CarBrandLogos archive · Datsun · 1978

Datsun280ZX

Nissan turned the Z from a sports car into a grand tourer, and sold more of them.

Photo: Mic from Reading - Berkshire, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

The story

A defining chapter in Datsun history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Datsun 280ZX, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The S130 arrived in 1978 with a job nobody in the enthusiast press wanted it to do. The original Z had grown steadily heavier under American regulation, and Nissan's research said its buyers now wanted comfort, quiet and equipment more than they wanted sharpness. So the 280ZX got a fully independent semi-trailing-arm rear end, more sound deadening, softer springs, power everything, optional T-tops and a plush interior — and it sold in greater numbers than the car it replaced.

Nissan L28ET 001 · Tennen-Gas · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

Engines were the familiar L-series sixes: 2.0-litre L20E and turbocharged L20ET for Japan, 2.8-litre L28E abroad and, from 1981, the L28ET turbo that gave the ZX real pace and made it one of the first Japanese turbocharged cars sold widely in America. Transmissions ran from four- and five-speed manuals, including a Borg-Warner T-5, to a three-speed Jatco automatic that a great many buyers chose.

Datsun280ZXrace · Dan Wildhirt · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

It also acquired a cultural life the purists could not spoil, from Paul Newman's SCCA racing career in Bob Sharp cars to a permanent place in early-1980s American iconography. The Z31 300ZX replaced it in 1983, taking the V6 direction that would define the badge for the next two decades.

Datsun 280ZX Turbo in blue and silver · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1978–1983

Engine

2.0&nbsp

Body

3-door fastback

Technical specification

The 280ZX, in detail.

Production: June 1978–1983
Class: Sports car/Grand tourer
Body style: 3-door fastback
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 2.0 L L20E I6; 2.0 L L20ET turbo I6; 2.8 L L28E I6; 2.8 L L28ET turbo I6
Transmission: 4-speed manual; 5-speed manual; 5-speed Borg-Warner T-5 manual; 3-speed Jatco 3N71B automatic
Assembly: Japan: Hiratsuka, Kanagawa (Nissan Shatai Plant)
Manufacturer: Nissan