abstract
| - The Fairlady Z was welcomed by American consumers immediately after its release. It blended in so well in America that no one even took notice to its Japanese origins, and it became a leading brand name in sports cars. And so in 1978, Nissan announced the second generation of the Z. The reason it looked similar to the first generation was that its identity and image were well established. What is important is that with this second generation Z, Japan's sports car market regained its strength. In the middle of the 1970's, with exhaust emissions regulations constantly becoming ever more restricting, there was a loss of hope, a feeling that "you can't make sports cars anymore" in Japan's automotive industry. The second generation Z blew away this desperation, and was seen racing through Japan, through the U.S., and through Europe. The 6-cylinder type L engine had not lost against the exhaust emissions regulations. Its power may have only been 143 HP, but its reliability was its greatest weapon. Americans love "tough" things, and they were awed by it. And the new Z really showed its appeal in high speed cruising. A hatchback coupe was rare then, and there was no better GT than this, where you could throw your luggage in the back and cruise on the interstate freeways. In 1980, a T-bar roof model was added, followed by a 3-way 2-tone color adopted later; both of which were a perfect match for places like the west coast and Miami. The 1982 2000 turbo was built for fans in Japan, to give them a little taste of this feeling. This car produced 143 HP with its 2L engine. It became a memorable model that lead the beginnings of a turbo trend in Japanese cars.
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