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"I knew that you liked the Z before, but didn't know that you liked the S30Z that much."
Ko-chan to Akio, during Chapter 2 of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3-3DX+'s Story Mode.
"Akio: Ko-chan, this is great. I'll never get sick of racing it.
Ko-chan: But a car with so much history... Don't overdo it, Akio.
Akio: Oh, what are you talking about? This car is great!
Ko-chan: Well, it's good to love your car, but...
"
―Akio and Ko-chan's exchange during Chapter 1 of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4-6 RR's story mode

Fairlady Z S30Z (sold as the Datsun 240Z, 260Z and 280Z outside of Japan) is a car produced by Nissan Motor Corporation which was first introduced in Wangan Midnight (Arcade Game).

Description[]

This is an orthodox FR layout car with a traditional 6-cylinder engine. Its power is relatively low compared with modern high power cars, but it runs like an arrow in a straight line due to its lightweight and narrow tread.

This sports car was initially introduced in 1969 as the Fairlady Z, powered by Nissan's L20 2.0 liter straight-six engine that puts out 130 hp. Export versions receive a bigger, more powerful L24 engine that displaces 2.4 liters and produced 150 hp. Early examples of the car were introduced with a 4-speed manual transmission, but later upgraded with a 5-speed manual transmission and an optional 3-speed automatic transmission. In 1974, the car received a bigger 2.6 liter engine. The new engine produced 165 hp, but the US version only produced 140 hp due to emissions restriction. Later, from 1975 to 1978, it received an even bigger 2.8 liter engine, but this time, it comes with electronic fuel injection, bumping the horsepower rating to 170 hp. This iteration saw the introduction of 5-speed manual transmission for the US market, along with 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic options.

Three homologation special variants were available. The first was the Fairlady ZG, which had extended fiberglass nose with a set of acrylic headlight covers for better aerodynamic properties, a rear spoiler, riveted over-fenders and fender-mounted wing mirrors. It was originally a Japan-only option, but later Nissan sold the nose kit as an optional extra to make it eligible to compete in the US. Another special variants were the Z432 and Z432R, both were powered by Nissan's S20 engine similar to that of Nissan Skyline GT-R's. The 432 stands for 4 valves (per cylinder, owing to S20's 24 valve head design), 3 (Mikuni twin-barrel) carburetors, and two camshafts. The Z432 was known for being a rare limited edition variant with approximately 420 units sold and some of which were used as police cars, while the Z432R was known to be a rally homologation special, weighing at 100 kg lighter than the Z432 and sported a rear spoiler (optional on Z432), aluminium wheels, lighter-weight bonnet, doors, and front guards, and also a reworked engine. Only 20 were ever produced, and it was only available in orange.

Reviews[]

The Nissan S30Z has a tendency to slide in turns, despite its great turning ability, which makes people think that its handling ability is low compared to other FR vehicles such as the FD3S, which possess grippier handling. Thus, once the driver masters its characteristics, the S30Z will serve as a competitive vehicle by not only revealing its true handling potential, but also its ability to sneak into traffic (due to its rather small size), decent boost, above average blocking ability and most surprising of all, its exceptional ability in shoving away standard traffic.

Colors[]

The player can choose from the following colors:

  • Grand Prix Orange
  • Monte Carlo Silver
  • Daytona Red
  • Le mans Yellow
  • Grand Prix White
  • Midnight Blue (Devil Z)

Trivia[]

  • It was the oldest car in the series (model year 1971), until the Stingray C3 (model year 1968) was added in Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4, thus making the Stingray older than the S30.
    • However, this record would be broken again by the Chevrolet Corvette C2 (model year 1963), added in Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 5.
  • In 1991 film, its name is misspelled as "Ferlady".
  • The S30Z in the anime/manga is also known as the Devil Z, which is car used by the main character Akio Asakura in the Wangan Midnight Series.
  • Akio's Devil Z also appeared in other video games, example Genki's Shutokou Battle series (Tokyo Xtreme Racer in western release version) as Unknown (???), the final boss of that game.
  • Jun Kitami used to own an Grand Prix orange number 76 S30Z race car, but it is unknown what happened to it. It is featured in the Wangan Midnight PS3 game as an unlockable car.
  • Akira Shimizu from another manga series by Michiharu Kusunoki, Shakotan Boogie own an S30 but with G-Nose kit and nicknamed "Akira Z".
  • The S30Z also used as the 19th East-African Safari Rally car in 1971.
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