What sports car did Datsun introduce in 1969 as the Fairlady Z?

The sports car Datsun introduced in 1969 as the Fairlady Z was the Datsun 240Z. It belonged to Nissan’s S30 family, sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in export markets primarily as the Datsun 240Z.

The car was introduced in late 1969 as a 1970 model and became the first production vehicle in Nissan’s Z-car series. Its combination of long-nose styling, a six-cylinder engine, independent suspension, rear-wheel drive, and relatively affordable price made it a strong alternative to more expensive European sports cars.

The name can be confusing because the S30 range included several closely related models. Japan received the Fairlady Z name, while export markets used Datsun 240Z, 260Z, or 280Z depending on engine and market. The later Datsun 280ZX was a successor from the S130 generation, while the Datsun 510 was a separate compact model.