HS30-H

My ZG has Cibies, which were fitted by the last Japanese owner many years ago. I had thought about them for the GT-R, but when I looked into the prices I decided that they were more expensive than I'd like. I have been looking at generic eastern-European copies, which cost peanuts and should be good enough to get it road legal...... I don't think I'll fit any outer trims, as it would then look like the grille needs fitting too. I'll just stick with the bare lamps, and the Works-style FRP covers can actually fit over them ( which is useful ). Offer much appreciated Miles, but I think these eastern-European units will be good enough. They actually look quite good quality-wise, and are cheap. I think I'll have the covers over them most of the time anyway. The best and most reliable way to identify a real factory-made ZG is by looking at the Japanese registration documents. As long as these have not been modified or tampered with, they clearly show the extra length and width of a real ZG. None of the other domestic S30-series models have the same dimensions as the ZG. There's nothing stamped on the body to differentiate a real ZG from an ordinary 'HS30'-prefixed 240Z-L, and the same goes for the stamped aluminium tags too. However, there are numerous clues and minor detail differences that will help to confirm a real factory ZG, and when you add all of these together you can usually tell whether its a real one or a clever replica / fake. As for the differences between an HS30-U and a domestic-model HS30, I'd have thought that ( as with the ZG / Z-L comparison ) there would be quite a few clues on the car itself that you could cross-reference and draw a conclusion from? Having said that, the domestic model Fairlady 240Z-L would have to be the closest of all the domestic models to the RHD export-market '240Z', and would therefore be the most difficult to pin down. Like a lot of these things, I suspect that the real truth lies in the details........ I've been a bit busy over the last couple of weeks what with one thing and another, but there is a least one bit of progress that is worth reporting on: My 'correct' wheels finally turned up from Japan - brought to my front door by a cursing postman ( poor guy cut his hand on the straps that secured the parcels ). At one stage I thought these had disappeared into the ether, but I'm happy to say they turned up safe and sound. They are not new, but they are in great condition. R.S. Watanabe 8-spoke 'R'-type in Magnesium. 11j x 15 ( -38 offset ) rear, and 9.5j x 15 9 ( -19 offset ) front. Incredibly light considering the size: those 11j rears weigh just 6.3kg each. I'm too poor to buy any tyres for them this month! Cheers, Alan T.

Kitano and Takahashi were arguably the best drivers in the race, but I don't necessarily think they had the best machinery in the race. You'd have to wonder what the race result would have been had either of them been pedalling the Porsches ( a 910 and a 906 ) that were also taking part. Purpose-designed and built sports racing cars really ought to be no match for cars built up from a standard road car design, but talent has not always matched up with the power of the gentleman racer's bank balance......... And those two Works 'Fairlady 240Zs' were actually PZRs with engine transplants, so we could still say that a PZR won the race. The truth was that by early '71 the Works circuit race team had already given up on running the PZR in this type of race; internal company politics ensured that the race development of the PZR engines was dead in the water by late '70 - with the S20 engine being 'saved' for the ex-Prince faction at Murayama and their precious GT-R. It was expedient for SCCN to be using the L-series engine by that time. Alan T.

Lachlan, Your photo was taken at the start of the main race at the 'Zen Nihon Suzuka Jidosha Race Taikai' ( All Japan Suzuka Automobile Race Event ) - in March 1971. Pole position went to Works SCCN driver Kunimitsu Takahashi in car no.64, an SCCN-entered Works 'Fairlady 240Z'. Second on the grid was Works SCCN driver Moto Kitano in car no.63, another SCCN-entered Works 'Fairlady 240Z'. Third on the grid was Motoharu Kurosawa in car no.65, a Works 'Skyline Hardtop', with Masahiro Hasemi in car no.66 - a similar car - right behind him. Fifth and sixth grid positions were filled by Hiromi Nishino and Masami Kuwashima in Fairlady Z432-Rs. It was a 25 lap race, won by Moto Kitano in a time of 2 hours, 20 minutes and nine seconds. Team mate Kunimitsu Takahashi was given the exact same time in seciond place, and the cars crossed the finish line almost side by side ( no doubt for a nice team photo opportunity ). Manzo Masuda crossed the line third in his Fairlady Z432, with Yoshimasa Kawaguchi coming home fourth in his Porsche 910. Motoharu Kurosawa in the Skyline placed fifth. A photo from Autosport magazine:

