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Nissan also repurposed S30 240Z for its rally racing whims, which has always seemed a little weird to us given how sexy and sporty the Z is seen as. But with motorsports versions of the platform's L24 inline-6 under the hood, the car did well, winning the prestigious Safari Rally in '71 and again in '73, proving the S30's mettle. As a result, more and more drivers began driving the Z-car at rallies.

The '80s had Super Silhouettes, but the '70s launched Tokusyu Touring Car racing, more commonly referred to as TS race, a special series of support competitions at Fuji International Speedway that featured little cars with little engines (well, maybe not so little for Japan in the '70s). Like Silhouettes, these things were wildly popular, and Nissan through its Datsun brand did incredibly well in the motorsport, especially with FR Sunny Coupes like the ones above, which won TS championships from '71 through '74 and also in '77, '79, '80 and '82.