S30Z Fairlady

[MajorBludd]

Hi im new here.... i dont own a Z, but im a fellow nissan owner.

i have bin doing some serching and can't find any info in english if there are any differences between the S30Z Fairlady and the North American 240z ? other than its right hand drive.

thanks

[HS30-H]

Actually, it depends what you really mean by your question. If you are asking the difference between the Japanese ( Home ) market Z cars, and the North American / USA export-spec. cars, then you have to refine your question to WHICH type of S30 Fairlady Z you are comparing to.

From the viewpoint of the Japanese, your question asks the difference between ONE type or variant of the S30 ( the "USA" or North American export version of the HLS30, as opposed to the European export version of the HLS30 ) and ALL the other versions. These other versions include the PS30, PS30-SB, S30-S, S30 base model, HS30 and HS30-H etc etc.

The point being that there are LOTS of versions of the "S30" type Z, and from the Japanese viewpoint ALL of the cars are in fact S30-type Fairlady Z cars. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that the USA / North American export version is in any way the "definitive" or base version that all the other derivatives come from................. Quite the opposite in fact.

What I suspect you need to know is what the differences are between the S30 and S30-S Fairlady Z and Fairlady ZL. and the USA / North American HLS30 "240Z" - am I right?

Unless you are getting confused and asking about the PS30 and PS30-SB ( Fairlady Z432 and Fairlady Z432-R ) with the S20 twin-cam engine?

Main difference was the engine size of course, and the fact that the Japanese had a choice of base or luxury spec. ( giving improved trim and detailing and a five-speed trans ) up until late 1971, when they got even MORE choice with the introduction of the L24 engine to the Z range. There was a HUGE range of trim and drivetrain choices available to the Japanese, whereas everybody else pretty much had just one choice.................

Best to buy a good book to wade through all this information. I recommend "Fairlady to 280Z" by Brian Long ( pubished by VELOCE ) which you should easily be able to find online at a site like Amazon. This is one of the only books in the English language that goes into depth about the Japanese home market versions as well as everything else.

Highly recommended reading.

Good luck,

Alan.

[MajorBludd]

Thansk i see that i need to do alot of reading, ill keep my eye open for that book.

[dohc]

"These other versions include the PS30, PS30-SB, S30-S, S30 base model, HS30 and HS30-H etc etc. "

Further to the above quote, was the GRS30 merely the Australian version of all of this? and is this code usually displayed before the build number ie GRS00004564 (or something similar)??

Thanks,

Ross.

[HS30-H]

The GRS30 was the factory designation for the 2+2.

"G" = 2+2

"R" = L26 engine

"S30" = Model designation ( yes, it too is an S30..... )

This model was called the "260Z 2+2" for the export market, and being right hand drive ( no "L" prefix on the chassis designation ) makes it a relatively rare variant of the S30.

Yes, the "GRS30" is the first part of the chassis number, and the actual number of the car comes after it. This is stamped on the firewall as well as being on the chassis plate.

I did not mention anything about the RS30 series in my original post ( that would have made it even more complicated! ), but of course they too are part of the S30 series................

As an Australian-market export version, your car is very similar to the UK-market export version. However, there was no actual designation on the chassis numbers to indicate a particuar market version. For example all of the first series S30 left hand drive export versions had the chassis prefix "HLS30" - but this did not differentiate between USA / North American market versions ( mostly 4-speed ) and the European left hand drive market version ( mostly five speed ). This can lead to confusion at the very least!

In Australia, the first S30 series cars to be imported were all prefixed "HS30", and were very similar to the UK-market export version "HS30" apart from a very few small details ( like lighting regulation compliance, for one ).

Further factory-designated model identification came from the chassis SUFFIX - but that was not indicated anywhere on the actual body of the car. It was usually only on the paperwork of the car, and this was mainly used in Japan ( on the registration documents and the bill of sale ). For example, the factory code for the "Fairlady 240Z" ( available in Japan from October 1971 ) was "HS30", and the "Fairlady 240ZG" ( also available from October 1971 ) was also "HS30". However, the Fairlady 240ZG was actually called an "HS30-H" by the factory, and it does not appear on the chassis number or anywhere else on the car - only on the official paperwork that came with the car. If you know where and what to look for, you can find some "secret" factory codes on the cars that were involved in the build process, but by and large it is only on the original paperwork.

Fascinating and sometimes confusing!....................

[dohc]

Thanks for that HS30-H! That explains why one of my 260Z's shows "2 + 2 GRS Sports Auto" on the compliance plate.

Do you know what options where possible on Australia/UK delivered vehicles? (Trim, Carbies etc) The two 260Z's, although they look the same have all manner of differences between them. Everything from fairly major reworking of back interior panels to electircal changes and extra lights! .... All very interesting

Cheers!

Ross.

[HS30-H]

Hi Ross,

I am no expert on the GRS30, but as far as I am aware both the Australian and UK market customers pretty much had to take whatever came with the particular model and colour they chose.

And I don't think it was possible to walk into a Nissan dealership and order up a particular paint and trim colour combination either, at least not in the first few years of production.

It might well have been possible to reserve a particular body style ( say, 2+2 rather than 2 seater ) and a particular colour, but I do not think that the factory would "make" that car for the particular order. There was not such a big body range and colour / trim choice - so the dealer would probably just earmark something that he knew was already on the boat................

Certainly the UK market was run this way, and I bet the Australian market was similar. The USA / North American dealers might have pretended that they had more power over what arrived from Japan - but I guess in reality it was much more anarchic!

The only market that got a PROPER choice of model / engine / trans / diff / colour / trim colour was the "home" ie Japanese market. They also had the "Accessories" option list to choose from ( spoilers, fog lamps, bumper over-riders etc etc ) as well as the really fascinating and extensive Sports / Competition Options lists to choose from. The Nissan "Sport Corner" dealerships could supply and fit these to the customer's cars.

Of course, the local dealerships in the specific territories could choose to supply locally-sourced accessories ( such as driving lamps, sports wheels etc etc ) but these would not normally be officially-sanctioned option parts.

Don't ask me about the trim or options on your particular car, as I would be pretty sure that it just had the particular differences that were current on that model / year / month / day of production - as the factory tended to phase different specs. and parts in gradually. This means that it is possible to see cars with chassis serial numbers OLDER than other cars, but which were actually built with parts that belong on YOUNGER cars!

The whole thing is very difficult to pin down.............

Good luck,

Alan.

[dohc]

Thanks for that Alan, it's all very interesting the bits and pieces you see around on the roads and the history behind it!

Cheers,

R.

[Surfsup]

good luck on youre find. you were just like me . but i bought one . just be patient and dedicated. =)