Brian, Many thanks for the kind words. I don't think this car can be compared with yours on a like-for-like basis. I think your appears to be much more complete and in better overall condition. Mine looks nice in the photos, but make no mistake - it was built as a track-day and club race car, so the mechanicals are spot-on, the 'shell is strong and rot-free, but the overall finish of everything else is not show-car perfect. To be honest, that is something of a relief for me - as I'd be mortified to scratch or stone chip a show-quality car. Yours looks like it is a higher class detail and trim wise, not to mention the very nice work of your drivetrain installation. I can relate to that. If I added up all the money I have spent so far on my 432R replica project, I probably could have imported a relatively clean 432 and turned it into an 'R' clone. But then that would have been neither fish nor fowl, and I'd just feel guilty about having changed the 432 into something that it wasn't. And I would not have had the 'fun' and steep learning curve of building the replica - which is the main part of the task for me. The satisfaction gained in researching the parts needed ( getting it wrong and having to re-do it too! ), gathering the parts and then putting it all together is something you can't get from just buying a car ( or being given one......... ). I think you can relate to that. I've already experienced differing reactions from enthusiasts and car people here in the UK through my ownership of the ZG. As it is the only genuine factory-built ZG in Europe, not a lot of people actually know what it is. I think I can expect a similar situation with the Skyline, but I have to say that the ZG is pretty and looks somewhat exotic - whereas the Skyline still looks like a superannuated family car that has a fancy engine. I expect less admiration for the Skyline than the ZG overall, but those that know about Skyline history will surely appreciate what the Skyline represents. At least I hope that's what I will experience. I think there is less make-snobbery around these days than there used to be, and people are generally more pragmatic. Car enthusiasts these days seem to have very catholic tastes, and will cheer-on a Fiat Cinquecento just as loudly as they would a Bizzarini Strada. England, and the UK overall, is actually a very old-car friendly country. As old-car owners, we get cut a lot of slack over here. When you get up early in the morning on a Saturday or Sunday, you can take your old / modified / race car for a blast on some fantastic roads - and see others doing the same. You'll even get given some respect and words of encouragement for doing it, and can meet up with others who have similar interests. I'm determined to enjoy that while we still can........ I don't think that will be the same car. It certainly hasn't appeared in any of the AutoWorks-related publications to my knowledge. There are lots of 'No.15' blue / white Works 'replicas' in Japan, so it is almost certainly another car. What issue was it? You're most welcome to come and take a look at it if whenever you are in London Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Phil, To be honest, that kind of event is a long way away from the kind of thing I am interested in being part of. Don't want to sound too snobby, but the way that 'timeattack' is promoted in the UK - and the other events that it shares the day with - are not my cup of tea at all. There are some well-prepped and fast cars involved of course ( and I wouldn't stand a chance! ) but overall I think that kind of event is promoted primarily as a money-spinner for the organisers, and they are trying to get as many spectators through the gate in any way that they can. I'm more interested in the kind of event that can claim to be about ".....the right crowd, and no crowding.". The kind of close-knit clubby event where you can leave your tool box and spare wheels unattended, and they will still be there when you get back.......... I think I'll stick with attendance-capped GRRC-member events, and 'friendly' track days for older cars like those that I have taken the ZG to - like the Austin Healey Owners Club days - for now. Carl, thanks very much for the kind words. Much appreciated. I don't actually own a digital video camera, so I shall have to find out about either renting or borrowing one in the near future. No chance of me buying one at the moment, as I'm feeling quite poor this month to say the least. I'd be very happy to put up a video / sound clip - so I'll look into it. Hi Mike, I might use the 14 inchers as spares/wets, as there is a small supply of 235/35-14 Dunlop SP2000s in Japan. They'd look fairly horrible though; 35 profile is all wrong for the period style theme. However, I have a set of 10 and 9 inch wide 15 inch 'R' type Watanabes on their way over from Japan at the moment, and I'm planning on using some 'Post Historic' Dunlop CR65 or CR82 race tyres on them. These would give the more period-looking overall diameter that I am looking for. They are pretty expensive though, and they are not road legal in the UK - so if I drove to an event I'd have to carry them with me. That's one of the reasons I'm looking at buying a suitable tow car as our everyday family car, and getting shot of the Alfa. That way I could tow the trailer with the Skyline on it, and not worry too much about permanently road-legalising it. I believe that is at least partly correct, but do remember that the 'P' prefix wasn't used for the S20 engine alone. It was also used for some of the other Prince-derived engines - for example in the 'PC10' and 'KPC10' Skylines, with G18 four-bangers. However, there were models that used the Prince-derived G15 and G16 engines but did not have the 'P' prefix in their model codes - so I don't think it was a hard and fast rule............ Second seat and harness is no problem ( I already have some ) and I have the headlamp mounts, bowls and retainer rings ( they came in a box with the car ). I just need to find some suitable quad headlamps for it ( Lucas? No -maybe not :eek: ). All the wiring and connectors are in place. Its going to look strange with lights though....... and I don't have the outer trim surrounds. The Skyline hasn't really set it back, and should not interfere with the build all that much. I now have just about everything I need to finish the car except time. Maybe time will be compromised because of the Skyline's arrival, but the real truth is that our house move back in May stopped the 432R replica project pretty much dead in its tracks. Moving was a big upheaval, and we are only now starting to truly feel 'at home' here. The plus side of moving is that my rented garages are now only 2 miles away from home, and the roads are not crowded at all ( I'm coming from the opposite direction ) - so it takes no time to get there. This will be much better in the long run. I've been installing the acrylic windows ( tailgate, rear quarters and doors ) after having them formed over the original glass to get the correct compound curves. Tailgate glass was a bitch to install, but is now in and looks great ( you'd never know it wasn't glass ). I now have all the engine parts, and the block has been bored to suit the high comp pistons. S20 engine assembly for the 432R replica will start very soon, and can be done in the evenings when all is quiet. I'll make that my Autumn season task. Cheers, Alan T.

