Ten Ways the 240z Revolutionized the Sports Car

[Mike]

Great article over at Petrolicious!  Thanks guys for referencing our images.

 

Reference:  http://www.petrolicious.com/ten-ways-the-240z-revolutionized-the-sports-car

 

In the late 1960s, the concept of a foreign, high-performance car in America was relatively new, with existing models in this category occupying the extreme periphery of both the market and of the popular consciousness. Cars like Jaguar’s E-Type, Porsche’s 911, various Astons, Ferraris, Maseratis, and other similarly hand-built and very expensive machines from Europe were viewed largely as playthings of the rich and privileged, and then only by those who were likely to even be aware of their existence—enthusiasts, in other words. The vast, working-class majority of this group were already a generation deep into a love affair with inexpensive British roadsters, but charming and beautiful these cars may have been, they lagged significantly behind their more exclusive import brethren when it came to performance and sophistication.

This relatively small but very passionate niche market and their latent desires for more and better—more power, more style, better engineering, reliability, and packaging—was ripe for the picking. Enter Datsun, whose 1970 introduction of the now-classic 240Z simply revolutionized the American performance car marketplace. The dawn of the affordable, advanced, Japanese sports car had broken, and there was no turning back.

 

1. Designed principally with the American market in mind, the S30 (Nissan’s internal chassis designation for the Fairlady/240Z) was priced to compete with Triumphs and MGs, but offered similar performance and engineering sophistication to sports cars costing many times more.

 

2. Yutaka Katayama, AKA “Mr. K”, was instrumental in Nissan’s decision to build the S30—it was at his behest that the car was engineered, styled, and marketed in a way that would appeal to American enthusiasts. The Z’s vibrant, well-defined character is often attributed to Mr. K’s near total control over the project—the machine’s personality mimicking that of its creator.

 

3. Between model years 1970-73, just under 150,000 were bought in the U.S. alone—a figure likely greater than the entire number of foreign sports cars ever sold here up to that point.

 

4. Equipped with a 2.4 liter, 150 HP, SOHC straight six, the 240Z was capable of 60 MPH from rest in eight seconds dead, with 125 attainable flat-out—very impressive figures for the day.

 

5. Suspension was fully independent by way of four wheel struts, MacPherson type in front, Chapmans in the rear. Combined with front wheel discs and rack and pinion steering, the Z was an accomplished dance partner right out of the box.

 

6. Though nearly all were equipped with four-speed manuals, a small number of three-speed autos were sold starting in 1971, while a five-speed stick was available in Japan from the start.

 

7. Another Japan-only option was the Z432 specification, which packaged the Skyline GT-R’s S20 straight six in place of the normal car’s L24. With twin cams, 24 valves, three twin barrel sidedraft carbs, and a conservatively-rated 160 HP , the two liter S20’s race heritage was obvious  not only in its exotic spec, but also in its high-revving nature and gorgeous soundtrack. Roughly 420 were built.

 

8. In 1998, following the Z32 300ZX’s departure from the States two years prior, and in anticipation of 1999’s 240Z concept (itself conceived to drum up excitement for 2002’s 350Z), Nissan purchased a number of original 240Z’s which were treated to high-quality restorations and re-sold at selected dealerships for $24,000.

 

9. Driven by Shekhar Mehta, an S30 placed first in the 1973 East African Safari Rally—Mehta’s first of a record five victories in the legendarily brutal event.

 

10. Now approaching his 104th birthday, Mr. K is retired but still serves as a trusted corporate Nissan advisor. In addition he still frequents important Z gatherings in both the US and Japan, his enthusiasm serving as inspiration to generations of Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts.

 

The 240Z’s giant-slaying spirit lives on today in the Porsche-rivaling 370Z, and in the stupendously good GT86/FR-S/BRZ triplets, themselves a revival of the thriving Japanese sports car culture of the 1980s—widely remembered today as the peak of an era that owes everything to Mr. K and his brilliant little Z car. Defining this culture and lifestyle we all love so much is his famous mantra “love cars, love people, love life!”

[HS30-H]

So many mistakes and misconceptions in articles like this that they have become the norm.

 

However, this part in particular jumps out as being particularly ill-advised:

 

 

Yutaka Katayama, AKA “Mr. K”, was instrumental in Nissan’s decision to build the S30—it was at his behest that the car was engineered, styled, and marketed in a way that would appeal to American enthusiasts. The Z’s vibrant, well-defined character is often attributed to Mr. K’s near total control over the project—the machine’s personality mimicking that of its creator.

