In These Troubled Times, a Z Car Is the Fix
Amid dwindling profits, reduced production, proposed job cuts, and talks of a merger with longtime Japanese rival Honda, it’s no secret Nissan is suffering a case of the vapors. While the automaker faces some painful decisions in the near term, for those of us who cover this sort of news, at least, there is a tonic to make us forget: the Z car.
Since its American introduction in 1970 as the Datsun 240Z, the brand’s spear-point, swoop-roofed sports car has largely enchanted all who have driven one. Some of the malaise-y generations in the middle there did the nameplate no favors, but things have mostly been on the up since the Z32 300ZX arrived for 1990.
Nissan’s latest effort, the seventh-generation car simply called the Z, debuted in late 2022 and is as back-to-roots in its looks and its athleticism as a modern take on a 50-year-old car can get.
One Thursday last autumn, Nissan invited me to drive Z cars old and new, back-to-back, through the rolling Tennessee countryside. This is what I learned . . .
This ’73, owned by Nissan and kept in its Nashville Heritage Collection, is one of 36 Zs restored to original condition back in 1996 as part of the Vintage Z Store program. The work incorporated about 800 new old stock parts, and the car was then used as a marketing vehicle to promote the program and as a media loaner thereafter. Given that kind of promotional use and sometimes abuse, three decades on, the bloom is off the rose and this car is best described as “a driver.” Which is precisely what you’d want, right?
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There is a delicateness to a 240Z. Not a flimsiness, but nothing feels overengineered or overly thick or bulky. The A- and B-pillars. The fine stainless bezel surrounding the outside mirror, which extends from a perfectly proportioned stalk of chrome. The elegant three-spoke, wood-rim steering wheel, something to be held with fingertips rather than clenched fists (though certainly the car’s capabilities call for it on occasion). The small wooden shifter that shows the patina of a million palms, clothed in a vinyl boot laced up with leather cord.
Beneath that long sloping nose, the 2.4-liter L-series straight-six sounds wonderful, healthy, still with most of its 151 horses, and builds speed linearly but not crazily, in all four gears. There is enough torque—148 lb ft—to push the 2300-pound Z around without trouble. The beauty of these cars—what anyone who experiences one appreciates—is the accessibility of their performance. They aren’t merely capable of getting out of their own way, they are eager to do so, without harming you in the process.
We were advised early in the day that the shift pattern of this car’s four speed was incredibly narrow, bordering on problematic, the path from second to third nearly—but not entirely—a straight line, and in my limited time with the car, I only managed to nail it once. That lack of fluidity a put dent in the 人生の喜び (joie de vivre), but just a small one.
Though I never pushed it, the car’s sure-footedness on its 185/70R14 tires was always apparent, and the chassis with its independent rear suspension translated every bump and crack and transition through to the steering wheel, like the “Princess and the Pea” come to life. You feel everything.
I had maybe 45 minutes with the car, all of them enjoyable, and it’s easy to see why the Z was so incredibly popular when new; Nissan sold nearly 150,000 of them before the arrival of the 260Z in 1974. At around $4700 a pop in 1973 (which was a thousand bucks more than they were in 1970), they were still a thousand less than a C3 Corvette and $4000 cheaper than an E-Type or 911. After decades of flat, used-car pricing, values took off around 2015 and then took off some more five years ago. Today, even a #4 (fair) car is a $10,000 proposition.
The Z Heritage, on the other hand, is a $60,000 proposition.
New Sight Orange is a throwback to the 918 Nissan Orange you would have seen on the silver Z’s friends. Here it is accented by a set of matte black fat/thin stripes with “S30” overprinted on the hood, a further subtle nod to the 240’s generational nomenclature. The Z Heritage is second in the new model’s pecking order, positioned below the hard-edged NISMO but above the Performance and the $43,000 Sport models.
It looks like a perfectly executed throwback machine. The exterior styling hints all over at its forebear in ways that intervening generations haven’t. The shape of the nose, the clip of the tail, the roofline, the rear quarter window and the badge behind it.