Once again, many thanks to everybody for their kind words. My apologies for being absent over the last couple of days - but I have been busy getting this car back home and trying to juggle work commitments at the same time. Yesterday ( Thursday ) my friend Kevin and I went down to the port to actually collect the car. I paid the final bills at the shipping company and settled up with the agents who cleared the car for Tax and Customs duties ( taxes on top of taxes......... ). We loaded the car on the trailer and arrived home late afternoon. All went without a hitch. I'll get back here later today - after I have caught up with my work - to try and answer some of the questions that have been asked while I have been away. Sorry to be slow to respond. Just a couple of pics from yesterday:

HoTWire, Yes, I had thought about the Top Hat 'Groovy Baby' series for 70s saloons - but I don't think this car would be eligible because it has so many parts that were Group 4 homologations ( when the Groovy Baby series tries to keep to Group 1 and Group 2 ). And anyway, I don't think the GT-R would be evenly matched with the lighter 2 litre cars like some of the Alfas for example ( I used to own a 105-series and know how well they can go ). And don't forget it will be me behind the wheel ( ie slow ). To be honest, I think its the fact that contact is seen as inevitable that puts me off racing these days. I think historic racing should be a non-contact sport.

Another couple:

A few more:

Sincere thanks to everybody for the kind words and positive reactions. I'll try and answer some of the questions that have been asked, but first I have to clear up one large detail. A few people know about this already - so it won't be a surprise to them - but the truth is that I have been given this car as a gift. I have not paid anything except the transport to docks in Japan, Japanese de-registration and export formalities, the cost of the container shipping ( and all that goes with that ) and the import duties and taxes here in the UK............ I am hugely indebted to my good friend Dr Hiroshi Shimizu in Kyoto, who has passed ownership of the car to me. Dr Shimizu owned the car for over 25 years, and paid for its rebuild and restoration before giving it to me. That rebuild and restoration was undertaken by the other person that I owe a huge debt of thanks to; my good friend Mr Hideki Matsui of NP35 in Nagano - without whom none of this would have been possible. Neither Shimizu san or Matsui san visit this website and forum, but it would be hugely remiss of me not to mention them on this thread, and of course acknowledge their generosity. Can you imagine what it feels like to be given such a gift? Words fail me. I didn't want to say too much about it until it was safely landed on UK soil. I'm not really superstitious, but until the container was opened at Southampton I really thought something might jinx the story at the last minute ( like the ship sinking or something ). Its still not in its new home yet - but its not long now. However, I have to say that I'm still struggling to call the car "mine", and keep calling it "Dr Shimizu's GT-R". I think I prefer it that way for now to be honest. I watched this car take shape over several years in Matsui san's workshop, and I know just how much work went into it. It also has some very rare and sought-after period parts on it ( most of them under the skin and not immediately apparent ) which Shimizu san gathered many years ago. Matsui san also came up with rare parts from his own private collection, and put them on the car. It was not built as a 'replica' of the famous no.15 works car that clinched the GT-R's 50th race victory, but more a kind of nod in that