HS30-H

Yes, this is an advertisement for a new game for the PS2. It is based on a "manga" ( Japanese comic ) series from the early 90's called "Wangan Midnight", which was published in a series of small paperback book-style episodes by "Yanmaga" ( Young Magazines ). The "Wangan" is the nickname given to the Tokyo Bayshore Route motorway which curves from Yokohama right round to Chiba, and has always been popular with street racers since it was built. There are very many comics and animated videos that use the street racing theme in Japan, but they are all rather childish and the drawings in the comics themselves are rather basic ( because of the quantity in each episode and the amount of episodes they pump out ). The stories leave rather a lot to be desired too. The animated version is rather better, and the game should be better still - but I doubt if it can play better than the mighty GT3 on PS2.... Here is a scan of a couple of the original books;

Hi ALFADOG, Thanks for your reply. I think this has turned into a really interesting and worthwhile discussion, hasn't it? Sorry if I misread your sentiments about that particular car. It seemed to me when I read it that you were putting down that car and the S30-series in general, so I am glad to hear that I am mistaken ( tail between legs ). I really hope that somebody who loves it to death will buy that car ( and take the mirrors and that awful downturned rear pipe off! ) and then drive it and enjoy it. Maybe they will even put in a five-speed and an LSD with a nice ratio. Maybe they will not even mind that the handbrake is on the "wrong" side of the tunnel ( tee hee ). I really think that even in the USA and ( even in California ) such an early and straight car has to be worth more than $12,000 - and maybe this car will eventually change hands for something like $14k to $15k (?). I can't believe that a professionally restored example with many now unobtainable parts can really be worth less than that, can it? COMMENTS PLEASE! Not counting the costs of self-restoration ( I do a lot of work on my cars myself, and I know how much it saves me ) then it would have to be worth at least half the sum of its parts.......... Is anyone taking into account the problems that are looming regarding the non-availability of many body panels for the early S30-series? In the UK, we are scared of any crash damage ( and particularly from the rear ) as we know that these panels are all but unobtainable now. What panels there ARE in circulation over here are changing hands for a LOT of money. I just sourced a RH rear quarter for an early car that was crashed badly, and it cost a fortune. Fitting it professionally and then painting it will take a REAL lot of man-hours. Any insurance company would write the thing off as uneconomical to repair over here. Surely there is a similar lack of original spare body panels to repair crash-damaged cars in the USA and Australia? Some Z specialists in the UK have been importing cars from "dry states" in the USA recently, and although they are generally good bases to start restorations from, I have to say that they are usually REALLy bad in all other areas. These cars are changing hands in the USA for thousands of dollars ( not hundreds any more ) and they are buying them from original owners, not dealers or brokers. Restoring them properly certainly takes the cost way over the equivalent of $20,000 USD unless corners are cut. It would be easy to do this, but even then restoring the parts that need to be restored and replacing the parts that need to be replaced is costing thousands. Putting non-factory parts on the car will surely keep costs down, but in my opinion the quality is often just not there. I know Z specialists and enthusiasts in Japan who are laying down parts like fine wines recently. They know what is being made and what is not, and what they tell me makes me really nervous. If you think of any other "collector" or "enthusiast" car, then I would say that in almost all cases they have a better spares supply ( at least for any model or make that has the equivalent amount of surviving cars out there ). Nissan have been closing down body-pressing plants and throwing away the original tooling over the last few years. Any specialist or after-market supplier who decided to take the risk and start pressing up the unobtainable panels would have to spend a HUGE amount of money to make the tools, and even then they would never be "right"............. I just do not think it will happen. What does everybody think of the situation regarding lack of parts being made in Japan lately? Has anyone else noticed that things that were still available until just a few years / months ago are just not coming through any more? I am thinking particularly of body panels and trim / lighting ( mech. parts seem to be mostly still OK ). Anybody got any views? Great debate - we should do more of this! Alan Thomas ( "HS30-H" ) London, UK.

