Z cars at the Concours

[HS30-H]

Fred,

The L24 engined Z models were introduced in October 1971 and dropped from late 1973 onwards in the Japanese market. Nissan tried the L26 in a few Z cars ( 'Fairlady 260Z' ) for the Japanese market at the end of 1973, but they struggled to pass new emissions standards at the same time as running well with aircon, and were all recalled. So basically the Japanese market only had L20A / L20AE engined S30 and S31-series Zs from late 1973 right up until the debut of the S130-series Z in 1978.

The car above would definitely have left the factory with a two litre 'L20AE' engine.

[26th-Z]

I concur. The 1971 brochure you picked up, Fred, would have listed the export (HS30) Fairlady 240Z and ZL equipped with the 2.4 liter engine but not the home market S30 for the 1972 model year. Another source "know for sure" would be Brian Long with his publication; "Datsun Z - From Fairlady to 280Z", Veloce Publishing 1998. I would be willing to bet that the owner is not aware that his engine is the 2.0 liter and is assuming, (because 240Zs came with 2.4 liter engines - right?) that his car has a 2.4 liter. I wonder. It seems highly unlikely but would a Tokyo dealership in 1981 have an export 1977 version for sale?

[72 OJ]

More Z's at the concours. Went to the Muckenthaler Concours this weekend with my Z. All I can say is that they were pretty "Mucked" up.

I entered my car in the preservation class, only to arrive and have them put me in the Japanese Sports car class. Long story short, they....uh....theoretically moved me into the preservation class, had the preservation judges do the judging on my car (they had different judges for the Z cars). A short while after all the judging, the judges told me, and the guy with the sweet 1970 red 1600 BMW that our cars were too "young" for the preservation class and we would not do well against the old 1930s and 1940s cars. In the end, I got a third place trophy (last place) in the Japanese car class that I did not enter, nor was I seen by it's judges. Go figure.

Guy with red BMW and his wife were pretty upset as they had apparently placed first in some pretty big shows, including the PV Concours. A '40s Lincoln Continental took first, 1930's DeSoto took 2nd.

Anyway, here's the pics of some cool cars. The group of three old cars were some of the other preservation vehicles. The two 1930 Cadillacs on the next panel were incredible.

Love that LS2 motor. Will put something like that in a Z someday.

Nice eye candy, love the LS2 shot...................

[Carl Beck]

I think it is more likely that the Staff member helping at the Ault Park Concours simply made a mistake printing up the sign. Or the owner simply put 2400cc on the entry app. by mistake.

Wonder if Bob got any pictures of the engine from the other side..

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Zulaytr]

Carl/ All,

Sorry that I cannot add any additional photos as I was getting ready to take some more shots and I got called back to my car. This car was at the Nashville Z Club show recently, ZAttack 2012, and the owner had some posters covering the engine bay with information so my shot of there is no help either. Regarding the sign, when you are accepted the owner sends in the information so I would not think the sign maker got it wrong.

[Mike B]

The sign also says "purchased from Tokyo Nissan in 1981", but it doesn't say it was new then. My guess is that is just when the owner that shipped it to the US in 1983 (maybe still the current owner) bought it as a used car.

-Mike

[motorman7]

I'm such a media whore.:classic:

KUSI.com - KUSI News - San Diego CA - News, Weather, PPR - Video Landing Page

[Carl Beck]

Great Going Rich!! Good for you!! Actually good for all of us too.

Carl B.

[motorman7]

Great Going Rich!! Good for you!! Actually good for all of us too.

Carl B.

Thanks Carl, it was really a nice shoot. It just scares me to death being in front of the camera though.

The La Jolla Concours is one of the better Concours shows in SoCal. The Dana Point Concours is also top notch. There are several other ‘lesser’ Concours here in SoCal, with some being very disappointing. I say that NOT based on winning any trophies (I didn’t win a thing at the Dana Point show, but it is one of the best show events I have ever experienced). I say disappointing based on how the entrants of Japanese cars are treated and the shows lack of organization.

As owners of Japanese cars we are sometimes treated as second class citizens. In some of these shows, there are not even categories where a Japanese sports car (roadster or Z) can be entered. In two of the ‘lesser’ shows I have been to, the Japanese cars are all the way in the back area. One show even had the Japanese cars over the side of a steep hill, so they were virtually unseen unless you went over to the edge of the hill. Jay and I were fuming at that one. I will never go there again.

Anyway, that’s my take. Glad they have accepted me into the La Jolla show. Their show is very well run and very impressive. I am looking forward to a great event and will post pictures of the show here on the site.

Best regards,

Rich

[jtmader]

I have been lucky enough to have been invited (for the past 2 years) to a beautiful Concours here in Beverly Mass. It is known as The Misslewood Concours and is located on a college campus right on the ocean with spectacular views. In 2012 I was shocked to find out I had won my class!! The class was "Most Influential Car of the '70's". They do things a bit different there with the classes. Finally, I just learned I have been invited back for my 3rd year....can't wait!

[motorman7]

Yes, most of the Concours events are just fantastic. That is what made the Dana Point show so nice was the view (and the excellent organization). Sitting on the golf course fairway, overlooking the ocean, enjoying the cars. It’s just perfect. Congrats on the third invite. Now that you have a first, you can just relax and enjoy the views and conversation.

Best regards,

Rich

[xs10shl]

Marin Concours is hosting a "Japanese Manufacture to 1985" class this year. It's a judged class, one of the first I've seen. This is a pretty big show, so I'm happy to see that they are judging the cars.

Theres still a lot of predudice out there, but IMHO, a big part about the disrespect is due to the fact that 98% of all "restored" Japanese cars would not score well using typical concours scoring. At a traditional concours, only cars restored to appear factory-stock carry any cachet. And lets face it, most people install all kinds of upgrades and 3rd party add-ons to their Japanese cars when they restore them. That's simply not what many multi-marque concours are about.