Monday, August 30, 2010

About the fastest car in my life

The Nissan S30 (sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in other markets as the Datsun 240Z and later as the 260Z and 280Z) was the first generation of Z sporty 2 seater and 2+2 coupes produced by Nissan Motors, Ltd. of Japan from 1969 to 1978. It was designed by a team led by Mr. Yoshihiko Matsuo, the head of Nissan's Sports Car Styling Studio. HLS30 was the designation of the left-hand drive model and HS30 for the right-hand drive model.

All variants had a 4-wheel independent suspension consisted of MacPherson struts in front (borrowed from the Datsun Laurel C30) and Chapman struts in back. Front disc brakes and rear drums were standard.

The 240Z and 260Z used twin, variable venturi Hitachi one-barrel side-draft SU-like carburetors. The carburetors were changed beginning with model year 1973 to comply with emissions regulations, but the earlier carburetors were far superior for performance. Fuel injection (L-Jetronic electronic fuel injection, designed by Bosch) was added for the 280Z in 1975 for the US. This was primarily in order to cope with the difficulty faced in getting enough power using carburetors while still meeting US emissions regulations.

Due to its relatively low price compared to other foreign sports cars of the time (Jaguar, BMW, Porsche, etc.), it became popular in the United States and was a major success for the Nissan Motor Corporation, which at the time sold cars in North America under the name Datsun. The 240Z also broadened the image of Japanese car-makers beyond their econobox success.

After 1975, other non-USA markets continued to receive the 260Z and the 280Z 2+2—the two-door, four-seat model.[clarification needed]. The 240Z is unrelated to the later 240SX, which is sold as the Silvia in Japan.

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