I quite understand that the MARKET VALUE of any item dictates what people think it will be sold for, this is true for a Monet painting to a Fiat 500. However, I think that the point here is that the car in question in pretty exceptional by any standard and in any market. The car is for sale in the USA, which is admittedly where market values are pretty much at their lowest because of the amount of cars that are out there. However, this car seems to me to be quite exceptional in its condition ( if it was indeed restored in the "right" way ) and is very tastefully modified with some rare period option and more recent parts. This is the point; the car seems to be way above the average market condition, and that is why the owner or vendor is quite justified in asking a high price for it. Whether they actually get all that close to $18,000 is another matter, but what is the harm in trying? If indeed it does sell for close to the asking price, then it sets a precedent that the market must take note of. If these cars start gradually selling for more than the present market value, then we might find that it benefits REAL enthusiasts ( I think that means you and me ) and Nissan might even consider making some more body panels and parts that we cannot get any more. They are recently talking big about the "DNA" of the Z, but they do not want to back it up and supply the parts to keep them going. There is not even a proper Nissan / Datsun museum in Japan! If we were all prepared to pay a little more for the cars and parts ( like as much as Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Lancia owners have to pay for instance ) then we might stand more chance of a better aftermarket parts supply and a little more factory support. Most of us will hate the higher prices, but being able to get what is now unavailable will be a real boon. God knows, I prefer things to be cheaper ( I can get more! ) but there is a very real disadvantage to "talking down" the prices of the BEST examples that are out there. At the rate that old Z cars are being exported from the USA ( and California in particular ) I would think that the Market Value will start to go up soon. There will always be the lucky ones who discover a peach at a low price, but if Joe Public suddenly gets really turned on to these cars then the supply will soon dry up. I have to also very respectfully point out that many early Californian S30-series Z cars are in a really poor and tired condition ( despite their better than average body condition ). Restoring these things properly is NOT cheap!!! I still think that the tone of the first post, and its subsequent reply, were rather too scathing. It seemed to make fun of the car and its vendor ( although the real owner probably did not write that description, or at least the person who restored it did not - they would have better taste ). That is why I wrote in defence of something special being sold for a special price. Maybe this is a good place to talk about these things, don't you think? If we don't take the subject seriously then I don't think we can be taken seriously ourselves. Please don't think me a joykiller or negative or anything - I just think that this is one of the better sites and forums out there and this kind of debate is good for all of us in the long run.

There ARE people who will pay that kind of money, and I think it has to be a good thing as long as the particular car in question is worth it. There's too much inverted snobbery in the early Z world, and people like us should be trying to convince the world at large that the best examples of the S30-series Z are worth every bit as much as the best examples of its contemporaries. When I see examples of MGB roadster, Porsche 912, Alpine A110, Porsche 914, Triumph TR series etc etc for big bucks, it seems funny that anybody would believe that the Z is not worth as much.To hear this from supposed Z fans makes it hard to take. So, please tell me - apart from the mirrors on that particular car, which are in my opinion of questionable taste - what is wrong with the guy trying to sell his car for offers near that price. In the UK, we know that a full and proper restoration of an early S30-series Z would probably cost much much more than this car is for sale at. Have you ever tried to do it for less? How good is YOUR car? I'm not talking about cars as "investments" either; that kind of buyer is not what I consider myself to be. I am all for driving these cars and enjoying them, and I'm not worried about stone chips. However, there are a real lot of BAD CONDITION cars out there that I would not pay hundreds for, let alone thousands. I would much rather buy a car like that one than a $4000 car that is actually a piece of junk. If you think this is a "snobby" attitude and I must be a little rich boy then that's up to you. I have to tell you that I am NOT a little rich boy, and it took me a real lot of saving and trouble to get my car to how it is now. If you tell me that you think it is not worth more than the car in the ad. then pray tell me how much do you THINK it should sell at, and maybe tell us how much you think YOUR car is worth? The car in the ad. looks good to me, and the list of parts that is has on it might well have gone right over your head if your comments are anything to go by. I thought this site was in praise of the S30-series Z, not making fun of it.

Hi WESUK, If you live in Swindon I suggest you go around the back of the HONDA factory and have a look at what they have in their dumpsters. You never know, you might find something interesting! Joking aside, tell me what series carburettor you have and I will have a look in my garage at the weekend ( I keep my cars and parts 10 miles from home, not because I want to - but because I have to ). You will find the "series" number written after the type of carburettor, stamped into the casting on the top cover of the body. EG: "40 DCOE - 18" - in this case "18" will be the "series" number of the carburettor, and signifies the internal passageing / circuitry / standard jetting / pump stroke etc etc. Technically, most of the actual top cover castings will interchange on the 40 DCOE ( apart from the later "emissions" type ) - but you will want to have the right one on it if you can. Like ERIC B - let me know what you have got, and I will have a dig in my garage. Good luck, Alan ( HS30-H )