It fits like a sports car, too, but in that modern way where everything’s slowly been inflated over the last half century and the result is a puffy black cocoon. It’s all close and tight but still with enough headroom for a helmet, should track days be in your future. Pedal placement is spot on, the fat shifter feels great in your hand, and it is far more precise in its action than that of the 240. And you don’t have to be in the Recaro driver’s seat long to understand just how and where it is prepared to hold you in place.
Certainly, the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 sounds the part, eager to rev and deliver all of its 400 horses by the time you hit 6400 rpm. But here we enter Conjecture, Tennessee, and my assessment falls down, because I never actually heard it, never got anywhere close to those revs. That’s because I didn’t drive it, not really.
No doubt, the Z is a hot little speedmobile waiting to be goosed, and I am here to confirm that the twisty, undulating, tree-lined Natchez Trace Parkway is absolutely not the place to do it. To that end I was part of a cautious, 40-mph Nissan procession, so there was no rowing of gears, no winding it out. But I also saw three rangers in 20 minutes, one actively nabbing a pair of hoons in their Euro sedans and another pulling over your grandmother in her gold RAV-4. No way would I have gotten through that stretch of the route without a ticket. Forty is fun in the old Z, it has life. Here, however, you’re far too insulated to feel much of anything, which is a shame, because I really wanted to know more about those seat bolsters.
What I did do, though, was pass a dead armadillo, notable because it became the talk of the next driver swap. “Did you guys see the dead armadillo?” “So that’s what it was!” “Yeah, no clue they had armadillos in Tennessee.” Me neither.
A few disparate thoughts: Though I appreciate that the rearview mirror in the new Z is an actual mirror and not a camera, it is twice as tall as it needs to be, given the slope of the back end only allows you a few inches of back window to see out of anyway. Depending on your preference, you end up with a lot of headliner, or a lot of whatever you’ve got in the boot, in your backward line of sight. Also, that fuel filler door—talk about a curvy dinner plate of a thing.
And so, in these troubled times for Nissan, I emerged from my dueling Z car drive smitten with the ’73, as I knew I would be, and longing for more from the Z Heritage, because how could I not be? Both are cars I’d gladly drive again—the 240 all day at a canter on the gorgeous Natchez Trace Parkway. And the new car? Well, I can think of some places . . .
The old car is a trip to the past that many love. The new car is in the trap today for being less car than many others in the similar price range. It is hard to price these low volume cars to where it is a good value anymore.
Modern sports cars, except the Miata, are just not fun below 100mph.
What about the GR86/BRZ? I just bought a BRZ and to me, it is a modern sports car. Not a lot of techno do dads but peppy, great handling and a reasonable ride. I drove it 3200km last August over8 days and survived fine.
Are you sure that was a 73?
1. The 1996 program was for 70-72 cars.
2. The carburetors on that car aren’t right for a 73.
3. The front bumper isn’t right for a 73.
Having written down all my nit picking, here’s my experience.
In 1993, I purchased a 73 240Z. It was rode hard and hung up wet. I bought it to learn how to work on cars and to restore. At least I accomplished the first. It was an old sports car (depending on which definition of sports car you use), and it was mine. I ended up daily driving it for a while. My girlfriend didn’t have a car, so I let her borrow my daily while I drove the Z. It was then I learned the results of years of benign (and possibly not so benign) neglect as one of the radiator hoses and the heater hoses decided they were done on my drive home. The Z was done as a daily driver except for a 6 month span 5 years later when my daily (another benign neglect story) needed a head gasket.
Finally last July I bought a new Z after fawning over it since public reveal in 2020. I immediately pressed it into service as a daily driver. It is so nice to have the manual transmission in my daily driver, even when I encounter some commuter traffic. The power, the ergonomics, the modern features (actually I’m referring to having AC)…It makes for an enjoyable drive, especially when compared to a 20 year old neglected car.
I still have the 73. It still suffers from periods of benign neglect, but I am much better equipped to address the issues that arise. I enjoy both cars (and the 260Z that keeps the 73 company in the garage). I enjoy the ride, and I hope Nissan figures out a way to right the ship, even if it means merging with Honda.
