Nissan Z history: 7 generations of sports car magic

America’s love affair with the sports car began with the postwar British cars of the 1950s. America got into the fray with the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird that same decade, and Japan entered the market in 1970 with the Datsun 240Z. Low and sleek, with a long hood and a pushed-back cabin, the Z started to make Americans think…