Hi Eric, Glad you already had the parts diagram. Just wanted to help you identify the pieces that you have. Here are the jet sizes etc. that I used on my mildly modified L24 with 40 DCOE-18 carbs ( 176 BHP at the wheels - not bad for standard valves and no porting ): *CHOKES = 32mm ( 30mm also OK on such a small engine, as you need to promote good airspeed at low RPM for good off-idle performance and good driveability ) *AUX. VENTURI = 4.5 ( standard on most 40 DCOE carb series ) *MAIN JETS = 115 ( leaner is better - those 130s are too big ) *EMULSION TUBES = F2 *AIR CORRECTOR JETS = 175 *IDLE JETS = 0.50 F9 *ACCEL. PUMP JETS = 0.45 *ACCEL. PUMP INLET / DISCHARGE VALVE = 0.5 *NEEDLE VALVES = 1.75 *ACCEL. PUMP STROKE = 10mm That accelerator pump rod stroke is very important for the "driveability of your car on such a mildly tuned engine. Make sure that it is right and you will certainly find the car easier to use. Looks like some of your data already matches with this - so you are half way there. I would recommend a final "rolling road" dyno session to get the jetting spot on. If you can find out the series number on the carb top, I can have a look in my garage and see if I have a spare top that I can send you to replca that damaged one. Good luck. Alan.

And here's the other side;

This might be of help to you;

Hi Eric, I can see what you are up against, and I have been there myself! I too bought some carbs on the vendors' description, only to see an archaeological artifact from the Dung dynasty turn up in the post........... That broken part in your picture is rather serious. This is the mounting for the float pivot, and it will be difficult to repair properly. If you get it welded, the welder will need to be very skilfull and you will need to re-drill the hole for the float pivot spindle. Tell me what series the carbs are ( there is a number on the top cover of the carb after the bit that says "40 DCOE" ) and I might have a suitable spare body of the same series that you can swap all your internals on to. It is most important to get the same series, as all the internal drillings etc. are different for the different series. Restoring the carburettors properly is like restoring vintage wristwatches. It is not easy, and you really need to have all the information and tools to hand. At least you CAN get all the parts OK. There are plenty of specialists in the USA - have a look in a magazine like Grassroots Motorsport for a supplier. The round jet covers are not expensive, and a nice new set of three will make the carbs look much better. The "wing-nut" top cover fasteners are made of brass, and are also still available. As to the emulsion tubes and jets - I would not put too much effort into cleaning them until you are sure that you are in the ballpark for your own engine. What were the carbs on before, and what are the currently-fitted emulsion tubes, main jets and air correctors? I can give you some baseline data for a stock-ish L24 with cam and muffler if you think it would help. You might end up needing new jets, in which case there is no point in scrubbing up the old ones. Certainly you should avoid poking any orifices with wire ( or get ready to see a doctor! ) as you will damage them for sure. I would also pay attention to the accelerator pump rod stroke - which is very sensitive on this kind of carburettor and can change the driving characteristics completely. The "series" of the carburettor will tell you what was fitted in them from the factory, but not necessarily what is in them now ( somebody might have changed them ). These are all still available anyway. Tell me what "series" they are and I will have a dig around and see if I have a spare body for you. I know I am a long way from you, but it might be easier in the long run.............. All the best, Alan ( HS30-H ).

At the risk of starting a whole new thread, here is a picture of what I am REALLY interested in. This is a picture of Works driver Kenji Tohira at the 1971 Japan Grand Prix in the GT race ( in the GT-2 class ) in a Works ( SCCN ) HS30 "Fairlady Z". Just in case you heard that the Z was not very successful in domestic races.....................

Hey sennavsprost! your avatar is going to start some new threads if you are not careful! Did you know that the no.15 car still exists? It's part of the Harada Collection at the Kawaguchiko Motor Museum in Japan, and they sometimes bring it out for demonstration runs. That S20 engine just screams............. Here's another little scan on the thread of our Works rally car discussion. This pic. shows a Works car at Nissan's rally test course in Japan. They did a fair bit of simulation out there before they sent the cars out of Japan for the rallies..........

Thanks for the kind words from EricB & sennavsprost - its nice to know that its not just a few demented idiots like me who find this interesting. Doehring, you have collected a fair bit of data about those Works rally cars. However, I keep hearing about more and more little events and testing that we never heard about. Sometimes the Works team would ship cars back to Japan after a few events and refurbish them, after which they would be brought back to Europe, Africa or Australia to act as practice cars / chase cars, or as entries for local drivers. As far as I am aware, Nissan have never released to the general public any information regarding the chassis numbers of the Works rally cars. The local team base organisers ( such as Old Woking Service Station in the UK, and D.T.Dobie in Kenya ) would obviously know which chassis numbers they had at any particular time, but I should think that only Nissan's Competition Department staff themselves would have all the data about which chassis did which event. There is a lot of misleading information in the English-language books that cover the subject of Nissan's competition history. We cannot trust all that we read, as it usually has not come from the horse's mouth. I would have thought that there is an opportunity for the definitive book on the S30 type Z race history to be written, but any volunteer would have to do a hell of a lot of research! By the way Doehring, did I make it seem as though I thought that some of the Works rally cars used the S20 engine in my previous post? Sorry about that if I did - but certainly the Works rally cars only ever used the L-series sixes ( with the later ones using the "LY" Crossflow version ). What I was talking about was the similarity of the Z432-R ( PS30-SB ) bodyshell to the shell construction of the Works rally cars. That is something that few people realise or comment on. Here is an "on-line" present for Guus...........

