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Nissan Celebrates Four Decades of Sports Car Leadership With New, Limited Edition 370Z

"40th Anniversary" Model

– Forty Years After the Debut of the Original Datsun 240Z, the Iconic Z ® Continues to Capture the Imagination and Passion of Sports Car Enthusiasts Worldwide ­

Mississauga, ON (Oct. 16, 2009) – The 25 th anniversary is silver, the 50 th is gold.

And the 40 th ? Another precious metal, or more correctly metal, rubber and glass –

the Nissan Z ® . Forty years ago, on October 22, 1969, the Datsun 240Z arrived in

North America, heralding a new era in sports car design.

Where previous sports cars were primarily a.) imported from England or Germany b.)

expensive c.) fragile or unreliable or d.) all of the above, the new import from Japan

offered the performance of a Porsche, the looks of a Jaguar and the price and

reliability of, well, a Nissan. The 240Z was a revelation to the automotive world – an

affordable sports car that could be driven every day and was accessible to anyone

with the $3,626 US base price.

And though the price of a new Z ® might have changed a little in the past 40 years,

its unmatched value, style, performance and segment leadership remains stronger

than ever. To celebrate, Nissan has created a special, limited production version of

the current 2010 Nissan 370Z Coupe, the 370Z 40 th Anniversary Edition. Canada will

receive 80 vehicles available at select Nissan dealers nationwide beginning in spring

2010.

“Throughout the history of the automobile, a rare handful of cars stand apart as

vehicles that not only capture the imagination of the world but also embody the

essence of the automaker’s brand, engineering and ideals. The Z ® is just such a

vehicle,” said Jeff Parent, vice president of sales and marketing, Nissan Canada Inc.

“Because the exterior design concept for the 370Z was developed by Canadian

Randy Rodriguez, we expect the Anniversary Edition to become a collector’s item in

Canada.”

Changing Times – Literally

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When the original Datsun 240Z debuted as a 1970 model, its

design and performance were considered state­of­the­art: a 150­horsepower 2.4­

litre single overhead cam inline 6­cylinder engine, 4­wheel independent suspension,

14­inch wheels, choice of a 4­speed manual or 3­speed automatic transmission, and

a quarter­mile acceleration time of 17.1 seconds at 84.5 miles per hour. The 240Z

was conceived as a closed coupe body, rather than the typical open­top sports cars

of the age, to enhance body rigidity and, therefore, improve handling and durability.

Needless to say, a lot has changed. Today’s definition of state­of­the­art, as

expressed in the sixth generation Nissan 370Z, includes a 332­horsepower 3.7­litre

dual overhead cam V6 engine with VVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift), lightweight

4­wheel independent suspension with extensive use of aluminum components,

available 19­inch super lightweight forged alloy wheels, choice of 6­speed manual

transmission with innovative SynchroRev MatchÔ or refined 7­speed automatic and

independent quarter­mile acceleration times of 13.5 seconds at 106.6 miles per

hour. And today, the recently introduced 370Z Roadster – with its automatic­

operation fully lined cloth top, offers nearly the same body rigidity and performance

as the rock­solid 370Z Coupe.

Also, where the 240Z offered what many considered “luxuries” in a sports car –

including roll­up windows and radio, today’s 370Z is offered with items such as

Nissan Intelligent KeyÔ with Push Button Start, Bluetooth ® Hands­free Phone

System, XM ® Satellite Radio and an advanced Nissan Hard Drive Navigation System

with touch­screen, (XM ® subscription required, sold separately), Zagat ® restaurant

guide, 9.3GB Music Box hard drive for digital music storage and playback and a USB

fort for iPod ® connectivity.

About the Nissan 370Z 40 th Anniversary Edition

The 370Z 40 th Anniversary Edition starts out as a 370Z Coupe Touring model

equipped with manual transmission and Sport Package (including SynchroRev

MatchÔ, NAVI, front chin spoiler, rear spoiler, Nissan Sport Brakes, 19­inch Rays

forged aluminum­alloy wheels ) and adds a premium “40 th Quartz” exterior colour

and red leather­appointed interior.

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Additional exclusive equipment includes a high­luster smoke

wheel finish, red brake calipers and 40 th Anniversary badges on the rear hatch and

front strut tower brace. Inside, along with the red leather­appointed seats are red

door panel inserts, 40 th Anniversary seatback and floormat embroidery, red stitching

on the center stack, shift boot and kneepads, smooth leather steering wheel with red

stitching and a plaque of authenticity. Every 40 th Anniversary Z ® also comes with a

commemorative premium satin car cover.

Pricing of the 370Z 40 th Anniversary Edition will be announced closer to its on­sale

date next spring.

