The first Z pace car

[Alfadog]

Just wanting to add a little info (not something I can do often!) the sedan C110 was also lighter than it's coupe counterpart. I think the extra weight might have been because of some extra strengthing in the side of the hardtop (pillarless) cars so they didn't turn into twisties! (this is a guess!)

According to the owner's manual of C110's in 240K GL trim, sedans were 1,170kg and hardtops 1,180kg. Good to know the GT-R was a little lighter, Jim!

[e_racer1999]

a lot of interesting information here....!

[HS30-H]

I'm betting Alan T has some interesting gems about the race weights of the racing 4 door GT-R and the racing 2 door GT-R.

Its hard to quote race weights for the two different models without having to resort to a little bit of generalisation, as the specs on these cars were changing so rapidly during their race careers that they become 'moving targets'........

But I do have data showing that the Works PGC10 ( 4-door ) race cars were running at around 960kg weight in late '69 and early '70, whereas the Works KPGC10 ( 2-door ) race cars were being tested and developed at around 1045kg in late '70 and early '71.

My "interesting" quote to Gav was hinting at something that is kept fairly quiet to this day. Namely that the first Works GT-Rs were sometimes running somewhat light in comparison to their homologated race weight, and were reputed to have very *special* bodies indeed :tapemouth

Alan T.

[HS30-H]

Getting back on topic a little, here's a pic of one of the Nissan Racing School Z cars that was probably used as a pace car in races at FISCO and Tsukuba during 1971 & 1972.

This is a scan of the part of the front cover of the November 1971 'Sports Option' parts catalogue for the HS30 '240Z' model which had just been released for sale in Japan.

As can be seen, the Nissan Racing School car pictured is sporting the Overfender kit and a chin spoiler.

[HS30-H]

And here is a car appearing to be in a similar spec ( although I can't say for sure if it the same car or not ) carrying out pace car duties at the 'Race De Nippon 6 hours' event at Fuji Speedway on 10th April 1971.

GTS-3 Class and Overall winners of the race were Hasemi and Takahashi in their SCCN 'Works' 240Z, with Miyakodaira and Teranishi in another 240Z following them home in second place.

The photo is not a very good one - but Z pace car photos from Japanese events are pretty hard to come by.........

Alan T.

[EricB]

Alan,

Awesome info!

Not to go off on yet ANOTHER tangent but your pics yield more questions...

How come the Nissan Racing School car pictured above and the racing GT-Rs of the time all have this super elaborate clear fuel tank vent hose snaking all around the back window... Did it really need to be so intricate?

-e

[HS30-H]

Eric,

I asked that question a long time ago, and was told that the regulations for most of these JAF regulated races stipulated a minimum length of breather pipe for the 100 litre endurance tanks.

I think it is safe to say that they made them that long for a purpose. When the regulations forced them to use bag tanks inside alloy housing a bit later, the breathers seem not to have been necessary any more. The regs changed pretty quickly in the early Seventies.

Just as a little bit of a fun diversion ( and at the risk of going off my own topic ) here's another Japanese race pic featuring a pace car. Unfortunately, its not a Z pace car - but considering the cars behind the pace car are 'on topic', and the fact that the Porsche 906 in the group got beaten outright by a Works 240Z ( tee hee ) , I thought I'd post it anyway.........

Alan T.

[EricB]

I've got pics from that race too... Let me guess, the 906 lost because of its exccessive fuel consumption & thus more time spent in the pits.... hare and the tortoise anyone? that would be my $0.02.

-e

[HS30-H]

Or the Porsche driver wasn't actually all that good a driver in comparison to the guys in 'lesser' cars? I think fuel consumption should have been similar, if not actually in the favour of the Porsche. Only a 2-litre remember.

All joking apart, that 906 should have walked it. It was a purpose-built race car, and the Z should not have been able to keep up had they both been prepared and driven to their maximum potentials.

Kitano beat it, and he was one of Japan's all-time best. That was probably enough on the day.

[HS30-H]

Found another pic of one of the Nissan Racing School cars carrying out Pace Car duties.

This time its a Formula Junior / 'FL500' single-seater race in July 1972:

[HS30-H]

And another couple:

First up, a 432 ( probably the one of the same Nissan Racing School cars again ) pacing one of the Grand Champion series races at FISCO in mid 1972 ( a rare colour shot ).

Second, a view from the outside of the first corner banking at FISCO looking back down the main pit straight at another 1973 Grand Champion Series field of sports prototypes with a gaggle of Works and privateer GT2 class Z cars behind them. All these being led round by a Z pace car wearing the ZG/ZR aero body kit. Probably another one of the Nissan Racing School / SCCN cars.

Enjoy.

[Alfadog]

I love the shot of the 432 pace car at FISCO Alan. It looks like it has some kind of lip on the front valence on both sides? Was this a detail of the Z I did not notice or did they have to bend it out a little for the wheels... or something else?

Anyway, thanks for sharing!!