Great Garages THE ‘Z’ HITS 50, WITH SPEED AND STYLE
‘Love Cars, Love People, Love Life.’ –Mr. ‘K’
A revelation, a huge hit, a company game changer, a winner out of the gate: Merging affordability, styling, driving dynamics, balance, reliability and lots of character, the Datsun 240Z enjoyed thumbs-up at its debut at the October 1969 New York Auto Show. In the first year, 40,000 were sold. And, during the first decade, a record-setting 520,000 units found welcoming garages.
Whether you loved ’Vettes, muscle cars or exotics, you knew immediately that the Z-car from Japan was special. And, in its 50-year run –– albeit with a six-year production hiatus –– the sports car from today’s Nissan has continued its appeal into a sixth generation. So much so that ZCON, held since 1987, annually unites marque lovers from more than 60 clubs through North America; in 2020, the Z soiree will be held in Nashville.
“The 240Z had the combination of styling, power and balance that we had seldom seen, and it had a fun quotient that was outside the box for Japanese manufacturers at the time,” says Steve Yeager, a recently retired communications associate with Nissan North America, based in Franklin, Tennessee. “We all remember our first drive in one.” Nissan’s global headquarters is in Yokohama, Japan.
He was 16 in 1970 when he first drove an early 240Z. “At the time, I was used to driving VW Beetles, a 1200-cc Toyota Corolla and a wide variety of ill-handling V-8 American cars. I had loved driving my sister’s boyfriend’s Triumph Spitfire and my friend’s sisters Chevelle SS 396/375,” he recalls. “Both were a blast, but neither approached the style and balance of the Z.
“While $3,626 wasn’t necessarily cheap in 1970, it was a real bargain for a car that looked fantastic
