Hello all,

Can I ask for opinions on the following?

Are you happy with the positioning of the Emergency Brake on your early Z car?

In the UK, we have traditionally called this the "Handbrake" ( is that true for Australia / New Zealand too? ) and I know in Japan it has mainly been known as the "Side Brake".

Some owners will realise that the positioning of the Emergency Brake on the right side of the trans tunnel ( from the viewpoint of the driver sitting in the car ) was the same for both Right Hand Drive and Left Hand Drive versions. As far as I am aware, the only time that the positioning was changed to the OTHER side of the tunnel was in Factory-built "Works" competition cars ( specifically, in SOME of the Works rally cars that were Left Hand Drive - but not all of them ). I think this was only performed on a handful of cars after the Works drivers complained.

As the owner of more than one RHD early Z car, I have always felt that the position of the handle on the right hand side of the tunnel was perfect. When I drove an LHD early Z car for the first time, I was shocked to find how awkwardly positioned the Emergency Brake seemed.

I have in the past owned a fair few non-Z LHD cars ( American, French, Italian, German ) and I think I remember that the handbrakes were usually centrally-mounted or were otherwise easy to get to and use effectively and sportingly ( especially for the odd handbrake-assisted turn ). The early Z cars seem to be unusual in the way that they kept the same position on both LHD and RHD cars.

What do you think?

Alan T.

9 hours ago, 240260280 said:

"Rhetorical question: Would proof that Nissan tested the S20 engine in LHD S30-series Z layout (a nascent 'PLS30'?) prove or disprove your "made for the USA" line of thinking?"

My understanding is that Nissan considered this engine to be too complex to maintain and to train mechanics outside of the domestic market. The larger displacement L24 had similar performance with less weight and less parts. It was the better engine for mass production.

But you haven't adressed the (rhetorical) question. You get the point? Nissan's S20 engine was specified for the S30 chassis before the L24 even existed. It wasn't specified for the Export market (for more than one reason) but it was a key consideration for the 270KK/'Maru Z' project team and Teiichi HARA even went so far as to point out that the 'Maru Z' project was helped along in the course of its gestation by the simple fact that Nissan had it available to use, and would look daft not to. All the more so when it was being lined up for installation, homologation and sales in the 4-door C10-series Skyline. Why would Nissan want a hot-rodded salaryman's car pinching the performance package crown from its nascent halo model Sports/GT?

It actually makes the whole "designed for the USA" thing look even more like tunnel vision rather than the opposite.    

10 hours ago, 240260280 said:

So what engine is in that test car?

I see you joined here quite recently. Have you introduced yourself anywhere? Did I miss it?

What's your name, and where do you live? Who are you?

On 16/12/2016 at 5:43 PM, 240260280 said:

Nissan were designing Z for NA market:

 

And by the way, your choice of illustration is another example of not looking at the bigger picture. Sure the (F)MVSS regulations were a key consideration when designing a vehicle that would be sold in North America, but so were the regulations outlined by Working Party 29.

Your chosen illustration shows the work-in-progress Plan A clay sporting the flush headlamp covers that were technically illegal under those very (F)MVSS regulations...