Hello Doehring, We are probably getting nearer the truth now, and it seems that we are uncovering a little bit of creative resourcefulness on the behalf of the '75 Le Mans entrant ( commonly known as "cheating"! ). The car at Le Mans in '75 was wearing a Japanese registration plate with the numbers "6466" which was originally on a LHD 260Z Works Rally car that never competed in the Safari Rally. If the car was in fact an ex-Works Safari Rally 240Z, then the "6466" number must have been a switch....... In my experience, if somebody is talking about cars that have some Works competition rally history then they almost invariably say that it is "ex Safari". If you added up all the cars that were "ex Safari" it would probably come to a couple of hundred! I think that this happens because the Safari Rally was one of the Z car's most successful events. They won outright twice with the Z, and that tends to get remembered better than a third on the Monte Carlo or even a win on the Welsh Rally................ I think it seems to be becoming clear that the Japanese registration plate that the car was wearing at the '75 Le Mans should not have actually been on it. The car that entered Le Mans in '75 may well have been an ex-Works Safari Rally 240Z that Hans Schuller sourced from the Works rally team, but they obviously needed to have some kind of identity switch because of homologation and eligibility rules. I think this must be why they gave it the Japanese registration number ( and presumably some paperwork to back up the identity was shown to the ACO ). If that '75 Le Mans car was indeed an ex-Safari Rally car ( it was certainly not one of the two that won the event, as they are both still extant and belong to Nissan in Japan ) then it would have led a very interesting and varied life! That would be another statistic for the record books; Safari Rally AND Le Mans history! All the best, HS30-H

and here's the other page: HS30-H

Fred! Don't worry too much about checking out that car at the "Le Mans Revival" event on Saturday. When I saw the photos that you posted ( the silver car ) I realised that I had seen this car before. It was featured in a two page article in the December 1998 issue of NOSTALGIC HERO in Japan. In the article, the owner ( Mr Pierre Bourgoin ) describes it as a genuine "Competition Model" - but he does not say that the car was actually the one ( or ones? ) that ran at Le Mans in '75 and '76. What he says is that the car used to belong to Mr Andre Haller, the entrant and owner of the '75 and '76 Le Mans entries, and was the "sister car" to the one that crashed at Le Mans in '76 - sadly killing Mr Haller. He says that his car ( chassis number HLS30-39710 ) is a 1971 model car - one of two that were imported to Germany in 1972, and then brought to France presumably by Mr Haller. So, in this article he is not claiming that his car actually competed at Le Mans - but he IS saying that it is a "Competition Model". This seems to be a rather fanciful claim, as the only "Competition Model" S30 cars that were brought to Europe in the early 1970s were the factory "Works" Rally cars. These cars were based on special bodyshells that incorporated many design features and details from the PS30-SB ( 432-R ) and were in fact a kind of hybrid 432-R with an L-series engine and the special parts for Rallying. The Works circuit-race Z cars in Japan were initially based on the 432-R ( with the S20 engine ) and within a year they had partially switched to the the L-series engined cars, but still using many details from the PS30-SB bodyshells. These cars were called "240ZR" by the factory, and later developed into the Group 4, 5 & 6 racers with the full aerodynamic kit and the "LY" Crossflow engine on injection. I don't know what Mr Bourgoin thinks makes his car a "Competition Model" - but perhaps he is under the impression that the car is something that it is not. As far as I can see from the article and the photos, the car does not seem to use any parts that would identify themselves as "Works" competition parts - let alone have the special body of an ex-Works Rally car or factory circuit race car. It even seems to have the normal S30-type fuel tank ( and none of the Works competition cars were fitted with those ). It does have Mikuni carburettors - but then so do many cars. These were available from many many sources - and Sanyo even offered a kit to fit them on the car when it was launched in 1969. Perhaps Fred you should ask Mr Bourgoin what the history of his car is, so that you can hear it from him in person. If you have heard that this car is one of the cars that ran at Le Mans, and it is just hearsay, then all well and good. However, if Mr Bourgoin is claiming that his car IS one of those cars - then he needs to prove it. It seems to me that anyone doing this would need to make sure that he knew ALL about the factory race cars and the parts that they used, otherwise he would come unstuck very quickly. Even calling your car a "Competition Model" needs qualification, if the person saying it is inferring that it is some kind of official factory-built or sanctioned model.................. We must all be careful of people who might be interested in talking up the history of their car in order to make it worth more money, or fooling people who don't know any better.We should share information to make us better armed to fight against bogus claims and fancy stories. Here is a scan of the article about the car; All the best, HS30-H