general direction - and NISMO themselves had some input in the colouring and numbering decisions. More details on that and the car's spec in future posts. The car did still have road registration in Japan, and this will enable me to road register it here in the UK on a period-related tax-free registration. Road-legalisation should be fairly straightforward ( mainly front lighting - which I am already working on ) as the regulations for a 1971/72 car are not so strict here ( we are very lucky in that respect ). However, I'm not in all that much of a hurry to drive it on UK roads as it is fairly hard work to sit in there for long periods. It is incredibly loud inside, there is no heating / screen demisting ( all removed ) and suspension is fairly harsh. It also has no fuel gauge. I'm also not going to start putting bumpers and trim etc back onto it, as it was built to be a track day / club race car and I feel obligated to keep it that way for the forseeable future. It is currently sitting on some non-period wheels and tyres ( the Watanabes it used at the NISMO Festival and NEKO Time Machine Festival were borrowed ) but I have a nice set of very wide Watanabes to put on it, and I am negotiating some period-type race tyres from Dunlop. It just does not look 'right' on the 16-inch Southern Ways mesh wheels it has been wearing since the mid 1980s. I'm looking into what race series it might be eligible for - but since it is a model that was never officially imported to Europe this might be awkward. Track days and sprint events should be no problem, and the Goodwood Road Racing Club ( of which I am a member ) have a few of these that I can enter in the near future. I certainly don't want to bend it though......... Nostalgic Hero magazine carried a four-page feature on the car in issue no.113 ( February 2006 ) and they say that they might come to the UK later this year to do a follow-up article. We shall see. Anybody who finds themselves near me in north London is welcome to come and see the car in person. No street rides until it is fully road legal though..... I'm attaching some photos that were taken for the Nostalgic Hero coverage by staff photographer Mr Isao Yatsui, near the NP35 workshop in Nagano - using Mount Asama as the backdrop. If anybody has any more specific questions I'll do my best to try and answer them - but do bear in mind that I am somewhere around the bottom of a very steep learning curve with the C10-series Skylines myself......... Cheers, Alan T.

The car was a little dirty after being on the dockside in Japan for a few days, but the container did its job and the car was undamaged. No way was I going to ship it Ro-Ro. I tipped some Shell Optimax in the tank, connected up a remote battery pack ( letting the fuel pumps do their stuff for a little while ) and she fired up almost straight away. I drove her from the de-vanning platform round to the storage compound of the freight company, and will leave her there for another couple of days whilst the import procedures are completed. She comes back to her new 'home' on Thursday. First KPGC10 in Europe, I'm told. Somehow it seems very weird to see it in the UK rather than in its country of origin. I still haven't got used to the idea yet.......

OK, I know this the 240K sub-forum and I'm technically in the wrong series - but at least the Skyline link is there........... My 'new' car came out of its container at Southampton docks today, after its journey of almost 5 weeks from Japan. The container was loaded on the ship in Yokohama, and it called at Tokyo, Yangtian, Singapore, Hong Kong, Karachi, Jebel Ali, Rotterdam and Hamburg before finally being offloaded at Southampton. The vessel was called the 'MOL Paradise':

