FILMS "Road test in the U.S. & CANADA Oct-Dec 1969"

[kats]

Thank you Jim , Carl , Chris.

My dream is,drive my 240Z(or Z432 ,or both) in the U.S. with my son from L.A. to Florida!! But wait, it is a very cool to trace the test drive routing.

Carl,how about 00006 and 00007 ? Are they imported at same time 20th Dec 1969?

And many of american people's curious, where are 00009 to 00015 now ?

I did lots of posts, it is unusual:classic:

kats

[Mike B]

I'm glad you posted the map, Kats. Some day we must organize a road trip for all Zs to take on this journey!

I've done the Portland to Vancouver leg already :classic:, but I don't think I would attempt the Northern portion during the winter like they did.

-Mike

[Carl Beck]

My dream is,drive my 240Z(or Z432 ,or both) in the U.S. with my son from L.A. to Florida!! But wait, it is a very cool to trace the test drive routing.

Hi Kats:

I would recommend taking the test drive routing North, loop though Canada as they did - it is beautiful driving country!! Then back into the States, and take the Northern route across the top of the USA, come down around the Great Lakes into Ohio (land of beautiful water) and head South though the mountains into Georgia (with stop in Atlanta) and on down to Florida.

Plan your trip at the end of Sept to the first part of Aug. It gets cool early in the Northern part of the US and lower part of Canada. By the end of Aug. it is possible to run into heavy snow in the mountain passes.

No offense to the people in AZ, NM, TX, LA... but that route is shall we say less interesting, less green, and boringly flat..

Carl,how about 00006 and 00007 ? Are they imported at same time 20th Dec 1969?

I believe that the Notes from the Test Crew - means the Test Crew arrived back at NMC by the 20th of Dec. - to find the first car with the improved parts was already there.

HLS30 0008 was the Cover Car for Road and Track Magazine - and it was on display at the 1969 SCCA Run Off's by Nov.26th

Every indication I've ever found - from the people involved and press coverage etc indicated that all three of the Press Cars arrived just after the middle of Oct. 69. So they must have been flown in from Japan.

The first ship to arrive in L.A. with 20 Z Cars included in the shipment, arrived in late Jan. 1970. That is where BRE got their first Datsun 240-Z.

And many of american people's curious, where are 00009 to 00015 now ?

I did lots of posts, it is unusual:classic:

kats

Cars 0009 though 00015 - no one really knows for sure yet. Since the mid-70's there have been "stories" or "urban legends" about them. The most usual is that they were sent to Canada for further cold weather testing, or that they were the cars used for the US's Safety crash testing and certification programs. Some people belive that they were given to some of the private race teams like 0008 was.

According to the Nissan Parts Catalogs HLS30-00013 was the first sold to the public. I have been in contact with people that claim to have seen it. One person sent me a picture, but I couldn't see the VIN. That person wrote to tell me that his friend had the car then sold it. So it is "possible" that 00013-00015 are out there, but so far we've never been able to track them down. (I've been looking since 1974).

FWIW,

Carl B.

[geezer]

According to the Nissan Parts Catalogs HLS30-00013 was the first sold to the public. I have been in contact with people that claim to have seen it. One person sent me a picture, but I couldn't see the VIN. That person wrote to tell me that his friend had the car then sold it. So it is "possible" that 00013-00015 are out there, but so far we've never been able to track them down. (I've been looking since 1974).

FWIW,

Carl B.

The Glenn Mitchell Collision Estimator for the 1970 240Z is based on information derived from Nissan. Have you ever noticed the VIN for 1970? Can anything be made of this? They claim that actual cars are used to arrive at the time estimates given. Even if the fate of HLS30-00013 is never found we may at least know the engine number.

[hls30.com]

Hi Kats:

I would recommend taking the test drive routing North, loop though Canada as they did - it is beautiful driving country!! Then back into the States, and take the Northern route across the top of the USA, come down around the Great Lakes into Ohio (land of beautiful water) and head South though the mountains into Georgia (with stop in Atlanta) and on down to Florida.

...

Carl B.

Kats,

I am with Carl on this one with one slight change...

