Japanese automaker which became Nissan; responsible for the 2.4 liter straight-six powered 240Z, which in 1971 cut Corvette sales down to less than half; as compared to the 'vette it had half the cost, used half the fuel, handled dramatically better, and even had more creature comforts (like air conditioning.) The 260Z followup was in general a lemon; by the time the 280Z had come out, V6 engines were giving performance per liter comparable to straight six engines. The next Z car (Nissan's 300ZX) featured a 3 liter V6.