Welcome to Forgotten Cars, where we highlight fascinating cars and engines that are obscure, unrecognized and lost to the passage of time.

The original Datsun 240Z is considered one of the most iconic and important sports cars ever made. The two-seat coupe offered great performance, exotic looks, a reasonable price tag — and it didn't leak oil on the showroom floor, unlike some of its European competition. The car hammered its British and Italian…

The only place you'll have any luck outrunning street bikes, race cars and planes in a 1990 Nissan 300ZX is in a dream, but what a dream it is.

How many times has the 24 Hours of LeMons ripped out the hearts of Nissan Z lovers? I can think of at least a dozen races in which Zs led or at least contended for the lead... and then disaster!

Dropping an L28ET yanked from a Datsun 280ZX Turbo into a third-gen Firebird and racing the result was a good idea, which makes today's swap a great idea!

Adult film star Peter North is selling his Stillen-modified, 516-hp Nissan 300ZX on eBay. The car has 15,000 miles on it. We'll let you make your own jokes with this one. [eBayMotors]

The BBC version of Top Gear is cutting back on the ridiculously expensive stunts. So is Top Gear USA. This spy photo shows the hosts racing a 1970s Coupe de Ville, Nissan 300ZX, and a Ford T-Bird. (H/T to Yulmbicile!)

We've seen the miserable racetrack reliability of the 240Z/260Z/280Z/280ZX/300ZX at enough LeMons races to see the pattern, but the real surprise has been the large number of Zs that managed to keep running well enough to make the top third. Will a Z ever take the overall win? Doubtful… but anything can happen on a…

Brett Goodman wants to sell you his car, but only if you're serious. That pretty much leaves out Nice Price or Crack Pipe, because we can't keep a straight face looking at the price.

It's a real head-scratcher: the Datsun/Nissan Z has plenty of six-banger power, independent rear suspension, four-wheel discs, good build quality… yet so far none has placed better than eighth in LeMons. Why is that?