Thanks for the comment, Steve. To answer your question, I’m as sure as the fact sheet I was handed and the notes I made during discussion of the Z on the day. That said, there was a 1990 Pathfinder at the event as well, with its own fact sheet saying as much. It turned out to be … an ’87.
That is funny, Stefan.
I took a closer look. The 204Z is a 71. The tells are the cigarette lighter in the center console and the Z pillar badge being together in the same car.
I’m glad Nissan gave you the opportunity to drive both the first and current versions of the Z. I love and enjoy both for what they are.
I’ve been driving 240s since 1974. My current Z is a 1972 with a shade over 100K on the clock. I’ve had this car since 2000.
As I’ve aged (72) I find that after an hour or so behind the wheel I’m ready to put her back in the garage for a bit. I don’t weather the ride as I once did and the car amazingly has shrunk over the years haha.
However, it still evokes fond memories of younger years and the ‘thumbs up’ I receive riding down the road brings smiles to my face. And fuel stops often lead to a “I had one of those …..”
Thank you for the article.
Eddie (metro Atlanta)
I remember in January of 1979 right after I turned 19 years old. My father agreed to cosign on a car loan for me. I ended up buying a new, but leftover 1978 Datsun B-210, but while we were working on that deal, I was eyeing two used mid ’70s Z cars for sale on the lot and was wishing I was getting one of those instead. Still, that B-210 was an awesome car for what it was. I’m now 65 and would still love to own either a 240Z or 260Z from that era. I keep telling myself, “Maybe someday…”
The New Z’s problems besides being an older car at heart is it’s price and it’s dealers which ask even more and make potential customers turn away. It’s just the wrong car to be sold by the wrong dealers. You rarely see a new Z. I see far more original 240-280Z cars than I do a new Z.
I owned a ’73 Datsun 240Z in the 80’s. It was the closest I will ever feel to being a Jet Pilot. Whoever designed this car was a genius. This vehicle propelled Japanese Vehicles to esthetic prominence and many $$$$$.
Had a 1971 Z bought new and a 1977 280z bought used . The ’71 was light and fun to drive unfortunately winter weather took it’s toll ( Ohio salt). Although I drove it to Arizona in ’76. The ’77 was more touring car, weight made the difference regarding handling. Both were enjoyable in there own way.
Selling my ‘73 240Z was the hardest decision I had to make when the AF moved me to a new assignment. I regret that decision ever day.
I seem to remember putting a lot of new tires on 240Z cars back in the middle 70’s at Sears Auto Center. Sears had a Michelin-made European look steel-belted radial sports model tire that really worked well on the Z’s. Then the test drive, of course. All the way across the parking lot.
Next time you’re on the Natchez Trace drive south towards Columbia past Leiper’s Fork. It a whole different road than the curvy north section into Nashville. Bring a radar detector too you’ll need it 😆!
I haven’t driven any current “modern” sporty small cars, but I agree with you. The boxer engine should allow a lower CG too,, which contributes to excellent handling.
For drivers who prefer to have: a coupe, RWD, a fully-manual transmission with 3 pedals, and an adequate 4-cylinder engine, besides the MX-5, the GR86/BRZ are definitely much more affordable and worthwhile considerations, compared to the upscale class from Porsche (Cayman/Boxster), BMW (Z4), Jaguar (F-Type/XK), M-B (SLC300), some of which may not even offer true manual transmissions.
I have to agree with the person that called out the ’73 carbs are all wrong, because they should be the flat top, coffee can style carbs since that are the carbs that were on my ’73 240Z. Also, what is that “bar” across the front of the new Z radiator opening? The newer Z’s I see for sale at my local Nissan dealership, don’t have this body detail.
Norm, the newer Z is the Heritage Edition. It pays homage to the Z432 with the New Sight Orange paint. The different facia was provided to help Nissan justify the extra $5000 MSRP over the typical performance trim.
Before the Z went on sale, I was talking with a couple of different Nissan North America employees at different events and mentioned I was hoping New Sight Orange would be a color choice. They confirmed it would be in the second year. However, I wasn’t going to pay that much of a premium for that color. It looks great to me, but it just wasn’t worth it. I’m happy with my Ikazuchi Yellow Sport.