49ème salon de l'automobile (Bruxelles, 01.1970) First Z in Europe?

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I just received a British "CAR" magazine issued in March, 1970. It has coverage of the Jan. 1970 Brussels Motor Show and a couple of interesting photos of a yellow white 240z.

It seems to be a LHD Euro Spec as it is missing the rear side markers. It also has interesting  fender (wing) mirrors. They seem to be chrome and much like the rectangular door mirrors.   The tail lights are  red and  orange. There seems to be a top front bumper bar and a tow hook under the rear bumper. I  can't make out the hubcaps or wheel type.

This too may be the article that starts the Goertz myth as it bumbles his involvement as well as Yamaha involvement in the S20 DOHC engine.

The unnamed author seems to have received the message loud and clear that Nissan hoped to sell this product in large numbers to the waiting Americans going "crazy".

Note: The 240z shown in Geneva in March was a dark colour with the usual 240z single door mirror and rear side markers.

@kats and Alan, this is perfect timing for your Euro thread! This car may be as important as HLS30-00006/7/8 and still be out there. It would be interesting to track down.

 

Enjoy!

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by 240260280
Colour Corrected Z to be white

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Below is an early Australian HS30 with similar mirrors:

 

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by 240260280

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Looks like the same LHD car in the Brussels Jan/70 did the European show circuit. This seems like the same yellow  white one in Oct/70 at the British International Motor Show:

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by 240260280

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Hmmm just found out a chap named Robin Herd bought the Belgium/UK Z above which was white (not yellow).... more research needed.

Edited April 14, 2017 by 240260280

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Looks like more info in this Car Magazine Nov 1970... not on Ebay presently

 

 

[kats]

Hi Blue, nice pictures!

I bought the Australian HS30 with Kimono dressed girl on ebay, but I am not happy the quality of print. Yours are very high resolution, nice.

Do not you think the HS30 sits high in front? 

The chrome mirror, it is unique but I like door mirror much more.

The  Brussels car. Looks like its rear is quite high , as if the car was jacked up then lowerd to the floor. Both cars should have normal suspention compornents. 

The safari gold Car Magazine Nov 1970 car, might have Current Europe version suspention(same spring rate and F/R stabilizer as Z432), but not lowered front.

For us, we know Mr.Goertz had nothing to do with S30 styling. He showed how to make a clay model in general. Nissan designers knew a lot of fantastic sports cars out there ,

they wanted to make a cool sports car for their own. And they had never seen A550X(Mr.Goertz's study) at that time. Only very a few people saw that but it had never been looked

atrractive.

April 16th 2015, Mr.Tamura passed away. I still can not post everything from his letter, it is too heavy to do that, but when the time comes, I will do one by one. 

Kats

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by kats

[26th-Z]

Oh yea!  Nice images, Blue.  The photo from Melbourne is stunningly crisp.  I can make out the wires coming out of the headlight bucket under the front fender.  Notice the gas door lock; standard in other export markets.  All we got was that cheesy plastic knob.  The Earls Court car has chrome Zs, Kats.  I think it sits high also.  The wheel angle looks funny.  Perhaps the car was lifted into place and the suspension is not settled.  Do you see how the paint texture is rough in the fender well?  Undercoating.  It almost looks like dirt but that can't be.  In a car show?

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Glad you like the info Chris!

Yes the top two colour photos are from the car show in Brussels. It was held in Jan 1970 so that LHD is one of the early birds from 1969.

The B&W photo is the same car appearing in the Oct 1970 car show in London.  It seems Nissan tried to ship two cars to the London show but they got caught up in red tape so Nissan brought the white one over from Belgium as a fill-in.  An F1/Race car designer (Robin Herd) is reported to have purchased the car at the London show and its existence is known. 

I will guess that the white 240z did car show duties in continental Europe from Jan to Oct. so it seems to be an interesting car like HLS30-00006 to 8...... more research is needed to track its path in 70. Current photos and details of the mirrors will be nice to explore too. I will guess that Alan knows where this car is and probably has seen it.

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Interesting: Some of the LHD test cars had wing mirrors... but the conical shaped type.

 

 

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More of those square-ish wing mirrors in RHD Australia:

 

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[kats]

Hi Chris, the Earls Court Z has chrome Zs, yes that is the most eye catching thing for me.

If the car would be HLS30-00006/7/8, that     would be a big news.

Kats