Description
By: Brian Long .
Launched in 1969, the Fairlady Z was the car that put Nissan (then Datsun) and Japan in the first division of the automotive manufacturers' league. The Z paved the way for a new breed of cars to succeed outside of Japan; a development which would fundamentally change the world's auto industry.
This book, the first of two volumes, looks in detail at all of the Datsun sports cars that proudly carried the Fairlady name - the SP/SR roadsters, the 240Z, 260Z and 280Z, and the S130 series, commonly known as the 280ZX in export markets.
In this volume is a great deal of new information for enthusiasts in the west as Japanese models are covered in detail, along with those sold in Europe and America. It also puts straight, once and for all, the convoluted story of the Z, as there have been so many conflicting reports on what happened and when. Photographs and other illustrations have been sourced almost exclusively from the factory, so dedicated Datsun owners searching for originality are well catered for.
For many years, the Datsun Z was credited as the most successful sports car of all time, gaining fans the world over, and laying claim to a number of important successes in competition, both on the race track and in rallying: here is the Z-car story ...
Features
- Foreword by Yutaka Katayama ('Mr K' - the 'Father of the Z-car').
- The author is an acknowledged motoring historian living in Japan.
- The author has received full co-operation from the factory.
- Full year-by-year coverage of all production models.
- Japanese, US and European markets covered in great detail.
- Compliments a second volume (already published) on the Nissan 300ZX and 350Z models.
- Racing and rallying exploits in detail.
- Well over 200 contemporary pictures, mainly in colour.
- In addition to photographs, advertising and brochures have been used.
- Useful appendices supplement detailed text.