 

Yutaka Katayama's input on the creation of the S30-series Z is often overstated, but here is a writer asserting that Katayama had "...near total control over the project..."

 

This is absolute nonsense. Where do people get this stuff from?

Edited May 31, 2015 by HS30-H

[bartsscooterservice]

Great article over at Petrolicious!  Thanks guys for referencing our images.

 

Reference:  http://www.petrolicious.com/ten-ways-the-240z-revolutionized-the-sports-car

 

4. Equipped with a 2.4 liter, 150 HP, SOHC straight six, the 240Z was capable of 60 MPH from rest in eight seconds dead, with 125 attainable flat-out—very impressive figures for the day.

 

 

Yeah but this was not the US then ( or later on when they got the 5 speed gearboxes from the 280Z ), only the EU and JAPAN 240z 5 speed gearboxes could reach that speed, the 4 speed is about 110 mph max.

[Patcon]

That depends on whether my speedometer was accurate that time I was running flat out. I got above 120mph for a while...

[bartsscooterservice]

I measured mine with the original 4 speed at the gps, the speedo is pretty accurate a little bit less at higher speeds. GPS said 180 km/h doesn't want to go much faster, that's about 110mph. ( I can push it a little more, but the engine has no more power above 6k, original that is, no point pushing it further from there ).

 

MartZedCars ( who's on the forum here ), who lives a province away from me has the euro 5 speed version, and his does 220+ km/h on the speedo, at least that's correct to the figure of 125 mph, that should be +- 200 km/h then..

Edited May 31, 2015 by bartsscooterservice

[Stanley]

Back in the 70's Car & Driver tested the 240z and reported 124 mph with the 4-speed. Considering C&D's usual attitude, I tend to believe them. If the car was stock height with stock pipes, modification in those areas would provide some more top speed.

But that was a new car with a fresh engine.

[Patcon]

I was highly motivated at the time. It was the thing of it can blow up or not but I need to go faster. I was young and dumb, fortunate to be alive. Sort of like all of Site's reconstructions.

[AZ-240z]

I was highly motivated at the time. It was the thing of it can blow up or not but I need to go faster. I was young and dumb, fortunate to be alive. Sort of like all of Site's reconstructions.

After breaking my 4sp 240z in in 1971, the only thing I ran out of crossing the New Mexico desert was courage as the speedo was still accelerating

past 120mph.

[Fred Sigarto]

At a TrackTime event at Mid-Ohio back in 91, stock 240Z, except for mags & BFG R1 stickies, coming out of the keyhole heading down the backstraight, I hit 125+ mph. that's heading downhill. Couldn't catch my buddies Rx7 turbo, but I did pass a Ferrari 308.

[HS30-H]

The Petrolicious article is just another (count 'em...) article which forgets that the term '240Z' doesn't mean just one thing.

 

Back in the 70's Car & Driver tested the 240z and reported 124 mph with the 4-speed. Considering C&D's usual attitude, I tend to believe them. If the car was stock height with stock pipes, modification in those areas would provide some more top speed.

 

 

What do you reckon the other export market versions - and the Japanese home market versions - were capable of with 3.9:1 ratio diffs and 5-speed overdrive transmissions, not to mention different suspension and some aero tweaks as stock equipment?

 

Less, or more?

[26th-Z]

The Road & Track road test in April 1970 reports a top speed of 122 mph for the HLS30. Interestingly, the Road & Track introductory article on the Datsun 240Z shows the 5-speed as optional with a 3.70:1 final drive ratio. Indeed the 5-speed transmission was optional for the 2 liter roadster at the time.

Another issue I would like to take with the Petrolicious article is "S20 straight six in place of the normal car’s L24". The normal (Japanese home market with which the 432 is compared) car had a 2 liter straight six, not a 2.4 liter. In addition, reason number 3 is pure speculation. It would be possible to research that fact, but the writer didn't.

[bartsscooterservice]

Back in the 70's Car & Driver tested the 240z and reported 124 mph with the 4-speed. Considering C&D's usual attitude, I tend to believe them. If the car was stock height with stock pipes, modification in those areas would provide some more top speed.

But that was a new car with a fresh engine.

 

I'd think that would be a little optimistic...