daddz

TomoHawk, Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into that shortly. I was also looking into the thin fiberglass bumpers that Motorsport Auto was selling a few years back. Ideally I would like to acquire a 240ZG similar to the one that Alan has in the U.K.

That would be a 74.5 260Z with the bad carburettors and heavy bumpers. At least the '75 280Z had the fuel injected L28 to offset the additional weight added by those big arse bumpers. One of these days I plan on converting my 280Z's to the early chrome bumpers of the 240Z. It should provide a weight savings of about 115lbs. (later ''77 and '78 style bumpers) with all of the shock absorbers removed. The '74.5 -'76 bumpers are little bit heavier still! When those bumpers were still available the back bumper for a '77/'78 was listing for more than $600!

Michael, I disagree with the 350ZX moniker. The new Z was not experimental (where the 280ZX got its name) and it definitely does not have an over abundance of luxury gewgaws like my '82 280ZX and/ or my '86 300ZX (and those are base models--no t-tops or leather and digital packages). My 350Z is also a base model and it is stiffly sprung and has a cloth interior. Except for the power windows/door locks/power steering it is very reminscent of the experience I get from driving my '78 280Z (equipped w/ Tokico Illuminas and Tokico springs set on 3 front and rear). I would invite you to take one for a test drive and forget what the outside looks like. I think you would like the power delivery and the ability the car has to brake traction in the 2/3 upshift. Not since I owned an '88 Toyota Supra Turbo have I experienced the surge from one gear to the next. For the price the base model is the better deal without all of the DVD bs.

Alan, I thought you would get a chuckle out of the ad. In any case I do agree that he is a bit of a dreamer considering the asking price and non-original condition of the vehicle. As big as London is that would be a tough vehicle to hide .

Alan, Have you ever spotted this Z in London? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2455225905&category=18238

Way too go! That's great news for you and your Z. I bet you'll be getting some Classic Car insurance real soon. It's only costing about $80.00 annually for $5000 agreed upon value coverage with 3000 miles/ year. That and the use of your club should insure that you have many more years with her.

Did anyone happen to see the four Callaway Corvettes that were purchased by one gentleman? He spent $685,000 for all four cars and in an earlier segment he had purchased an older Corvette for more than $100,000! This was really a Chevy and Hot Rod auction as far as record prices were concerned with a few Hemi powered vehicles doing holding their own. Just think that on top of the purchase price the buyer and seller each have to cough up 8% commission to Barrett-Jackson. The comment by Brock Yates regarding Japanese cars was offensive given his position with Car and Driver and as a journalist at large. He stated that "there are too many Japanese cars for them to be considered collectible". I fired off an email that argued the point and at least the announcers did mention that they had received alot of emails but, they still asserted that you can "check the value in the Blue Book and see if a loan oculd be had"; WTF? Honestly, do they think that someone would be going to an auction to spend $400,000 for a hot rod Lincoln and then attempt to get a loan for it? If they were looking for low production Japanese cars then look at the following: 1990 Mazda RX7 GTUs 1988 Nissan 300ZX Turbo SE (1000 produced) 1979 Datsun 280ZXR (1000 produced) 1984 Nissan 300ZX Turbo A.E. 1988 Mazda RX7 10th Anniversary 1978 Datsun 280Z Black Pearl 1980 Datsun 280ZX 10th A.E. Granted these cars on their best day still wouldn't be $50,000 cars but, give them time. Once all of the old farts and muscle car crazies get too old to drive and/or have to buy Long Term Care Insurance watch the values start to level off a bit. The generation that once thought T-buckets were the "it" cars have now but all died off.

Mr Camouflage, I like your photoshopped 350Z as it is close to what I had hoped for. The longer hood and truncated tail recall the overall proportions of the S30. I would like to see a modern E-type, Toyota 2000GT, Ferrari 250, 275, Daytona re-introduced to the world. I also prefer mesh type wheels but, nobody seems to make that style anymore either.

Wow! The car does seem to generate alot of strong opinions and rightfully so. I own such a beast, a 2003 Base model finished in Brickyard Red. The car and I have covered a bit over 13,000 miles and it is very similar in feel to my '78 280Z (most like HLS30456240-- the car that I rescued from Datsun Dynamics) which has Tokico Illumina struts and Tokico springs (set on 3 front/rear with an engine that has been fully balanced and bored .020 over with an HKS 12lb. flywheel). If you don't like the creature comforts that crept in with the 280Z ('75 through '78) then you probably won't like the 350Z. It is a stiff ride without being jiggly and it corners fairly quickly albeit with a bit of noticeable lean. If you have piloted a Miata, the steering is similar. It has alot of headroom and good footwell room ( I am about 6'1"). The HVAC controls and the radio conrols are well placed. Mechanically speaking the oil changes are a cinch (I can't imagine paying/entrusting someone to perform that simple task) and the engine has a timing chain (I wish my '86 300ZX hardtop had a chain instead of that timing belt) and most things are easily accessible (battery, radiator, clutch master cylinder, brake master cylinder). I based my purchase on both brand loyalty and personal experience with the Z car family. I wanted to explore the new car purchase experience with a Z car as my father had done 25 years ago with his Z. I have been pleased on both counts so far. The only generation of Z that I haven't owned yet is the Z32. I think that I would like to acquire a hardtop Z32 at some point. At some point I would invite all of you Z enthusiasts to at least test drive a 350Z. Even though the styling could have been better I still enjoy the car on other levels. My ideal "new" Z would have been an S30 Datsun Z with skinny bumpers, covered headlights, an RB26DETT or RB26DE for base models. I applaud Porsche for sticking with a 40 year old design that has been continually updated over the decades.

