Z - 35 Years of Nissan's Sports Car

[bpilati]

Anyone else get this book. I just got my copy today. John Morton wrote the initial Forward. John Morton is a racing hero in the Z world and others. I've never met John Morton. Here is a single paragraph of what he wrote...

"After a brief drive, the evaluation became direr. The car was very soft and had a lot of squat under acceleration. The handling felt more like that of an American car, not a potential race-winning sports car. This wasn't going to be so easy."

There was a lot more and it didn't all sound like this, but I am upset at these words. I'm still stunned by those words. :hurt:

[LanceM]

Well if I had been driving a race prep'd 911 and jumped into a stock 70 240Z and threw it around the track once I probably would have said the same thing. The BSR cars were a far cry from stock, and look what everyone does these days just to their street cars... I don't believe that the 240Z of the time was designed to directly compete with say the 911, if it had the price would have been closer to the 911's and the handling and performance would have been too.

Just my $.02...

[bpilati]

Thanks for the support there Lance. It's really great to have the Forward of a book dedicated to the Z say it was basically a piece of $^!#, and handled like an American car.

I'm so inspired.

[montoya_fan01]

John M. said the very same things in a talk he gave at the ZONC All Datsun meet at Blackhawk museum in 2004. No one in the audience seemed to be upset or offended by his words.

[Arne]

And remember that the US market 240Z had different suspension tuning than Z's for other markets. It was SUPPOSED to handle more like an American car.

And of course, it didn't, not really. But like Lance said, in contrast to the cars that John was used to driving...

[zman525]

evolution.... as cars are out longer they become more advanced in certain areas. Maybe the 1970 Z had a rough handling compared to a 72 or 73 (both being totally stock). then again, he is a racer. I dont know, but hes prolly used to like what lance said, race prepped 911's. I find it kind of complementing having competition with a totally stock first generation Z to a much evolved 911.

[bpilati]

Of course no one would be offended when the Z god speaks. He didn't say, American sports car or a poor handling sports car, he said American car. A Cadillac Fleetwood is an American car. Forget it, I'm the idiot here, what do I know. For $3500 I guess it should have come in like a Ferrari, but it came in like a wallowing hog as I've heard on this very board. I guess the 510 he raced was like driving an F100.

[zman525]

im not dissin or saying anyones stupid man... im just sayin its the first generation of the Z. I hate to see ppl raggin on the Z just as much as you do, and i honestly dont like that he said that, im just facing facts. I highly doubt and Z (modified or not) would ever handle like a cadillace fleetwood or a chrylser new port. Maybe he was referring to american as the corvette or mustang. who knows when someone says american car it doesnt really narrow it down at all

[bpilati]

zman, it's the Forward of a historical book. It's permanent, it can't be changed. How the hell could anyone write something so damn sloppy, unless they really meant it. I would never have written it like that, at least out of politeness. For crying out loud, Z owners are the audience and buyers of this book. No of course it isn't or wasn't the best performing car he ever drove, but to put that stuff in a book that Z car lovers are going to buy is low. I'm thinking some other words, but out of respect for his stature I'll refrain.

[zman525]

yah good point, i understand what you mean now. Its not a book of comparison its a book about Z's.

[montoya_fan01]

So, because of the perceived audience for the book John should have written something thqat he didn't believe was true? Bull$hit! You are taking this way too seriously. It's not like he called YOU a name.

Sure you wouldn't have phrased it like he did, you wouldn't (maybe even COULDN'T)have driven like it he did either. He's EARNED the right to say whatever he wants to say about it. Afterall it's from HIS perspective, not yours, mine, theirs, or anybody else's.

[bpilati]

What are you, his agent? You certainly have a right to your opinion, don't you? Wasn't Datsun good to him in return, yeah I thought so. You're one of the coarsest people I've seen here, you got a hair stuck somewhere?