HS30-H

Hello Carl, How refreshing! Thanks for being so open to new information. Fire away. Cheers, Alan T.

Hello Ron! What happened to me being on your 'ignore' list then? I didn't think you'd be able to see anything written by me any more, let alone quote it. Personally speaking, I've never used the 'ignore' function - so I don't know exactly how it works. Regarding the 'BRE' ( actually Nissan ) rear spoiler, thanks for your input. It is interesting to me that a Nissan designed and manufactured part would take on the 'BRE' accreditation simply because 'BRE' sold it in the USA. Did this happen with all the other non-'BRE' manufactured products sold by 'BRE', or was it just the Nissan rear spoilers? Or was it just mis-accreditation on the part of the general public? All these questions asked with the presumption that you can actually see what I have written...... Cheers, Alan T.

26th-Z, Its a shame the thread will peter out, as I have been scratching my head in wonder at how a static loading ( luggage ) can effectively be compared with an aerodynamic effect. Wouldn't that be comparing apples with bananas? And wouldn't spring, damper and ARB rates have a bearing on the effects of static and dynamic loads, and on aerodynamic effects? Carl asked you to produce any of Nissan's data to 'prove' their findings, but I'd agree with you that if Nissan put spoilers on some cars then they had a good reason to do so. But wouldn't we expect Nissan's research data to be in Japanese rather than English? I can't imagine that being of immediate use....... And why does Nissan's rear spoiler so often get referred to as the "BRE" rear spoiler?

Walter, I presume you mean me ( please note the spelling of my name )? To be perfectly honest, the 2005 U.S. F1 GP would not rank very high on my target list for an F1 race to visit. Maybe if they ran the cars around the whole oval it might be more interesting With tracks such as Spa, Suzuka and Monaco still in use I'd rather visit the F1 races held in those places than Indy I'm afraid. But if I did go to visit Indianapolis, would I be able to visit the chassis manufacturers, engine manufacturers, transmission, brake, wheel, tyre, steering etc etc manufacturers whose products took part in the 2005 Indy 500? I'm going to need names and addresses of 'major' companies before I go visiting. I don't intend any disrespect to Indy and its huge motorsports-related activities and industries, and when I dispute that "RCotW" status I'm not ignoring Indy's heritage and history - which I have enormous respect for. But when anybody states that a single city is the "RCotW" then I wonder if they can imagine just how conceited and blinkered that sounds to the outside world? Or maybe they don't care about that? Anyway, I'm making plans to up sticks and move to Loxahatchee. Alan T.

sopwith21, If you are as good at swerving on the track as you are on the page here then you will be very racy indeed. Bravo. But did you get my point? I listed a whole bunch of series and asked if the competitors in those series are based in Indianapolis. I think the answer is no? Likewise for the major components used in those series. Any of them based in Indianapolis? I can't think of any off the top of my ( empty ) head. You didn't specifically answer the question about this year's INDY 500 competitors. If Indy is indeed the "RCotW" then surely a large proportion of those 2005 Indy 500 runners would have been using engines, transmissions, chassis etc etc that were made by companies based in the "RCotW". No? I tried the "math" but I'm having trouble counting the F1 teams. No matter how hard I try I can't come up with 18 teams. Seems that Indianapolis must be even more important than you yourself give it credit for. How about "Indianapolis - Racing Capital Of The Known Universe!". Sorry, but I have to smile when you mention "major" and then go on to talk about OWRS ( the artist formerly known as CART ) and IRL. Seems that your idea of "major" might be slightly different to that of the rest of the World. Maybe you have missed your vocation. I reckon you would make a great politician. I just want to make sure that you don't misunderstand my position on this; I am NOT saying that there is a SINGLE city to rival Indianapolis as the "RCotW" - I am saying that it is farcical to call any ONE city the "RCotW" when the positive MINORITY of the World's major auto racing-related manufacturers are based there. It is quite simple. But then perhaps you are not to blame for this. When web pages such as this: Indiana local gov tell people that Indianapolis Motor Speedway is "the World's oldest and most famous auto racing track" then it is to be expected. Perhaps "most famous" is true and justifiable, but "World's oldest" certainly isn't. The first race at Brooklands predates Indy by at least a couple of years...... I want you to understand that I have TOTAL respect for Indy's history. The names I have mentioned up to now on this thread ( as well as the names associated with them, such as Novi, Miller and the many others ) should give you a clue to that. However, I don't see it dominating the racing world's attention like it once did. And I've changed my avatar slogan in tribute to the real "RCotW". How's that for a concession?