Hi Miles, More than once I've tried on this forum to get across the point that Nissan's 'L-gata' engines were designed by Mr Hiroshi Iida and his team as a potential 'family' of variants. They called this the 'L-gata Module', and they deliberately designed-in the possibility of multiple variants of differing capacity by allowing for a basic block design with a deep skirt, the possibility of a long stroke length, and a wide bore pitch. The history of the Nissan L-series engine did not begin with the L16 of the 510-series Bluebird, and the six cylinder L-series engines did not begin when two extra cylinders were "added" to the L16 to make an L24. That is just advertising copy for one particular market. The Nissan 'L-gata' was used in many models in Japan, and was not always confined to a 2-litre capacity. Many people seem to overlook this. I have a Japanese market car that was fitted from the factory with an L24.......... Hi Rolf, Hiroshi Iida and his team designed Nissan's 'L-gata' engine module during the 1964~1965 period, a full year before the merger with Prince. Iida himself has admitted to being "influenced" by what he saw on the Prince G7 engine, but he also says that he was "influenced" by what he saw on the Mercedes ( and other ) engines. I think that is an engineer being candid, and I don't think many engineers work in a vacuum. I believe that Prince actually licensed some design details used on the G7 valvetrain from Mercedes, but Nissan did not. Since the Nissan engine design debuted before the merger with Prince, I think it is fair for us to assume that no data or designs passed from Prince to Nissan before the merger. Iida san himself says he considered Prince a worthy competitor, but that he and his team were directly competing in the market place with Toyota. It was the news that Toyota were working on a new SOHC straight six to be used on their mid-sized and full-sized sedans that prompted Nissan's decision to go for a new SOHC six themselves from 1963/4. Cheers, Alan T.

You make it sound like Nakagawa was responsible for the engine of the "Zero" from the beginning. That was not the case. He came into the story a little after it had begun. Proper lineage of the 'Sakae' engine effectively begins with the 'NAM' - designed by Takeo Kotani and Masatoshi Tsutsumi of Nakajima. This was a completely new design for Nakajima, and it was destined to become the first 'Sakae' engine. The 'NAM II' became the 'Sakae 12' - the first engine used in what became known as the "Zero". Dr Nakagawa worked on the 'NAM III' engine ( an update of the 'NAM II' / 'Sakae 12' ) which became the 'Sakae 21' - used in the late versions of the 'Zero'. We ought to take this implied linking of the 'Zero' aircraft name with that of the 'Fairlady Z' with a HUGE pinch of salt! It is painful to see Sailor Bob take it all so literally - as though it is fact. But the term "Zero" for that aircraft was never really used by the Japanese themselves until after hostilities had ended, and most likely caught on in reverse from the Allied use of the term. The correct Japanese term was 'Rei' ( meaning zero ) - which originated from the both the Japanese national dating system year of 2600 ( the Japanese nation was decided to have been founded in 660BC ), and the Western year of 1940. Both of these years ended in the number zero ( 'Rei' in Japanese ) and this was the year that the Japanese Navy accepted the new fighter into their fleet. The correct romanised Japanese name for the aircraft was 'Rei Shiki Sentoki' ( literally 'Type Zero Fighter' ) - often shortened to 'Rei-sen' - from the full term that translates as 'Mitsubishi Navy Type Zero Carrier-Based Fighter'. Any linking of the letter 'Z' between the aircraft and the car are purely romantic and fairly misleading. This especially when you consider that the Prince Motor Company themselves actually linked their company history ( directly through Dr Ryoichi Nakagawa ) with the Nakajima Ki-43 'Hayabusa' ( codenamed 'Oscar' by the Allies ) - which was developed a year after the 'Rei-sen', but used the same engines and looked very similar. The 'Rei-sen' was a Naval aircraft and the 'Hayabusa' was an Army aircraft. So the direct Prince link with the 'Zero' is tenuous, and the 'Hayabusa' is a much better candidate. Not so. The ex-Prince faction ( "the artists formerly known as Prince"? ) effectively formed their own clique within the Nissan fold, and treated Murayama as though it was their own private fiefdom within Nissan. Their racing-related activities were now being conducted under the 'Nissan' name, but they were still fiercely proud of being from the Prince bloodline. Nissan carried on their own race and rally related activities at Oppama ( they didn't "drop" anything except their very limited forays into building a sports racer ), and a kind of rivalry between the two factions came into being. They were forced to share personnel and technologies, but nevertheless the internal rivalry persisted. Vestiges of this still remain today; the team developing the new GT-R are direct descendents of the ex-Prince contingent that was headed by Shinichiro Sakurai, and have their own remit whilst still being part of Nissan. Nissan has come to accept and arguably foster the distinction. Alan T.

