TO LOOK AT, Nissan's latest Z car is more Audi TT than Datsun 240Z - but it's a thoroughly contemporary and appealing styling job nonetheless. Borrowing the odd theme from other sports coupes, it fashions them into a shape that catches the eye for all the right reasons. Nissan says there are 240Z styling elements in the new car, but they are only really noticeable from the inside, where some parts of the dash recall the past. Under this though, the 350Z is a focussed, almost raw sports car that puts at a remote distance suggestions from long ago that the breed was going soft. The latest 350Z has punch, poise and class - and it costs a lot less than comparable European sports coupes.

Nissan 240Z coupe
Released: 1970
Ended: 1974
Family Tree: 350ZDEVISED for the American market as a more affordable option to Porsches and the Jaguar E-Types, the Nissan 240Z was first built in right-hand drive in January, 1970, going on sale Down Under later that year. Available as a two-seater five-speed manual for $4200 in 1972, the independently-sprung, 2.4-litre six-cylinder 240Z made way for the 162hp 260Z in 1974, followed by the 280ZX in 1979. The 300ZX of 1984 spelt the official end of the Datsun brand, while the all-new Z32 300ZX of 1989 continued until 1996.
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