going to be exactly spacious. Nissan launched a 40th anniversary Fairlady
Z in Japan in 2009, and the following year a 40th anniversary version limited to 1,000
units appeared in North America. Like with the 350Z, a luxury Infiniti G37
2+2 was also available. The 370Z got a mid-cycle spruce up in 2013,
but this was limited to some option changes, a new front fascia, new wheels, and in Japan
a new front bumper. 350Z sales had tailed off in the US and Europe,
and with the 370Z they didn’t pick up. 2020 brought another anniversary edition,
this time the 50th anniversary of Nissan selling Z cars in North America. And 50 years for any car series is a rare
thing. Rumours started about the next car in the
series, that has been dubbed the 400Z. Although with slow sales of the 370Z it’ll
be interesting to see what Nissan can come up with to make the car a hit. Nissan and Yutaka Katayama should be really
happy with the legacy they’ve created. 50 years of reasonably-priced cars delivering
an unreasonable amount of fun and performance. A special thanks to Nick Grakini and Simon
Parsons for helping me with this video! And a big thank you as always to my Patrons. They get early advert free access to new videos,
and if you want to join them click on the link in the description. Thanks for watching and see you in the next
video!
