Nissan Z Car Generations: Through the Years

The Nissan Z Sports Car has evolved to fit the needs of its fans and very soon an all-new car will be on public roads for the first time in 11 years.

The Nissan Z Cars

As one of the few sports cars in the world that’s been around for nearly half of a century, the Nissan Z is a survivor. It’s evolved to fit the needs of its fans multiple times and very soon an all-new car will be on public roads for the first time in 11 years. Today, we’re going to take a deep dive into the sports car that was America’s first real taste of JDM performance. We’ll find out how it’s managed to thrive in a world that’s forgotten many of its old rivals. And we’ll take a look at the next generation of the Nissan Z.

First Generation Nissan Z Cars (1969-1978)

Born out of a desire to steal some thunder from British and Italian sports cars of its day, the first Nissan Z car, the Fairlady Z was built by Nissan in 1969.
That name was taken from the popular musical of the 1950’s “My Fair Lady” but was never used for cars that were sold in the USA.
Here in the States, the car was simply called the 240Z and branded under the Datsun name.
Powertrains were different in the two regions as well with Japan getting a 4-cylinder engine while in America, the 240Z used an inline-6 that made 151 horsepower.
Its sharp styling was a smash hit that clearly leveraged designs like that of the Jaguar E-Type.

1974 Datson 260Z - AutoBarn Classic Cars on YouTube.com

The 240Z was so popular that within the first three years of production, nearly 100,000 of them were sold.
In 1974, engine size was bumped up to 2.6-liters and the name of the car was changed to 260Z to reflect that.
Power actually decreased while the car got heavier thanks to new regulations in America.
A new 2+2 version of the Z car was released that used a wheelbase that was 11.9-inches longer to fit the second row of seats.
By the time the 280Z left production in 1978, it had nearly returned to its original horsepower output and was selling more than 75,000 cars a year.

Second Generation Nissan Z Cars (1979-1983)

The first major evolution of the Nissan Z car came in 1979, as Nissan ditched the goal of selling a low-weight moderately powerful sports car.
Instead, they focused on providing a luxurious Grand Touring experience by creating the Datsun 280ZX.
It was so adored that it was awarded the Import Car of The Year in 1979.

Regulation again interfered with acceptable power output though and again the 280ZX was only capable of making some 135 horsepower.
Four years after its introduction, Nissan answered the call for more grunt by introducing the 280ZX Turbo.
Despite being a big upgrade to just over 180 horsepower, most were sold with a three-speed automatic.

Third Generation Nissan Z Cars (1984-1989)

Recognizing the need for more focused performance, Nissan went back to the drawing board and created an all-new Nissan Z car for 1984.
They also decided to cancel the Datsun brand and so early versions of the new 300ZX feature both nameplates.
The Nissan 300ZX used a 3.0-liter V6 under the hood for the first time and made 160 horsepower.
A turbocharged version was also available and made 200 horsepower.

Despite maintaining many of its luxury features and materials, that was enough power to rocket the 300ZX to 60 mph in just 7.3 seconds.
In 1985, all 300ZX models were sold with T-Tops as standard equipment.
In 1987, the turbocharged cars were set up for more serious performance with a limited-slip differential, bigger brakes, and a stronger manual transmission.
Nissan continued to make small changes to the 300ZX through 1988
Anxious to begin production of the next-gen Z car, they ended production before building the normal allotment of cars for the 1989 model year.
Because of the mid-year discontinuation, 1989 models are considered rare.

Fourth Generation Nissan Z Cars (1990-1996)

While the Nissan Z car had lost much of the steam it gained during its first few years, 1990 would completely reinvigorate the brand.
Another completely new design was created, but this time it only passingly resembled the previous car.
Still called the 300ZX, this new car made 222 horsepower in base form while a turbocharged model made 300.
With a 0-60 time of just 5 seconds, the 1990 Nissan 300ZX TwinTurbo is as fast as many new cars sold today, 30 years later.

Nissan also gave the Z car the most advanced suspension system of any car they had ever built.
Turbocharged models even used a system that allowed for rear steering in some situations.
This focus on performance made the new 300ZX an instant hit with customers and critics alike.
For the first time ever, a convertible version was offered in 1993.
Still, nothing could change the economics of the times and in 1996, the Z car ended production and was discontinued with no clear path forward.

Fifth Generation Nissan Z Cars (1997-2008)

Nissan remained committed to the platform though and to keep interest up they hatched a plan called the Vintage Z Program.
Between 1996 and 1997 the company bought and fully restored around 40 1970 and 1971 Datsun 240Z models and then put them back on sale in dealerships.
They even sold them with the same 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty the cars had originally come with.
Then in 1999, Nissan released the 240Z concept car, a 4-cylinder working concept that looked much like the original car.

True production on a new Nissan Z car would have to wait until 2003 though and it came in the form of the Nissan 350Z.
This new sports car used a 3.5-liter V6 to make 287 horsepower and no turbocharged model was available.
Styling cues feature facets of each generation and at the same time set the car on a new bearing.
A convertible was offered and the 2+2 layout of previous generations was canceled completely.
In 2005, the 35th anniversary 350Z made 300 horsepower and by 2007 all 350Zs made 306 horsepower.

Sixth Generation Nissan Z Cars (2009-2021)

Nissan continued the hunt for speed with the lighter and more powerful Nissan 370Z in 2009.
Styling followed closely after the wildly popular Nissan R35 GT-R, but was still very clearly a Nissan Z car.
Base cars made 330 horsepower with a new 3.7-liter version of the same VQ architecture used in the previous generation V6.
For the first time, the size of the Z car actually shrunk in wheelbase over the previous car.

Combining more horsepower with many lightweight aluminum body panels, the 370Z could hit 60mph in just 4.9 seconds.
In 2010, a hardtop convertible version of the 370Z was offered.
In 2013, Nissan redesigned the front and rear of the car enough to easily differentiate it from earlier cars.
Still, the inside was nearly identical and remained that way until Nissan ended production in 2020.

Seventh Generation Nissan Z Cars (2022-Present)

The new Nissan Z car will likely be called the Nissan 400Z and be fitted with a 3.0-liter V6 engine.
The 400 in the name may likely signify a power output of 400 horsepower thanks to the use of the same twin-turbocharged engine found in the Infiniti Q50.
Styling is highly reminiscent of the original 240Z generation with small design cues from others fitted in here and there.
A six-speed manual will be available and many reports suggest that the twin-turbo engine will be standard equipment.
Nissan just renewed the Fairlady Z trademark here in the USA, but it seems unlikely that they’ll actually use it on the car itself.