Pro-Rally Z's

[rxsleeper]

After reading the post and viewing CarlB's beautiful BRE rally car I thought I should give a little history about HLS30-000999.

Ordered in 1969 from the dealer and was the very first Z delivered to Alabama. Joe Long purchased the car and he and Darryl Holder converted it to a Pro Rally car. It was an amateur SCCA class car and they did fairly well in the Northern woods/Michigan Rallys from 70-74 or so. As I recall they only improvements were navigation related, more lights, different sway bars, harnesses, and a roll bar.

I bought the car from Joe in 1976 for parts after they had hit a tree while on the roof in Northern Michigan during a stage rally.

After stripping the car I sold the hulk to a local Z shop and they used the rear fenders, which were the only good things left on the car save for a few interior bits.

I assume the rest of the chassis was turned into can stock a long time ago.

I am trying to find some pictures of the car. I do remember it had tall profile Cooper Rally tires on it when I brought it home.

Thought CarlB and some others would like to know about #999

Paul

[Mike B]

I could be wrong, but VIN #999 (HLS30-00999) seems kind of high to be the first car delivered to Alabama doesn't it? I have HLS30-00331 and it came from Alabama to the northwest about 10 years ago. Its license plate and other stickers indicate it was in Alabama at least since the mid 80's. I don't have any other period documentation for it, so I don't know if it was originally delivered there or not.

-Mike

[Carl Beck]

Hi Paul:

Yes, I'd love to know more about 0999. Maybe if were lucky some will show up with more of its history and/or pictures.

Some of my first experiences with "Sports Cars" involved running a Corvette in with the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Club in the early 60's, in one of their POR like events in Ohio. What a hoot.. the wonders of the Plastic Pig. Winch that sucker out of the mud, and you began to realize why everyone else was using those tiny TR-3's and 356's...

Over the years I've been trying to collect more information about the Z's used in North America for SCCA Pro-Rally and/or Vintage Pro-Rally use.

Mostly because of liability issues here in America - Pro-Rally events are few and sparely covered by the media. Indeed the organizers seem to avoid publicity of the events, for fear of having the "Safety Nuts" and Lawyers get wind of them.

One of the guys in Canada bought one of the Z's that ran in the 1997 Panama to Alaska Rally, by Rick Hintz a few years ago. {picture below}

But I don't know if it's still there or not..

http://zhome.com/Racing/RALLY/Hintz.htm

FWIW,

Carl B.

[hls30.com]

I could be wrong, but VIN #999 (HLS30-00999) seems kind of high to be the first car delivered to Alabama doesn't it? I have HLS30-00331 and it came from Alabama to the northwest about 10 years ago. Its license plate and other stickers indicate it was in Alabama at least since the mid 80's. I don't have any other period documentation for it, so I don't know if it was originally delivered there or not.

-Mike

Our Local Dealer, Victory Motors (a Datsun dealer since at least 1967), didn't receive its first shipment of 240Zs until April/May of 1970, proven by the absence of advertising for them in the news paper, and confirmed by the dealership mechanic, I am hunting the first 240Z ad in my local paper. to see when the first batch of Zs was atleast scheduled to hit the dealership...this probably should start a new thread.

Will

[rxsleeper]

I could be wrong, but VIN #999 (HLS30-00999) seems kind of high to be the first car delivered to Alabama doesn't it? I have HLS30-00331 and it came from Alabama to the northwest about 10 years ago. Its license plate and other stickers indicate it was in Alabama at least since the mid 80's. I don't have any other period documentation for it, so I don't know if it was originally delivered there or not.

-Mike

Could be. I am relating the story that Joe and Darryl told me when I bought the car. If I recall correctly, they went to Mobile to pick it up. Then again, I may have a faulty memory about this. Too many years ago......

Carl,

They ran the POR at least once that I know of. IRRC, they ran the "Northern Woods"?? series of events. Darryl also rallyed a V-8 MGBGT that he built (Chevy engine, corvair transaxle) and I don't know if he ever got the Chevy Monza on a stage rally. The MGB has recently been located (in Missouri) and is being restored, the Monza was purchased last year from Darryl and is being restored for "Rally Cross" events here in Huntsville. The monza is pretty unique. He ordered the chassis from Chevy and they shipped him a bare "chassis in white" to him via rail car. He then built or re-engineered and modified almost every component on the car. He used Titanium for the splashpan/rock guards underneath. I watched this build for several years and the car is incredible in its detail. Something about engineeers and rocket scientist that make them over engineer things

I am sure Darryl has some photos and records of his rallies. I will try to give him a call over the next couple of weeks and see what I can come up with.

[Carl Beck]

I could be wrong, but VIN #999 (HLS30-00999) seems kind of high to be the first car delivered to Alabama doesn't it?

-Mike

HI Mike:

Maybe not - given the number of DATSUN dealers in Alabama at the time, and the total number in the US... if Nissan sent one Z to each of their Dealers it would have taken at least a thousand cars.. and I'm certain that the West Cost got many many more Z's than one per dealer in the first few months..

So take a thousand cars and mix them up without regard to VIN.. and yes it would be easy for 999 being the first one to arrive in Alabama... But then every Dealer could have thought that they got the first one into their States.

The first 240-Z into Valley Datsun in Spokane was 1777, and that was the first one I ever saw..

FWIW,

Carl B.