1971 Nissan Fairlady Z 432

As the 1960s were coming to a close, Nissan began work on a replacement for their Datsun 1600 and 2000 roadsters. Under the direction of Yutaka Katayama, the president of the Nissan Motor Corporation in the U.S. (known as 'Mr. K' and the 'Father of the Z-car'), German designer Albrecht von Goertz was hired as a consultant on the project. He and the Nissan styling staff would develop the initial design, while Yamaha would engineer the drivetrain and build the prototype. After Nissan and Yamaha failed to come to terms on the project, it was temporarily stopped. Instead, Nissan continued work on the new car in-house. Chief Designer Yoshihiko Matsuo, along with Assistant Designer Akio Yoshido and their team, created what is known today as the 240Z. The new car was introduced in October of 1969 and offered attractive styling, performance, and quality for an affordable price. The car was designed with the American audience in mind, however, Nissan produced a Fairlady Z strictly for the domestic market. The ultimate production variant was the Fairlady Z 432. It had an upgraded close-ratio five-speed gearbox and a heavy-duty limited-slip differential. These cars are very rare, with only 420 total examples produced. Many were used for racing and thus have either not survived or have not survived in their original condition.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2015