A Brief History: Six Generations of Z ®

The journey from the original 240Z to the current 370Z, of course, made a number

of interesting stops along the past 40 years. Interestingly, the 240Z might not have

made the journey to America in the first place, if not for the efforts of one man.

Though many, many people were responsible for the design and engineering of the

first generation 240Z, its success in North America can be attributed to Yutaka

Katayama, who was president of Nissan’s U.S. operations at the time. Known

affectionately as “Mr. K,” he was convinced that the company’s new sports car design

would be a hit in the U.S. There was just one problem – the vehicle’s name: the

Fairlady Z (which is still used in the Japanese market today).

With a name change for this market to “240Z” and some aggressive marketing,

including early motorsports success, the Z ® became an instant hit – bringing

attention and buyers not just to Z ® , but also to the entire brand.

After overseeing Nissan’s growth in the U.S. in the ‘70s, Katayama returned to Japan

and remains, to this day, linked to the Z ® ’s success here and around the world. On

September 15 th , 2009, Mr. K celebrated his 100 th birthday and received cards and

birthday greetings from Z ® lovers everywhere.

In 1974, as the engine displacement climbed to 2.6 litres the name changed to

260Z. The 2+2 model with an extended roofline and tiny back seat also appeared.

In 1975, engine size increased again to 2.8 litres and the name changed to 280Z.

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Z ® cars continued to dominate on the racetrack, with Pete

Brock, John Morton, Bob Sharp and P.L. (Paul) Newman among the many talented

drivers.

Z ® sales continued to climb with the introduction in 1979 of the new second

generation 280ZX. Now priced at just under $10,000 US, the 280ZX was

named Motor Trend ”Import Car of the Year” and sales passed 86,000 units. T­tops

and a turbocharged engine followed in the early ‘80s.

In 1984, Z ® engine displacement increased again, with a 3.0­litre V6 replacing the

classic Z ® inline­6, and the 300ZX was born. Also, a specially equipped model

celebrating the company’s 50 th anniversary and priced at $25,999 US was

introduced. The 1984 Z ® was the best selling sports car in America.

The next breakthrough in Z ® history came in 1990 with the arrival of the totally

redesigned, fourth generation 300ZX. Offered in two­seat and four­seat 2+2

models, it offered an unheard of 222 horsepower and a top speed of 150 mph. A few

months later, the 300ZX Turbo followed – with 300 horsepower, a 160­mph top

speed and a $33,000 US price tag.

The 1990 300ZX captured the Z ® ’s second Motor Trend ”Import Car of the Year”

award, along with a spot on Car and Driver and Road & Track ”10 Best” lists. The

300ZX also capturedAutomobile’s “Design of the Year” and the first of four “All­Stars”

awards.

By the mid­‘90s, however, sports car sales in general were slowing and the Z ® had

lost its “affordable” sports car positioning. With Z ® sales declining sharply and the

core “value” positioning no longer part of the “Z ® DNA,” sales of the Z ® in the U.S.

slumped and sales were stopped following the 1996 model year. The last 300ZX

imported into the U.S. was inducted into the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los

Angeles.

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The next chapter of the Z ® history came just before the end of the century. In 1999,

Nissan and Renault formed what has become the highly successful Renault­Nissan

Alliance.

Mr. Carlos Ghosn was assigned by Renault to head the new management team.

Among his first tasks was not just to look at the business aspects, but to find the

“soul” of the company. In interview after interview, people inside and outside the

company brought up one model to him, one letter: Z ® .

Development of the new Z ® began later that year, with the return to the values of

the original 240Z – a car that sports car enthusiasts would look forward to driving

everyday; quick, inspiring and affordable.

In summer 2002, the Z ® was reborn with the introduction of the 2003 350Z. It was

delivered, as promised, with an MSRP of under $30,000 US.

Following the 350Z’s unprecedented success, the sixth generation Z ® , the 2009 370Z

was launched last December. Now the little sports car that could comes full circle

with the announcement of the 370Z 40 th Anniversary Edition.

“It’s almost inconceivable that it has been 40 years since the original 240Z changed

the course of Nissan and the concept of affordable, everyday sports cars,” said

Parent. “In a year, 1969, marked by the first man to walk on the moon, the 240Z

made a remarkable first step of its own. Happy anniversary, Z ® .”

About Nissan Canada Inc.

Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) is the Canadian sales, marketing and distribution

subsidiary of Nissan Motor Limited and Nissan North America, Inc. With offices in

Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC), NCI directly employs 250 full­

time staff. There are 150 independent Nissan dealerships and 29 Infiniti retailers

across Canada. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan

Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other

emissions and increasing recycling. More information about Nissan in Canada and

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the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found

online at www.nissan.ca and www.infiniti.ca.