Produced between 1969 and 1978 in first-generation guise, the Datsun 240Z is the spiritual ancestor of the current Nissan 370Z. Also referred to as the Nissan Fairlady Z, the original has become a truly iconic Japanese sports car and for good reason.
Later 240Z models made use of a 2.4-litre inline six-cylinder engine with two valves per cylinder and twin Hitachi SU-type carburettors. That punchy little motor could deliver 151 hp at 5600 rpm and 146 lb-ft of torque when new and could be mated to either a four-speed manual, a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic.
Given Nissan’s refusal to take a trip down memory lane and produce the classically-inspired IDx, it seems inevitable that it wouldn’t even consider creating a modern-day derivative of the Datsun 240Z. Nevertheless, X-Tomi Design took it upon himself to create just that by using the recently-launched Fiat 124 Spider as a base.
Most significantly, the folding soft top of the 124 Spider has been replaced by a hardtop. Many of the body panels have also been modified to give it a modern look while still retaining the timeless shape of the original.
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