Fred! Don't get stressed out about this, I only wanted you to keep in mind some of the points that might identify the car. However, having seen the pictures from the "Tour Auto" in France I actually recognised the silver car from an article in a Japanese magazine a few years ago.I think it was in Nostalgic Hero or Old Timer, and I seem to remember them pointing out that it had a doubtful history in the article. I think I can say that the silver car is almost certainly NOT the car that competed at Le Mans in 1976. The owner might think that it is, or have been told that it is, but I am sorry to say that it is very unlikely. You will notice that the silver car seems to be LHD ( when the '76 Le Mans car was RHD - I think I am right in saying ). I also think that this silver car is a "240z" base, rather than a "260Z". It seems to have no FRP or GRP "Works" type panels on it ( bonnet / hood / hatch etc ) and the roll cage does not look correct. It also seems to have lost its fuel filler in the rear hatch and the acrylic windows. I have no idea whether it has a "Flat Floor" and a big fuel tank - maybe you will be able to investigate it. I really think that it is not the '76 Le Mans car, but there is the small possibility that it could be the '75 Le Mans car ( if the '75 and '76 cars were not indeed the same car ). It also seems very unlikely to be the remains of "6466" either. I guess we have to reserve ultimate judgement, and there is also the chance that it DOES sport some parts from the Le Mans cars or what was claimed to be "6466" - but it seems so far away from the specification of either of those cars that I have to say it seems very unlikely to be any of those cars. What does the owner claim it to be? Isn't this great??!! ( hey, wake up all you others!.... ) Best regards, HS30-H

Hi all, This is turning into a really entertaining and informative thread isn't it? Its a bit of archaeology, and much more interesting than all those "How fast will my Z go if.....?" threads isn't it!? Rodd, I like your paint job - and your car looks nice and "simple". Really pure and nicely in period feel. Nice one. Doehring, Sorry to hear that it rained for your holiday. Two weeks ago I was in Italy and it POURED down with rain every day. There were really bad storms over the whole central European area, and I got really wet. Best if you stay at home and stay tuned to this thread - its looking quite good. Fred, sounds like you are on an exciting mission to see what claims to be the '76 Le Mans car this weekend. I think that you might like to get a good look at as many details as possible, but particularly these; CHASSIS NUMBER ( is it an RS30 or an RLS30, or is it an HS30 or HLS30? ). As I mentioned before, "6466" was definitely an RLS30 chassis number - a Left-Hand-Drive European-Spec. "260Z". Strangely, the pictures of the '75 Le Mans car in period show a RHD car with the back end ( tail lamps and back panel / trim ) from a "240Z". This makes me think that it was not the same chassis as the Works Rally car chassis that the number "6466" was originally placed on. Of course, you are going to see what claims to be the '76 Le Mans car - which I guess does not necessarily have to be the same car as the '75 Le Mans car - but in my personal opinion I think they used the '75 car in '76 too. ENGINE - this does not prove anything, but as far as I am aware the original engine on "6466" was an "LY" Crossflow, and possibly on the Nissan "ECGI" injection system. I believe that when the car passed into the hands of privateer rally driver Chris Sclater he used it with both the original engine and then a more normal L-26 bored up to 2.8 or 2.9 and with 50mm Mikuni carbs. It will be interesting to see what engine the car has now. BODY - again, they would have modified the car for Le Mans - so this does not necessarily mean anything, but ALL of the Works Rally Zs had a "Flat Floor" at the rear. The spare-wheel well was removed and a ribbed panel was fitted flush with the surrounding floor. This enabled a much larger fuel tank to be used - initially a 100 Litre tank ( just like the PS30-SB tank ) and then a 110 litre tank. Later still, I believe a 120 Litre tank was also used. These big tanks and their flat floor are one of the things that quickly identifies Works competition Z cars. It would be also interesting to look for evidence of Rally jacking point mountings, Sump Guard mountings, and evidence of the "Works" type roll cage - with two vertical bars from the roof hoop down to the floor. These were bolted, not welded into the car. However, I would have thought that the Le Mans regulations would have forced them to modify this. Look for evidence of the fuel-filler in a cutout on the rear hatch, with a "Monza" style flip-down filler cap in a kind of box. The original fuel filler on "6466" was this type - unlike the earlier Works 240Z Rally cars which used the original location. They also changed the venting for the fuel tank, by putting vents in the acrylic glass of the quarter window. All the plastic windows on the Works cars were stamped with a small "NISSAN" logo on the interior side. Apart from that, check just about EVERYTHING else!!! The current owner might believe it to be the ex-"6466" body, or he might not. The car might have been re-shelled after the accident in '76, and in fact the '75 Le Mans car might not have actually been "6466" at all ( but I believe it WAS an ex-Works Rally 240Z, rather than a 260Z ). This is like a Chinese puzzle, but it is fascinating.................... Sorry for the usual long-winded post. HS30-H.

