Datsun 240Z
The Datsun 240Z was the first highly successful Japanese sports car on the American market. The legend is still highly desirable today. The 240Z was a proper sports model with a bigger engine and more performance than anything from Japan in those days. Critics say it was a copy of several European designs. But the 240Z won the buyers and created its segment. Introduced in America in 1970, the 240Z was a perfect car for the times. The muscle car craze had started to wind down and safety regulations killed domestic performance cars. So people were looking for alternatives that could provide similar driving excitement with better handling and cheaper prices (via Car and Driver).
The European models were too expensive, and Datsun 240Z was the right car for the moment. The early models had 150 hp from a 2.4-liter six-cylinder, which was more than enough for lively performance. Over the years, Datsun improved the original model with more significant engines (2.6 and 2.8-liter units) and several restyles. The demand was always fantastic, and when this first series of Z cars was discontinued in 1978, Datsun made over 300,000 examples, making it one of the most successful sports cars in history.