Blast from the past 9 - Nissan 240Z

Or, as it was known in the UK, the Datsun 240Z. This was the first of the 'Z' line of coupes and perhaps also the first car from Japan to sell on desirability and performance rather than value for money and dependability. It's quite hard to believe that those sleek clean lines date all the way back to 1968. I snapped this well-kept example on Nissan's stand at this year's rain-soaked Goodwood Festival of Speed - which accounts for the large number of people with umbrellas in the background!


Later generations of Z were flabbier but remained popular (although to a far greater extent in the US than in Europe) because they continued for years to benefit from the rosy glow generated by the great original.

With the latest 350Z (there's a silver one in the background of the 240Z photo), though, Nissan is right back at the top of its game. We've already had the 350Z on the Verdict - where it proved immensely popular with our reader-testers - but I'm just wondering whether the extensive revisions this car has received lately provide enough of an excuse for us to get away with featuring the magnificent 350Z a second time...