Hi Guus and hi Rodd, Well Guus, I AM single ( but "shacked up" ) so you can't really marry me - but what colour hair do you have????!!!! Nah, even if you marry me I won't give you the parts...... Seriously though, those Kobe Seiko Rally Mag replicas are REALLY expensive in Japan. I guess you are using Euros in Holland now, but in Pounds Sterling they work out at £300 EACH. That's the RETAIL price in Japan too - so you need to add the cost of shipping and duty too. That makes for a very exclusive set of wheels - but if you are aiming at making an accurate replica of the Monte Carlo car then I guess nothing else will do....... just don't look my way if you want cheap prices. Its just as expensive for me too. The prices of parts on my ZG made my hair turn grey and then start falling out. I shall pick up on this with you privately - thanks for your e-mail address. Rodd! Thanks for the posts about the Le Mans cars, and glad to hear that you are also into the Works rally cars. Did you actually know that Nissan also still own the '73 Safari rally-winning car? They hardly ever show it ( it is in pretty-much the same condition as it finished the Rally ) and they keep it in Yokohama with the other two cars that they had on show at the NISMO HQ in December.Maybe one day they will make a proper museum, and you can get to see your favourite-ever Z in the flesh. I have not seen that Fujimi kit of the '76 Le Mans car before ( despite having a lot of their other Z kits that I have never made ) and was interested to see that they made the kit without the aerodynamic front end on it - but with all the "overfenders" and the big rear wing. Notice also the BMW CSL "Batmobile" style mini-spoiler above the rear hatch glass. Very interesting. Wonder why it was not as accurate as it should have been? Thanks for the pictures of "6466" in Works rally car guise ( as driven by Harry Kallstrom ). I have some other photos of the car too. This car was a full-house,close to final development of the Works rally cars - with Injected "LY" Crossflow engine, 110 Litre fuel tank, vented rear disc brakes and the big diff. It was driven by Kallstrom on the '74 TAP Rally in Portugal, and then by Cahal Curley in the '74 RAC Rally in UK. Then it passed into the hands of Englishman Chris Sclater for a semi-Works supported career. PLEASE NOTE THAT AT THIS TIME IT WAS LEFT-HAND-DRIVE. Hence my doubt about the true identity of the car that was entered at Le Mans in '75................. That car seemed to have suddenly been fitted with the whole rear panel from a "240Z" ( including the lights and trim pieces ) and had miraculously changed from LHD to RHD. This makes me wonder if indeed it REALLY WAS "6466" - or if the Japanese registration identity plates had been switched onto an earlier car in order to legalise its entry at Le Mans????? I certainly do not recall hearing that the '75 Le Mans car had rear disc brakes and a fuel-injected "LY" Crossflow engine - which was what "6466" was fitted with in its Rally career. And why would they change the whole rear panel to an earlier type? Surely if it was damaged they would have easily been able to find the correct "260" type panel and lights??? What about the ( if I am indeed right ) conversion from LHD to RHD? Does it make sense? Certainly, Hans Schuller had good contacts with the factory and the Works Rally team staff - so he would have been well connected enough to pick up a "tired" ex-Works rally car and modify it for Le Mans. Schuller did some circuit racing in Japan for the Works team, and was apprently no slouch despite the fact that he was a navigator for Edgar Herrmann. I really wonder whether the '74 Le Mans car was in fact an ex-Works 240Z Rally car - rather than "6466" which was a 260Z. Maybe they needed to pull some kind of switch in order to get the car into its class at Le Mans, and to "give" it the identity of "6466" helped this? The most fascinating thing in all this is to find out what actually happened to "6466" and what was the identity of the seemingly ex-Works 240Z Rally car that they put "6466"s identity on for the Le Mans entry? I was also wondering if the '75 & '76 Le Mans cars were in fact the same car ( this does not seem to be mentioned anywhere ) and if the '76 Le Mans car still exists, despite the sadly fatal crash? If it did exist, it would be possible to pin down its true identity and clear this mystery up somewhat......... Did you guys notice how few of our American friends seem to be interested in the Le Mans and Works Rally cars? I have not noticed many posts from them ( despite Mike starting this thread ) and I wonder if thet are tuning in or not? Is anyone out there?! Hope that you are not bored, because we are having a great time with this....... More on this soon, all the best for now, Alan Thomas ( HS30-H ).

