I'm having some trouble locating the magazines that did a test-drive of the 1978 280Z. I know the 280Z came out in 1975, but I'm interested in test-drives of the model I have.

I think Road & Track did one, but which others?

thxZ

Car & Driver tested the 78 coupe & did a Short Take on the 2+2.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Driver-Datsun-1966-84-Brooklands-Series/dp/0948207515/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335272844&sr=8-1

Edited April 24, 201212 yr by SteveJ
Added reference

The R&T test was a short update in '77 when the 5 speed became available. I've got that issue in my archives. Not a full test.

Can I assume that since the 1978 280Z is just an update on the 1975 model, that the report on the 1975 model is the one to look into?

Can I assume that since the 1978 280Z is just an update on the 1975 model, that the report on the 1975 model is the one to look into?

Depends on what you are wanting to get out of it. General overall impression? A '75 test should be sufficient. Accurate specs and stats? you'll want a later test. There were changes all through the years. For example, I believe that the weight of the '75-76 cars was different than for the '77-78 cars. Drivability related to torque curve probably changed slightly with the various emissions and cylinder head changes.

I think I would read both evaluations. The 1975 one for the overall test, and the 1978 one to see what the differences are.

Mine is a 1978 model, so I am most interested in that.

Edited May 7, 201212 yr by TomoHawk

At this time, I haven't been able to find anything on this specific topic on the Internet, or any reference to anything in print. I wil conclude that there aren't any articles available.

But there is an article available.

http://backissues.com/issue/Car-and-Driver-July-1978

Plus there is the book I linked in my first response...

You just won't find it for free, that's all.

Tomohawk, Road and Track, Car and Driver, Brooklands books and a couple of other companies created Model specific collections of articles, I have several, when I get some time later on I will have a peak for you.

Thanks. People like to see the original documents or publications on display, so that is my goal.