Nissan Z, by Pete Evanow

When I went to college in the 80's, my dad generously sent me away with his silver 1979 280ZX.  I loved that car.  So it was with a sense of nostalgia that I perused Pete Evenow's Nissan Z: 50 Years of Exhilarating Performance.  He covers some of the same ground (obviously) as his 2005 book Z: 35 Years of Nissan's Sports Car, but there's plenty new material and photos here for the enthusiast to be enthused about.

Evanow covers the history of the company, the introduction of the Z car, the evolution of the models up to the current manifestation, the 370Z, and the worlds of racing and hobbyists.  The best part of the book was the nostalgia, seeing the older models and the other non-Z Datsun products (just the name Datsun is a bit nostalgic!).  I must say, while the 370Z is a car I would not turn down if it were gifted to me, the look is a bit generic and doesn't match up to the character of the 240/260/280 models.

Fans of the Z cars through the years will want to get a copy of this--but be careful--your next stop will be the Nissan dealer or autotrader.com. . . .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!