Carl, How many times do I have to tell you this before it finally sinks in? The above section of the book was badly phrased, badly written and - above all - basically inaccurate. This is not surprising if we remind ourselves that Matsuo san was 'interviewed' by the staff writer at MIKI PRESS who actually wrote the chapter, which then got sent upwards in the chain to be subbed. Miho and Brian Long then 'translated' this into English with their own perspective ( literal Japanese to English translation is always difficult, I can tell you - so they have my full sympathy ) and that version is what you are basing your 'research' on. At best it is third-hand, after-the-fact and somewhat muddled. To simplify, the correct sequence of events is that the twin-carb high comp version of the L20 six had ALREADY been decided upon before the 'Export' market L24 was mooted. There was no magic jump from a four banger to an L24 and then a step back to the L20. Katayama simply wanted more torque and power, and lobbied for a larger capacity version for 'his' market. The Japanese market was initially to get the twin carb L20 and a more sporty triple sidedraught carbed version of that L20 ( with around 150hp ) before upper management pointed out that they already had the S20 twin cam, and really ought to use that instead. The pepped-up version of the L20 was therefore dropped and the S20 used instead. The twin carbed L20 was 'the' S30-series Z engine before the L24 and S20 joined it. That S20 installation required changes to the S30-series design that appeared on every first-generation L-series engined car. Most people never even notice these. So you see the Miki Press book is not entirely accurate in its account. I suspect that this is due to a combination of Matsuo re-remembering events long after they happened, and having the useful ( but sometimes misleading ) benefit of hindsight, along with at least TWO sets of writers interpreting his words with their own take on events. He explains it much more logically when you sit down and talk it through with him and ask the right questions. So can we please remember that the twin carbed L20 six was already part of the design before the L24 and the S20? Thanks, Alan T.

No. You ( they ) are getting Nissan mixed up with the Prince Motor Co. When Prince was merged with Nissan, the ex-Prince faction managed to keep themselves fairly intact within the Nissan fold, and continued their work on the Skyline and other ex-Prince models ( and much of the race-oriented ex-Prince activities ) at the Murayama facility. The Z was hatched at Oppama. There was a certain amount of inter-faction rivalry between the two sides that still lingers to this day. So, no it doesn't.

Can I play too? Unless it turns out to be one of the factory race car 'shells that didn't. ;-) Unless it is a 432 or 432-R, in which case it will be on the opposite side. Not always. Depended on the market and specific model. :classic:

This was not long after you finally realised that the 'HS30' and 'HLS30' VIN prefixes ( not to mention the 'S30' and 'PS30' ) each had their own body serial number sequences, wasn't it? I'll keep quoting you then. It adds perspective. "Dribble"? Carl, you make your own big contributions to the myths that surround these cars. Refusing to acknowledge the S30-series Z as a "family" of variants is possibly the biggest single mark of disrespect you could make to the engineers and designers that worked on the project. Next time you meet Matsuo san you might like to ask him ( face to face ) what he thinks of your "American car, made in Japan" quote. He already told me what he thinks of it. If you want to use the quote and still keep a straight face, you might like to apply it ONLY to the HLS30-U model. Alan T.

Er, was it news to you that RHD S30-series Z cars were produced in 1969? If so, I respectfully suggest that you might like to do a little catch-up research ( you might like to start with the 1969 Tokyo Auto Show ). There you go again. "RHD in 1969" is well documented common knowledge. The problem is that you seem to have that sad affliction known as 'Beck-O-Vision', which manifests itself as an inability to understand that the HLS30-U is an S30-series Z, but the S30-series is not an HLS30-U or indeed a '240Z' ( of any denomination ). You get the point? Don't write "240Z" when you mean 'S30' and "S30" when you mean '240Z' ( and don't forget to be specific about which type of '240Z' you mean ). Would you like to rephrase that after reading my advice? The answer is of course that Nissan was targeting several markets with the S30-series Z models. You might have meant to ask in which particular market Nissan was expecting the majority of sales to be made ( yes? ) - and of course that would be the USA, the market where one particular type of S30-series Z cars was aimed at ( the HLS30-U ). . "Verifiable proof" of what exactly? You only have to look closely at your car to see the evidence that the S30-series Z car was designed and manufactured with more than one target market in mind, and for more than one single variant to be produced at the same time. Maybe you have not seen enough other variants contemporary with your HLS30-U to fully comprehend this? I believe ( as far as I remember ) that I was explaining their presence in the Japanese-market cars to somebody that had not seen or heard of them before, and who was at the time the owner of an Australian market model. I think it should be clear to you what "normal" in that particular context would be. It is a question of perspective. You dug a hole and I just stepped over it. Be careful you don't fall in it yourself......... The S30-series Z was a whole family of cars. It is not ME that is telling anyone otherwise. The extra holes in your seat mounts would tell you something if you opened your mind to it - just like the question that started this whole thread off. 26th-Z was very eloquent in his reply, so if you don't like this particular piano player then I suggest you might listen to the way 26th-Z plays the same tune. Alan T.

