v12horse

I know what you guys mean about the whole anti-old Z thingie with other people. Many of my friends just don't understand what I see in the old Z's. They say,"well, the old Z is cool, but you like the new one better, right Ben?." I give them the very serious, "uhhh, no." They just don't get it. They think that I am in love with this aweful looking woman, yet I think they are the ones that are wrong because she is the sexiest of them all. Why are cars always referred to as one of the opposite sex??? Oh well. Anyways, the point at hand is that one of my friends dad's who is a major car buff was ecstatic when he found out that I got the Z. I let him drive it, and in that moment it seemed as if it was 1974 again because he had the Z going 85 mph in third and the mile wide smerk on his face was priceless. Not something I have done, but it is one of the highlights I have had with the car. The car buff said that in 1974 he wanted to get a Z, but they were a little out of his price range at the time, so he bought a bright green X1-9. He loved that car. I know how you guys feel about the whole thing with old Z's and the criticism it gets from "car enthusiasts." Those people should realize that the Z paved the road for sports cars to come, especially for all the Japanese sports cars now because without the influence of the Z, being the first affordable GT sports car for the country, the newer cars may not have existed. This could start many new topics, like, people should know their history? Oh well, keep up the great posts. Regards, Ben

Well said Mark. My apologies. I see that I did stir this thread up a bit, but as you said, we both love the Zcar and the legacy it left behind. From this I only hope that Z enthusiasts such as you, myself, and everyone who loves the Z for that matter to portray the Z as accurately as possible by minusing the falicies that detract from its true history(if that is even possible). I could not agree more with the things that you said Mark. Take care, Ben

mmagnus, I knew what the point of the article was, but in my opinion it was muttled with false information. Also, as far as design, the Z does resemble a bit of a e-type with the long hood and there are some other cues to other cars on parts of the car, but all in all in it is something very unique. The Z may have some european ties, and it was designed with a larger interior to accomodate taller people, but the whole packeage is very Japanese. like I said, stylish, reliable, ergonomical, and compact. Here is a question for you mmagnus. Is the new z or any of the other z's after the first generation worthy of this same treatment in this article? Would non-car enthusiasts still think it was a jag or a prancing horse? I would think not, but I would like to see what you say. The new Z is nice to look at, but I does not remind me of the 1st gen Z at all. People may disagree on this one with me, but I really feel that no matter what Z they make, it will never commemorate the original. Zrush, you say that the z is referred to as the poor mans corvette. I thought that was the opel. Was it the Z too? Also, were all of the sports cars of Japan at the time very small? What about th Toyota 2000gt? Besides its price tag and low production number I don't think it would be referred to as a shoebox. I say this because I have seen one up close, but never sat in one so I could be miskaten. Also, it was made in 1967, not the early 70's. I do agree with you that the Z was ahead of its time. (thought you implied that) Royce, yes the turn signals were not in the valence like the rest of the imports and home market cars for the european spec cars. I believe that the Z on the cover was for a different article. The one for buying a inexpensive sports car at 5000 pounds. I do not have the mag in front of me so I can't tell you right off the bat. Anyways, I am just being an opinionated butt and I am not trying offend anyone. Regards, Ben

Here I am all ready to submit a pic, but this darn mac is not working with me. there is no photoshop and I cannot make the pic small enough with the little edit options it has. Errr. When I can back to school I will use my pc with photoshop. errr. mac. This is a very funny thread. All of you guys and gals have a great sense of humor. I would try to be funny but my picture is not here. Alfa and Gavin, I am pretty young too at 21. How is school going for you guys? Alfa, you are studying to be a dentist correct? Anyways, great thread. I will the post the horrifying soon. Sorry I am so late on the pic. -Ben

Hello Iman, I have a white interior and let me tell you, it is damn near impossible to find parts for. I wouldn't mind getting new door panels and I have never seen any in white, but they are out there. On a better note, the white interior is quite nice looking and it is not hard to keep clean. Take a look at my interior. Oh, and by the way 2manyzs, my carpet is brown and I believe it is original considering that when I purchased the car nothing was replaced, but I am not certain. If you would like more pics just ask. Good luck, Ben

I read the artlicle of the 240z in the classiccar mag today. I found it rather offensive towards the Z to say the least. First of all, the writers went around with this beautiful Z that had the badges taped up and asked people that knew only that a car had four wheels, a few seats, and an engine what they thought of the car. Of course they are going to say something exotic like a Ferrari or a Jag. What they should have done is asked car enthusiasts what they thought of the car compared to other sports cars of the era. Then they had to say that the car was designed by Goertz, the BMW guy. He had less to do with the Z than many think. Nissan put the idea of a sports car on the table in the mid 60's. Goertz designed a car for them, but it never was produced due to how expensive it would be to produce. Matsuo and his team of designers are who should be credited for the design of the Z, not Goertz. Also, many people that do not know much about the Z think that the car is so european. It definately has european influence, but the car is pure Japanese, and I think that is why we all love it whether we know it or not. Its sporty, compact, ergonomical, reliable. etc. Many things european cars of the time did not consist of. The article also talked about how it looked like a million dollars, but did not perform as well as its competitors. Duh, compare it to an e-type or a 365gtb and of course it will be left in the dust. But, compare it to a 911, gt6, mgb, healey, and it will be at the top of its class. All in all, bad article, great pictures of a Z with nice minilite wheels. I don't think that the writers meant wrong when writing the article, but I feel that their information was false. I am not trying to burst anyone's bubble, just laying out my opinion. Regards, Ben

I am with you 2manyZs on the paint, but for 12grand it is a steal for that car. I am a traditionalist when it comes to Z's, but this is probably the cleanest custom Z like this I have seen. What really impressed me about it was the engine compartment. Everything seemed to be set up just right. When I went to the MSA show last year I was talking to the guy that owns this car and he was trying to sell the car for 20grand and no one even asked about the car or even tryed to haggle on the price. Thats the problem with building a trendy custom. I have some good pics of this car in my gallery. I hope it sells. -Ben

I am almost sure that they were repainted. I would have sanded them and painted them grey. The offset is too positive huh? Zero offset is the best? What would be the most positve and negative offset that would look right on a Z? Should the width of the front and rear wheels always be the same? Thanks guys for the input. I will pass on this one. Thanks again, Ben

I really like the dish on these wheels, but he does not know the offset. The lip is about 2" on the rear wheels and 1" on the front. Any opinions on wether these would look good/bad on my Z? Is the offset okay? I think it is, but I would like a second opinion. Thanks, Ben http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33741&item=2442084238

Here is a pic of my rally clock. It is from a 74 and later first gen. Fairlady Z. As you can see, it is a little different than the one that was on ebay. Mine is called a calender clock. There is no stopwatch function, or the need for a oscillating box, but it has the date, thus the "calender clock." I love the rally clocks myself, I don't know why all Z's didn't get them. I think the Japanese wanted to be special. :classic: Regards, Ben http://www.classicZcars.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3771&password=&sort=7&thecat=500

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33704&item=2442783890 here it is. sorry about that guys. -Ben