Datsun 240Z MZR Roadsports Sport-Design (1973)

In the decades after the Second World War, Japan’s extensive engineering workforce turned to domestic products to pour their expertise into.

Arguably the first premium Japanese car to be marketed worldwide arrived in 1958. The Datsun Bluebird featured a 4-speed manual and in inline 4 engine driving the rear wheels, a design reminiscent of the Morris Minor.

In order to compete on the world stage, and curtailing from the marketing success of the James Bond featured Toyota 2000GT, Datsun needed a volume production, high output sports car.

Their answer - the Datsun Fairlady Z.

The Fairlady Z debuted in 1969 and brought the archetypal sportscar layout to the masses. Featuring a 2 litre inline 6 at the front, a 5 speed manual in the middle, and rear wheel drive at the back, cloaked in an iconic cab rearward body.

Less than a year later, the car was presented to the American market with a 2.4 litre inline 6 and 4 speed manual. The export car was named the 240Z, on account of its cubic displacement. It weighed a little over a ton and had over 150 horsepower, and was an almost instant success; which only grew as the 70s fuel crisis hampered the domestic large displacement V8s.

The car went on to enjoy racing success, not only in local club racing, due to its affordability, but also in the SCCA and Group 4 Touring cars, with the long-nose ‘ZG’ variant developed to aid its competitive prowess. The balanced and lightweight chassis again proved a match for the Mustangs and Camaros of the era.

Over 170,000 were built, over 90 percent of which were exported to America, which cemented Datsun and eventually Nissan as a truly global car manufacturer. With almost all the cars being exported to the USA or staying in the Japanese Domestic Market, despite the high production numbers, they have always been a rare sight on UK roads.