Rob, Welcome from yet another Rob! I remember seeing your car in that book as well. Is the black paint original or was the car repainted? The wheels look like Wolfrace? With the Webasto sunroof opened to the warm and sunny English countryside , you're sure to catch a few crumpets. Enjoy, Rob Alan, I usually get teased quite a bit for remembering specific cars in a given area over a given period of years by my friends. The joke is that "I haven't owned that one yet", and thus I must keep track of them as potential purchases.

Victor, That is a damn shame; what spineless bastard would steal another man's pride and joy has serious problems. Hope someone ventilates the perpitrator's skull. I sincerely hope that you had a classic car insurance policy for your pride and joy. This would be a good oppurtunity for us to look at our insurance on our respective classic Datsun's. I live on the East Coast and I was surprised at the level of coverage that can be had for almost no money. In my situation $5000 agreed upon value coverage with 3000 miles a year only cost about $75.00. In any case, I hope that your car is located with a minimum amount of time/frustration/damage.

Symon, Here in the 'states Nissan has a database entitled "Nissan Service Comm" which when fed a VIN# going back to '84 will give you the exact production date (mm/dd/yyyy), the factory whre assembled (i.e. Hiratsuka, Oppama), the original selling dealer's name and address as well as the PDI date, the in-service date and the retail date. I was assisting another Z car owner with his quest for info. regarding an '83 280ZX and he was able to contact Nissan in California and they were able to get that information for him form a microfiche. I am not sure that information for us S30 owners is or was ever recorded. In Europe and more specifically Great Britain the Datsun distributors seem to have kept detailed records on the S30 cars. Good luck with your quest.

Thanks to mmagnus for posting the link; the website is pretty well organized. I have been purchasing copies of this magazine (I think it was formerly "Thoroughbred and Classic Cars"?) as well as Classic and Sportscar since the early '90's. It is interesting to read the European perspective with regard to the Z cars from 1970 onwards and especially now that the cars have attained "classic" status. datto, Ben was correct in stating that a proper E-type Jag would blow off an early 240Z. By 1969 the E-type was reduced to a reasonably quick car but, not in the same vain as an early Series 1 XKE. To compare a '69 XKE, a proper frame of reference might be a 280ZX 2+2! In having a 3.8 or 4.2 Inline 6 capable of producing 265bhp (SAE gross) attached to a body that weighed between 2464 and 2600lb with a final drive ratio of 4.17 you can rest assured that a stock 240Z wouldn't have a chance.

I vote for a trip to Paris!

I just checked the Celica this past weekend and it has a mixture of headlights however, it still had one "cursive Toshiba" and it is in great working order. I had to replace a parking light bulb and it was a Koito!

The final bid was .....$3,000.00! Jesus, that means the value of any decent Z car just went up like the overpriced real estate here in D.C.! Check this link out and see for yourself: http://www.dat.state.md.us/ (just search under the link "Real Property Data Search" and then pick a county and enter in any street name in Maryland) That rear quarter looked familiar and I checked an old Z catalog and wouldn't you know it; Jim Cook Racing had that piece for sale in the 1990 catalog (it was pictured on a black 280ZX) for about $200.00.

I recall this story froma couple of years ago; it has all the makings of good/bad movie. This reminds me somewhat of the Jaguar E-type that was owned by a gentleman on the West Coast and upon his passing a few years back his family had the car auctioned off and it now enjoys a new career in vintage racing. The E-type was originally raced at Sebring and subsequently sold through Ken Qvale in Ca. The buyer had it registered for the street and then parked the car and while going through a nasty divorce he sanded down a few spots on the car to bare aluminum and then coated the car in duck oil where it sat undisturbed for about thirty years. After the car sold at auction for about 1 million US it was transported back to England and brought back to life by Lynx (E-type specialists). The article appeared in Classic and Sportscar. Check out this article written by Martin Buckley: http://www.lynxmotors.co.uk/cc0499.htm

:classic: Smokey, I would be inclined to believe that he has the records; when I bought the car that is the subject of my avatar from the original owner I too requested the records once I decided to not part the car out. He supplied all records going back to 1980 (1978-1980 still missing) within two weeks of purchasing the car. Keep the faith as the car is in such great condition.

Alan, Sorry to hear of your bad luck. It must be in the air this week as my friend had two of his cars broken into. To make matters worse he lives in off-base military housing! Both his '00 Mustang GT and his '76 280Z were vandalized by some idiot thugs. The Mustang is the worse off as they had punched a hole in the sheetmetal just under the door lock. It's a shame because the Mustang up unitl now had flawless black paint and barely more than 20,000 miles. The Z fared better as only the lock cylinders were damaged. Once inside the idtios found nothing to their liking and just tossed the interior. Hopefully as things happen they will get what's coming to them in the end much like the arse that damaged your Alfa.

Brett, I have a friend that has been modifying my shift levers for years on my S30's. If you don't have welding skills (like myself) just take the shiftlever to a welding shop (an exhaust shop will do) and have them cut the lever and thereby remove about 1.5" and grind down the top and bottom pieces to a point and then have the pieces welded back together. This will preserve your stock threads (to re-attach the shift knob) and it will also give you a chance to replace the shiftlever bushings if you haven't done so already. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results

Alan, Absolument! You never cease to amaze with the encyclopedic knowledge that you possess! So the rumor regarding the type of car is questionable? Was the soundtrack an accurate portrayal of a Ferrari V12 or was that a fakery? There was a piece of that film viewable on the internet for a period of time but, I have been unable to find it. I suppose the owner to the copywright was none too pleased. Would you happen to remember what year that film was produced? I am curious because after Steve McQueen's film "LeMans" some of those camera angles began to appear in more mainstream films. Instead of the static by the roadside angles cameras began to be attached to vehicles in ever more creative ways. I guess I will just go back to watching the Victor Memorial Car Series :classic: