HLS30-00006 at the Crusher?

[240260280]

[NEW Update: Bob Sharp confirmed this is the show in Canada where HLS30-00006 had its roof crushed by a model. Refer to post #57].

HLS30-00006 Green

It is reported to have had the roof crushed-in by a model at a Canadian auto show then given to Bob Sharp.

It seems the show may have been Le salon International de l’Auto de Montréal Jan 15-25 1970.

Here are some photos and documents from the show.

Enjoy!

btw I think the horse did it.

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by 240260280

[240260280]

From the ad...auto transmission planned early:

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by 240260280

[FreshZ]

you have this car? what information do you have that backs up the story behind the car, other than it being green?

Sent from my LG-D850 using Classic Zcar Club mobile

[240260280]

A book by Brian Long and Yutaka Katayama and a well researched  240z web site called Zhome.com confirm the story about the roof damage.

I'm still researching the possibility it may have been damaged  at the National Motor Show or Canadian International Auto Show  (typically held  in February and  follows the Le salon International de l’Auto de Montréal)  however, I have yet to find any data.  The last date I have of  the NMS is in 1967 at the Automobile Building of the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds  and then there is a hole until the CIAS started in 1974 at the  Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It seems that the Montreal show was the only one in Eastern Canada when the 240z would have been debuted. 

Some idea of what went on from the 1969 show (a year prior to the Z debut in the 1970 show):

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2017 by 240260280

[Namerow]

Psychedelic body painting of auto show models (sorry, 'hostesses').  That's something you don't see anymore!

[240260280]

7 minutes ago, Namerow said:

Psychedelic body painting of auto show models (sorry, 'hostesses').  That's something you don't see anymore!

Thunderdome Disco, Montreal 1987 while at Concordia I saw this for the first time. I think it may be a Montreal tradition.

[26th-Z]

Blue,

I'm delighted to see that you have taken an interest in this topic.  Thanks for the Montreal Show advertisements.  I have not seen those.  I had discovered the discrepancy in dates that you mentioned in your third post and had turned another direction, discounting the accuracy of the Zhome article after discovering a photo of a model sitting on a green car at the Boston Auto Show in October 1969; the car I believe to be the same car introduced at the Pierre Hotel.  Peter Brock has been "quoted" as saying that he did not receive his race car until February, well after Bob Sharp had his HLS30-00006.  That would infer that a collapsed roof at the Montreal show late in January would not meet the timeline.  Most of the photos from that period are B&W which makes things difficult, however the Boston photo is color.  It's just too obvious.

Another piece of this puzzle is to find an overall photo of the car show setting.  Notice the difference in the display staging between the various shows.  As much as I appreciate your photo of the Peugeot and Renault exhibits, rules are rules and you gotta show a picture of the Datsun exhibit with the Z-car.  Datsun won an award for the "Most Beautiful Exhibit" at the Los Angeles show in 1970.  That exhibit design is very different from the 1969 traveling exhibit design.  See what you can find from the San Francisco Imported Car Show in November 1969.  There's a difficult car to explain!

I have been meaning to ask you where you found the picture of the red Z at Daytona?  The image quality really sucks.

[gnosez]

Crusher?

Two Zs with dented roofs caused by models??

Bob got the 00006 car which now is owned by Dave Stone in CA.

[240260280]

Independent from Long Beach, California
Friday, October 31, 1969

DATSUN PREVIEWS 240Z

On display today, Oct. 31 through Nov. 9 at the L.A. Auto Show is Datsun's 240Z Sports. Available at dealers showrooms about March, the new personal car offers a six-cylinder overhead cam 150 hp engine, disc brakes, three doors and a top speed of 125 mph.

Highlighting the 1970 line of Datsun cars from Japan is the new Datsun 240Z Sports which was specifically designed for the American market and the larger sized American, according to Mr. Y. Katayama, president of Nissan Motor Corp., U.S.A. Powered by a new 2.4 liter (146 cubic inch) single overhead cam six-cylinder engine, the 240Z's 150 hp engine will produce, a top speed of 125 mph. It has fully independent suspension on all four wheels, an all-steel body of unit construction (for rattle free shell) and front wheel disc brakes. The spacious interior is designed with safety, comfort and convenience in mind. Full quick reading instrumentation, including oil pressure, water temperature, fuel, and ammeter gauges, are recessed in the completely padded and formed dash. A large- faced speedometer with a trip meter and tachometer are positioned directly in front of the driver. A flow-through, draft- free fresh air system combined with an aerodynamic shape changes the air inside in a matter of seconds . . . quietly. Vinyl covered deep cushioned bucket seats with built-in head rests are adjustable horizontally and vertically for both driver and passenger, with an adjustable reclining angle of up to 10 degrees. An all synchromesh four-speed . .transmission, radial tires, radio, clock, steering lock device, collapsible steering wheel, three anchor seat belts, backup lights and cigarette lighter are standard equipment. A Borg Warner automatic transmission will be made in the U.S. for Datsun as an optional extra. Air conditioning also is available. Price of the new personal sports car is just under $3,500. The car can be seen for the first time in the U.S. by the public at the Los Angeles International Auto Show which starts today at the Pan Pacific Auditorium.

  

[240260280]

Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for that nice photo of the LA Show!  The car seems to be silver HLS30-00008?  

The Chicago show had a Gold 240z (below) so the silver car skipped it.

 

 

I have not been able to find what was at the NYC show on April 4th yet. Maybe the gold one?

 

There was another car at NMC in LA in January 1970 (below):

 

 

This one was also kicking around LA in early 1970. It had the choke and hand throttle levers so it may be from early  Jan as well or could be the same car as above:

 

For the red HLS30-00007 photos, yes they are poor.  I captured them from the Nissan film "Drive the Ragged Edge".  It seems to be HLS30-00007. It appears ~ 1:03 into the film.

 

For an initial generalization, it seems #6 was in the North East, #7 was in the South and #8 was in the west.  I'll dig (pun) into the San Francisco show.

I had no luck finding anything online regarding the 1970 New England International Auto show or New England Auto Show or  Boston Auto show or Philadelphia Auto Show yet.

I'll post back to this thread when I do.

Edited January 9, 2017 by 240260280

[240260280]

Found this so far:

The San Francisco Import Car Show opens Nov. 24, 1969 for a six- day run at Civic Auditorium J and Brooks Hall. It will feature many cars never seen before in the Bay Area. Among the 200 automobiles in both auditoriums will be a 1971 Monteverdi from Switzerland. Dodge's new' Colt made in Japan, Peugeot’s 304 Sedan. Alfa Romeo’s Veloce, Ford’s DeTomasso Pantera, Datsun’s 240 Z with automatic transmission, Russia’s Moskvich 412 and England's Bond Bug.

Kats has the Kaku U team in SF from Nov 16th to 20th  (Thanks Kats!) then departing for Canada on Dec 7th so they could have remained  in SF during the show and continued North rather than go back to LA then return North. They would just have to ship some test parts up to SF from LA to make the adjustment.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2017 by 240260280

[26th-Z]

Yes, it would make sense that a Kaku U car would be in San Francisco except both Kaku U cars were silver.  From the Arizona Republic, October 26, 1969; "Katayama said the new car, the Datsun 240Z, had been years in preparation but had been one of the best kept secrets in the industry.  Despite the rosy sale predictions, there are only three 240Zs in the country at the present time.  They won't be imported in any volume until early 1970".

Your last picture from post 10 above is the Road & Track road test car from the April, 1970 issue.  It has a corporate license tag yet aftermarket wheels.  I believe the car is a January import example.  Somewhere, somewhere I wrote down who all those guys are.  Bob Link, Mr. K, Lee Wylie, Marvin Acklin...they are the sales managers throughout the United States.