If you were aware of the Japanese-market seat mounts, then presumably you must have noticed a few other "accommodations" ( DESIGN CONCESSIONS - each way ) for both LHD and RHD versions, and mechanicals other than those seen on your HLS30-U? Perhaps you don't see them? Here are some examples of the kind of misinformation and bias that might have misled you: Did you spot the biggest lie in there? I'll quote it again for you: And that's all you need to remember about that particular commentator. Alan T.

A big "Amen" to everything you said, except this. Your cars were neither the lightest or fastest of the Z range. "Needed and got"? Who said they "needed" them? The footrest was actually a sports-oriented optional item, and not fitted to *every* Japanese market Z as you seem to think it was. I'll leave the question of why it might have been called a 'sports' option to your imagination......　 And have you ever seen the seat mounts on a Japanese-market bodyshell? They might help to answer some questions for you ( even if some of them are questions you might never have thought to ask ). This enduring "designed for the USA market" thing is misleading. The S30-series Z was just ONE of the Japanese cars designed and manufactured in that era that were beginning to accommodate a potentially taller customer base ( in Japan as well as elsewhere ). This was not an Export market-only phenomenon; the Japanese were getting taller too. Just look at the ergonomics of some other models like the C10 Skyline range for comparison. Alan T.

Zedrally, I am perfectly calm.............. ( the Prozac is working wonders ). I thought I made it quite clear which question I was answering in my reply ( The 'H' prefix one )? Any frustration you may have noticed in that reply would be due to the fact that you are asking questions in this thread that I attempted to answer for you in the other - and you don't seem to have paid attention. The 'H' prefix WAS used in the Japanese domestic S130 lineup, and wasn't 'reserved' exclusively for the Export models. You asked a few other questions too ( unless you were just thinking aloud ) - notably about the 'L' prefix in LHD Export S130 models, and hopefully this scan from a factory S130 workshop manual might go some way to answer a few of them. See the attached file: Cheers, Alan T.

FFS! NO! Zedrally, All of this was covered in a previous thread in which you were asking some of the same questions........ Here's your thread: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20983 I actually listed up ALL of the Japanese-market S130 models in that thread, as follows: I also see a lot of confusion around Shatai Bango prefixes and suffixes on this thread. We should be a little bit more familiar with this stuff by now. It is frustrating that some people can't tell the difference between numbers and letters that were stamped on the cars, and numbers and letters that were not. We should also always bear in mind that Nissan changed the meaning of some of the letters in the prefixes and suffixes ( such is the case with 'H' ) when they produced different models. The letters don't always stand for the same thing on those different models. Alan T.

Thanks Miles, Attempts at 'Translating' Japanese into English can be a real can of worms, so I'm thankful for your input. Cheers, Alan T.

Hi daddz, Well - they probably didn't know about it still being around, and probably still don't ( and are unlikely to be making it their business to know about it ). There really isn't a regime in place to procure and curate this kind of thing. They don't have a proper corporate museum in Japan that would compare to those built by the likes of Toyota, Honda or even Subaru. I heard talk of a 'museum' section or floor being incorporated in the new Nissan HQ that is being built in Yokohama, but this seems likely to be a token gesture rather than purpose built shrine to their past. They have a big collection of cars based at Zama ( 'The Nissan Historic Car Collection' ) but a proper interactive museum for the general public to visit is still a long way off. That's Nissan for you. No disrespect to Ron ( hello Ron ) - but having personally clapped eyes on the unibody in question I would dispute most strongly the assertion that it had ever had a panel hung on it - let alone been a complete car at some point. Despite its current condition ( and all that it has been through ) I think it is easy to see that it has never been built into a complete or even semi-complete car. Line it up next to the Silver Pennybody ( otherwise known as HLS30-00026 ) - even after Chris has it ready for paint - and I reckon you'd easily see the difference. Hard to quantify and express - but if you saw all those virgin wiring loom tabs and the myriad other details you might start to understand what I mean when I say that it smells like it has always been a bare 'shell. Perhaps Andy might pop off a few detail shots next time he goes over to where it currently resides, and post them on this thread for the unbelievers to chew on? Alan T.