Savannah is 4 hours from Atlanta...so let me know when you are headed that way!

Cut over to A1A (the coastal Highway) in Fla, and take it part of the way, the water changes color very abruptly with proximity to the gulfstream. If you are in Florida and traveling and everything is just right, it is something to see the line meandering right off the beach. I have seen it twice-purely from the size and clear division between brown water and clear emerald green this should be one of the wonders of the world!!

Will

[Carl Beck]

The Glenn Mitchell Collision Estimator for the 1970 240Z is based on information derived from Nissan. Have you ever noticed the VIN for 1970? Can anything be made of this? They claim that actual cars are used to arrive at the time estimates given. Even if the fate of HLS30-00013 is never found we may at least know the engine number.

Hi Ron:

Thanks - I'd never seen that. The Data Plate looks like a photograph.. and the source is credited to Nissan.. We have a pretty good idea that the car was produced -the question still remains as to it ever having been sold to the public or retained by NMC USA. Perhaps for the US Federal Governments destructive crash tests.. Regular production cars had to be used for the MVSS certifications..

Very interesting nonetheless

FWIW

Carl B.

[geezer]

Carl, I have only seen a handful of these individual sections of the Mitchells Estimator and I only have the 12 page section covering the 1970 Sports 240Z, but they all provide a VIN of the particular car being covered. I did not know if they were ficticious VINs used for illustration purposes or actual VINs of the vehicles used, for remove & replace time estimates. A complete catalog may have more information in that regard. Don't quote me on the exact name, but this is the 1970 Foriegn Estimator Guide, which was geared solely for use in the US. The company is still in operation today and has branched out considerably into other venues, since their beginnings in 1946. Perhaps, if contacted they could elaborate on the questions we have, but then again the company has changed hands a few times and like so many companies today, may not have any desire to reach back into the past.

http://company.monster.com/mitch/

[Poindexter]

Thank you Jim , Carl , Chris.

My dream is,drive my 240Z(or Z432 ,or both) in the U.S. with my son from L.A. to Florida!! But wait, it is a very cool to trace the test drive routing.

*snipped*

kats

Hi Kats. I would go on this voyage on any day, at any time! I've driven across the US 3 times and loved every second of it. Have you driven much in the US, and ever in a Z car?

Thanks for those fantastic videos! There are some amazing pieces of hardware to connect video to a computer and create a file- if you have not done so already. I mention this so you can save these rare tapes digitally, as videotape starts to go bad after several years.

@Carl- what about driving the "Tail of the Dragon"? Have you (or anyone)ever done it? It would be a great stop along the long way. It could be worth a thread by itself.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Poindexter

[FilipeA]

HI Kats

Nice videos, keep up the good work. As told before, I would pay to have a CD or Dvd with all videos.

Thanks

Filipe

[Mike B]

The Glenn Mitchell Collision Estimator for the 1970 240Z is based on information derived from Nissan. Have you ever noticed the VIN for 1970? Can anything be made of this? They claim that actual cars are used to arrive at the time estimates given. Even if the fate of HLS30-00013 is never found we may at least know the engine number.

Ron, the images and data plate for HLS30-00013 are from the Nissan Parts Catalog. These are the pages from the 11/69 edition.

-Mike

pg0007.pdf

pg0008.pdf

[Carl Beck]

@Carl- what about driving the "Tail of the Dragon"? Have you (or anyone)ever done it? It would be a great stop along the long way. It could be worth a thread by itself.

Hi Poindexter:

For SURE... with the right routing coming from Ohio South.. you could do the Tail.

Here is picture from one of the Annual ZDayz in Fontana, NC. Large Z Car Meets there, along with my white 72 at one of the scenic stops along the Tail.

It's beautiful scenery and wonderful driving in a Z just getting there and going home..

http://www.zdayz.com/

FWIW,

Carl B.

[geezer]

Ron, the images and data plate for HLS30-00013 are from the Nissan Parts Catalog. These are the pages from the 11/69 edition.

-Mike

I don't have that parts catalog Mike and hadn't seen that. Mine just shows the data plate with XXXXs and must be a revised, later copy. It is undated.