The S30 Nissan and Fairlady Z are name variants of the same car, the Datsun 240Z, manufactured by the Japanese company, Nissan Motors, Ltd. The HLS30 was the name given to the left-hand drive type, while the HS30 was the name for the right-hand one. The Z car was the brainstorm of Mr. Yukata Katayama who conceived the design for this vehicle. It made its debut in 1970 and was the first major success for the Nissan Company in the U.S. It was sold under the brand name Datsun.

The Datsun 240Z made its debut in 1970. The engine of the car was based on the Datsun 1600, with the added feature of two extra cylinders. With a straight six-cylinder, the engine could churn out 150 horsepower and give torque of 146 pound-feet. The engine was located at the front and had solid valve filters. Equipped with four-speed manual transmission, it was a rear wheel drive. The compression ratio was 9.0:1 and it could accelerate from zero to sixty in eight seconds. The independent suspensions in the car aided in its quick response and high performance. The front disc brakes were powerful enough to bring it to a screeching stop. In 1974, production of the Datsun 240Z series was ended.

The Z car was quite successful in the racing arena, such as on the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) C-class scene. Driving the 240Z, John Morton claimed victory in 1970 and 1971 in the SCCA C-class production racing for Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE). The car also swept to victories at the IMSA (International Motor Sports Association). In 2004, Sports Car International ranked it second in the Top Sports Cars list of the 1970s.