The Nissan S30, sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z, but for export badged as the Datsun 240Z, and later as the Datsun 260Z and 280Z, are 2-seat sports cars and 2+2 GT cars produced by Nissan, from 1969 until 1978. The S30 was conceived of by Yutaka Katayama, the President of Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A., and designed by a team led by Yoshihiko Matsuo, the head of Nissan's Sports Car Styling Studio.[1] It is the first car in Nissan's Z series of sports cars.

Aiming to compete directly with established European sports cars, Datsun priced the new 240Z within $200 of the British MGB-GT in the United States, offering a straight-six for the price of a seven-year-old four-cylinder that showed its age. The 240Z's styling, engineering, relatively low price, and impressive performance resonated with the public, received a positive response from both buyers and the motoring press, and immediately generated long waiting lists.