Here's the "office" and Jacking Point;

Guus, Starting to get the hang of my new scanner now. Here are some photos as a taster of the Works Monte Carlo Rally Car at Nismo's HQ back in December. They are the engine bay, Rauno's "office" , and the Jacking Point on the left-hand side sill. You might need to replicate the jacking point for your replica car............... See you again soon, All the best, Alan Thomas ( HS30-H )

Hi Guus, Thanks for your response. That certainly wasn't me that you met at Zandvoort - I was living in Japan in the early '90s. The last time I went to Zandvoort was probably about 1976, but yes I did have a 110 Red '73 UK-spec. 240Z that was pretending to be a Fairlady 240Z with lots of period option stuff ( factory headlamp covers, mesh grille, 8-spoke RS Watanabe wheels, all emblems Japanese-spec. etc. etc. ). That used to be my daily driver, but I sold it on. Regarding the photos of the Works Rally cars that I took at the "Omori Factory" in Tokyo - well, copying 300-odd photos is going to be a pretty arduous task, not to mention expensive. At least half of them are of the Safari car, rather than the Monte car ( although I would have thought you would be interested in both ). Far better for us to narrow down the areas that you are most interested in, so that I can edit it a bit. Bear in mind that they are pretty precious to me, and simply passing all of them on to you will be a bit of a wrench. This kind of thing is not easy to get hold of, and I did a real lot of leg-work ( not to mention spending a lot of money ) to visit Japan and see the cars. Nissan hardly ever lets the "General Public" see them, so short of a "Royal Audience" by command I had to wait until they came on show to all. I will scan up some tasters for you and post them below later tonight. Love those pictures of the Le Mans cars above. I have been trying to understand the truth and all details about those cars for quite a while now. Are both those photos old ones from the period in question? I heard that the second-year car was still in existence in the Poitiers region of France, but it must surely have been rebuilt or re-shelled from the crashed car? I think they were a little creative with their entry for the first year, as the car was described as something different to what its Japanese registration plate number said it was........... Do you know anything about all this? I am trying to establish whether that car really was an ex-Works rally car, and if the two cars that raced at Le Mans in successive years really were in fact one car ( meaning it changed from a 240Z into a 260Z - as I say, I think they were a little creative ). I would love to hear what info. you have, and maybe that would be a good trade for some photos! As for parts for your Monte Carlo Rally replica - what do you need? If you want to go the whole hog it will cost a lot of Yen. I have replicas of the "Rally Mag" wheels that were originally made by Kobe Seiko for Nissan, however they are cast aluminium rather than forged magnesium ( to keep costs down and last longer ). However, they are REALLY expensive - and I mean REALLY. I also have a pair of excellent replicas of the factory bucket seats ( the ones that were manufactured for Nissan by Ikeda Bussan ). The Monte car that you are replicating had a pair of these, but some of the Safari and RAC Rally cars had a reclining version for the navigator. These seats are also MEGA expensive. I also have some hard mechanical parts, such as R200 LSD Diffs. ( 4.1, 4.3, 4.6 & 5.1 available - no 4.8 ) although you will find that the Monte cars on that year had an R180, and these are too easy to break so I don't recommend them. Some of the factory Rally cars used the R192 Diff. ( not the R190 - that is different ) which was fitted to the Z432 and Skyline GT-R - but they are so expensive that there is no point, and you can hardly see it anyway! I have MK63 4-pot front brake calipers, Factory Rally struts / legs ( F & R ), and the Datsun Competition steering wheel. I am making a replica of the 100 Litre fuel tank ( with the corresponding "flat floor" in place of the spare wheel well ) for my project 432R replica - and lots of details on the shell were similar. In fact, you could call some of the factory Rally cars a 432R ( PS30-SB ) shell with an L-series engine installed. In essence, that's what they were - but obviously with all the special Rally bits. Many of the Japanese circuit race parts are shared with the Rally cars. I could go on about all this stuff forever, and bore 99% of the audience to death! If you want to correspond about it, just let me know. Now that I have my new scanner installed ( bought today! ) I can scan a few photos and put them up for you. In the meantime, here's a taster of the Rally Mag wheels and the Ikeda Bussan seat replicas; See you, Alan Thomas ( HS30-H ).

