Why The Z Became The Best

While the British had been the leaders in the sports car field up until the late 60's and early 70's, things were about to change for car lovers. Events were to send the automotive world into a crisis with American politicians threatening new safety laws with the convertible was one of their key targets. Severe pollution problems in cities like Los Angeles became the main public health issue. Add to this that the OPEC oil crisis was just around the corner.

The Poms found the Austin Healy axed without a replacement and the E type was beginning to fall from favor. The MG was becoming long in the tooth and the Ford Capri had lost its ability to keep up with handling standards. The Italians had the Alfa Romeo 105, the Lancias and the Fiat coupes, which offered an indifferent build quality. Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, of course, were in a league of their own, but high price and low volume prevented them from becoming a popular choice. The world's biggest market, the US, had the Corvette but its size and engine were about to be emasculated to meet new pollution standards.

The Japanese had become the third largest producer of cars in the world behind the US and Germany, but had a reputation of building unexciting autos. Honda brought out its S600 and S800 baby boupes, Toyota built its low volume exotic 2000GT and Nissan had been selling the Datsun 2000 roadster for over 7 years. It was the Datsun 240Z that was to change the way the world looked at Japanese sports cars, and change the spending habits of sports car lovers around the world.