The Nissan 300ZX came about as an evolution in the line of Z-Cars, started in 1970 by Nissan under the brand Datsun in the USA with the introduction of the 240Z. The 240Z and the rest of the Z-Cars were designed with a simple concept: To make an inexpensive and dependable, yet sporty and enjoyable car. There were many cars that came along with offers of many option packages and attractive gimmicks, however with these gimmicks came a major increase in price and a decrease in fundamental areas, such as agility and value. Who in their right mind is going to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a sports car so loaded to the brim with pointless extras that nothing else on the car is worth anything? It should not be at all surprising that many lines of sports cars have gone by the wayside because they were not profitable. The Z-Cars, however, enjoyed a long run, starting in 1970 with the 240Z and evolving as necessary in order to remain successful. It should be noted that in 1984, having encountered a negative association with the brand name Datsun due to their participation in World War II, the company officially dropped the brand Datsun and used their name Nissan. And in that same year, gave birth to the 300ZX.