Amen to your list 240znz, I thought from your post about painting the door-surrounds black that you had taken leave of your senses! Seems you had a better idea of what was important all along....... Didn't realise that you actually don't have your mitts on a car yet ( I'm the new boy around here ) - sorry about that. Also thought you were based in the UK ( from your user cp ) but seems you might actually be a kiwi. If you get a Z in the UK will you take it back to NZ? Surely buying a right-hand-drive car in Japan and exporting it to NZ would be easier and cheaper? You would get a better car for about the same money, and Japan is surely nearer to NZ than the UK? Don't be scared about buying a car from Japan; there are plenty out there and there are a real LOT in better condition than most of the ones I see in the UK. Aren't there any good / affordable ones in NZ then? Don't get tempted by the Volvo idea ( unless you get a Z and use the "modern" as a hack ). I used to drive a '73 UK-spec. 240Z as an everyday driver in central London, and just got sick of the damage and vandalism ( mostly parking damage by my neighbours ). Was sad to do it, but ended up buying a "modern" as a hack / parts chaser / shopping car - and the wife doesn't moan about how cold / hot / noisy / bumpy it is! Now that she is happy, the freedom has allowed me to make the Zs more radical, so it paid off in the long run........... Glad to hear that you are not thinking "concours" - as in my experience a few stone-chips and some oil stains are nothing to worry about. I like cars to look as though they are driven, and we all know that that's what these cars are all about. All the best to you, Alan Thomas ( HS30-H ).

Most of the shiny stuff on the S30 series Zs is stainless steel, apart from the bumpers and door handles ( have I forgotten anything else? ). The best thing to do is to have it polished, I think. Personally, I prefer to keep the body and paint pretty much as it was when it came from the factory ( which is difficult enough! ). They look good enough as it is, and any modifications would be better done on the drivetrain and suspension. With cars this old, going through the suspension and driveline to make sure that all joints, bushes and geometry are at least as good as they were when the car was new is one of the most effective ways to get maximum enjoyment from the car. There is a huge temptation to stamp your personality on a particular car by changing something cosmetic, rather than doing what really needs to be done. Its really tempting................. I prefer also to keep any modifications or additions to the car in a "period spirit" - rather than try to make the car perform or look like something built last year. The S30 series Z seems to be loved by what we used to call "customisers" as well as "classic" car enthusiasts, so you can see many variations in taste and fashion in their modifications. But if you look over the period of ten or twenty years or so, you will see that what was cool or fashionable then now looks really bad, and it takes time for it to come back to being cool again. Twenty or thirty years ago candy and metalflake paint jobs would have been pretty cool - but then they were seen as garish and bad taste. Now its all coming back again, and the new TVRs are really turning heads with young people who have never seen these kind of paint effects before. What comes around goes around, and the problem is that by the time you have perfected your look fashion has already moved on and you don't look so cool any more.................. That's why I prefer to keep to "period" spirit modifications, using factory option parts or replicas of them - even down to period tuning stickers. Its fun and a real challenge to get it "right", and you don't have to kid yourself that your car will outperform an R34 GT-R if you just put a little more thought into it. I try to think of my car as something that got stuck in a time warp, and every day is somewhere around 1973. That way I know that I am always aiming for an achievable target. I think that if I think of it as a "classic" car it is better than thinking of it as a canvas for my temporary whims and fancies. I think the owners of some of the more exotic classic machinery have got the right idea. You don't see that many Ferrari GTOs with 19 inch wheels and 35-series tyres on them. What's wrong with a little good taste? Polish 'em!

Don't do it! Why would you want to do it? It will always look bad! You will never be able to maintain it! Quit now while you are ahead! Somebody back me up on this! It's not an early '80's Porsche. Somebody put a straightjacket on that man! Oh well, you can do what you like - but plenty of others have done it before you and 99% of them made a bad job of it. I spent two weeks trying to clean this stuff off of a pair of window frames that I bought and I don't want you to go through that. These things might look OK in a photo, but unless you go the whole hog and disassemble it and then get it all anodised, it will never continue to look as nice as the first day you did it. If you want to do something to your Z, go and do something useful! Change the oil or something. ( hey you guys out there - don't encourage him! )............