Nissan celebrates 50 years of Z-cars — here are five models steering the series to success

Nissan is celebrating more than half a century of its Z-cars by rolling out the latest model in the UAE.

Simply called Nissan Z, the newcomer will arrive later this year and caps off five decades of the sportscar's success. There have been scores of tweaked and remade versions of the years, but five stand out.

Each one represents a significant moment in the car's history, which first appeared in 1969 as the Fairlady Z in Japan and the Datsun 240Z in the US.

Since then, more than 1.8 million units have been sold worldwide.

Here, The National looks back at the key Zs ahead of the new release.

Datsun 280ZX, 1980

This vehicle was released to mark a decade since the model’s first arrival.

It had a limited run of 3,000 units and featured a gold-coloured Z hood badge, commemorative wreath decals and alloy wheels, all of which distinguished it from its predecessors.

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Nissan 300ZX Turbo, 1984

The next key car in line was the 300ZX Turbo from 1984, which was released to mark almost 50 years since Nissan launched in the 1930s.

Fresh additions here included steering wheel audio controls, digital readouts and electronically controlled sport suspension.

Nissan 350Z, 2005

The 2005 Nissan 350Z is the third star in the heritage line-up, a car powered by a beefy 3.5-litre V8 engine.

This was a souped-up version of the model released a couple of years previously, with the company’s engineers squeezing the mechanics until customers were presented with a 300-horsepower vehicle.

Nissan 370Z, 2010

The fourth decade of the Z was marked by the Nissan 370Z, a name change prompted by the fact that the model’s engine size had been increased to 3.7 litres.

This one was different to the standard vehicle as it was fitted with front and rear spoilers, a special graphite paint scheme, as well as bright-red brake calipers and a series of 40th anniversary badges.

The classic 280Z from 1980. Photo: Nissan

Nissan 370Z, 2020

The line-up is rounded out by 2020’s car, which went by the same name of its predecessor and marked half a century of the Z.

Upgrades here included stripes on the side of the car and A-pillars in contrasting accent colours, as well as 50th-anniversary markings on the front bumper and alloy wheels with red accents.

What next?

However, if you want any of these cars you'll have to scour the used car markets, as Nissan isn't reproducing any more.

If that seems a bit tiresome, the most up-to-date version, just going by the name of the Z, was unveiled in the US in 2021 and will be rolled out in the Middle East and North Africa later this year.

Commentators suggest the vehicle will have a starting price of around $40,000 (Dh146,000). The latest version will be powered by a 3-litre V6 engine, which will produce 400hp and get you to 100kph in around 4.5 seconds.

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.