If you’re a true concept car aficionado, then you might have heard the name Lars Mårtensson pop up in a quite a number of conversations you’ve had with your peers. If you don’t know who he is, then allow us to give you a brief introduction. Mårtensson is a Swedish design professional who has made quite a name for himself for designing a number of different manufacturer’s concept cars into something straight out of his own creative imagination.

One of Mårtensson’s creations is the Datsun 240Z concept car, a car he rendered based on the original Datsun 240Z, one of the earliest and most successful Japanese cars to hit American shores back in the 70’s. Mårtensson’s decision to take a stab in creating a 240Z concept came as a response to reports that two Nissan cars, the 350Z and the 370Z, were created in the mold of the original 240Z.

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For most of us, we take these types of information as gospels, especially if it came as a sort of admittance from the source.

But to an eagle-eyed expert like Mårtensson, who, incidentally, also goes

by the handle GRID, even the smallest distinct features are enough reason him to take out his sketch book, sharpen his pencils, and create his own version.

The result of his work is what you see before you. Judging from his work, it’s easy to see the similarities between the original 240Z and the concept 240Z Mårtensson created. It’s got pretty much the same profile, including the exceedingly long hood and the rear hatchback . But while the similarities are easy to spot, the two versions are a lot more different than what most people think. For starters, the concept version looks infinitely times sleeker and sexier than the original version. In addition to that, a number of minute specifications were altered to give the 240Z a more modern look befitting the times. For starters, the recessed headlights that made Datsun so recognizable are tilted at a certain angle as opposed to the original headlights’ upright approach. At the same time, Mårtensson’s 240Z concept threw away the chrome bumpers of the original and instead, opted for a more mordern multi-frame aggressive grille at the front and a diffuser at the rear with integrated twin center mount exhausts, giving it a unique and more futuristic look.

Regardless of whether or not Datsun makes a comeback in the auto scene, there’s no denying the unmistakable talent Mårtensson possesses in creating a stunning concept version of a car that sold like hot pancakes in the United States back in the 70’s.