For the attention of Mr Carl Beck: Sorry to poke my nose in here, but I wanted to catch Mr Beck's attention on an active thread that he is participating in..... Carl, have you seen this thread:The First Z Pace Car? Some relevant, pertinent and ( I think ) interesting information in there for you regarding Z Pace Cars. Perhaps you would like to use some of that information to update your own pages re Z pace cars on zhome.com? Don't forget my credit, will you? ;-) Hijack over. Cheers! Alan T. :classic:

sopwith 21, Thanks for the English lesson, but I already knew what the word 'capital' means. I also know what the word 'sarcastic' means, and can assure you that I wasn't being sarcastic when I asked my question. I just might start being a little bit sarky with you now though.... Not quite. I think you'll find that most of them have their bases in Europe, and the majority of them in the area nicknamed the 'Silicon Valley' of the race car world - that is the south east of England. Ferrari of course are in Modena, Italy. Toyota in Germany. McLaren, Williams, BAR Honda, Jordan, Red Bull Racing ( formerly Jaguar, formerly Stewart GP ), Minardi ( their 'European Aviation' UK base is actually bigger than their Faenza, Italy base ) and yes - Renault ( originally Benetton ) are all based in that area. So are many of their major suppliers and contractors. Sauber even has a UK operation that operates alongside its mainland European base. That's hardly scattered all over the globe, is it? Most of them appear to be either in the UK or in Italy and Germany / Austria. But are you missing the point? None of them are based in Indianapolis........ Yes. That's kind of the point of a World Championship, as opposed to a National Championship like the "Champ Car World Series"...... Surely you can't actually believe that to be true? Have you any idea how many open-wheel racing series there are in the World? In order to make your statement, you'd need to know that. So what's the figure? I certainly couldn't count them. Sorry, I can't do that. I don't think such a city or town exists anywhere in the World. The key word being "major". Your idea of major seems to equate to my idea of localised. Minor or run-of-the-mill I could do easy, but "major" is tough. Good one! Nice wordsmithery . Not the most famous race, but the most famous open wheel race. Not the most highly-attended race, but the most highly-attended stock car race. These are great games if we can be bothered to play them. You got me there, except that the "biggest" ( most important? ) drag race and the most highly attended 'stock car race' ( what qualifies as a 'stock car race'? NASCAR only? ) will naturally occur somewhere in the USA, and I don't think the Indy 500 is as important ( on a Worldwide basis ) now as you think it is. "Most Famous Open Wheel Race"? It might well be the Monaco GP, but again - I'm not saying FOR DEFINITE like you are. I'm more cautious. You wouldn't want to start including events that take place outside large stadiums, or else "most highly attended" might have to give way to one of the races in the WRC. 'Most viewers' crown would - I would think - go to an event that is televised ( truly ) worldwide. F1 again, I think ( not necessarily deservedly ). Hmmm, how about I answer your question with some questions of my own?: How many of the chassis and engines competing in the 2005 Indy 500 were constructed in Indianapolis, the "Racing Capital Of The World"? How about the transmissions, wheels, tyres, brakes, radiators, oil coolers, electronics, composites, etc etc? And to take it a little further, how many of the chassis, engines, transmissions, wheels, tyres, electronics, etc etc that compete in Formula 1, WRC. Formulas 3, 3000, Renault, Nissan, BMW, Nippon ( and all the other national and international 'Formula' car championships ), JGTC, Paris Dakar, ETCC / WTCC, BTCC, DTM etc etc etc - I could go on ad infinitum - are / were manufactured or assembled in Indianapolis? Tell me its the MAJORITY and I'll agree that your avatar slogan is right and true. If you can't, then maybe you need to change it to "Racing Capital Of The USA" - which would appear to be more accurate. I don't think there IS such a place as the "Racing Capital Of The World". Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Christopher, Sorry - I don't agree. The INDY 500 these days is nothing like the leviathan it used to be. I can't point a finger and show you exactly when it ceased being as important and significant as it used to be ( probably more of a slow fade than a jump cut ) but in 2005 it hardly registers on the radar here in Europe. That wasn't always the case. I used to tune in on a small radio in the middle of the night when I was a kid, but now it doesn't even make the sports news on the radio let alone a full news report. I don't know how anybody could quantify exactly what would make any single place the .."racing capital of the world"... let alone justify that statement. Looking at it from over here, it seems folly to make such a definitive statement. "Greatest spectacle in motor racing" I would have thought was a subjective issue, and again personally I'd shy away from making definitive statements on subjective issues. I'd expect the promoters / organisers to come up with huge overstatements like that, but I wouldn't expect people to actually believe it. Surely the Monaco Grand Prix and the Le Mans 24hr race would be in with a shout should somebody be foolish enough to try and decide a "Greatest" event ( whatever that means )? If you want to include the two words "all time" you might have an even bigger contest on your hands, with the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Carrera Panamericana and many other long-dead events joining the fray. No justification required? Why not? I'd have thought it would be easy to justify it to an unbeliever like me if you just trot out a few of the good reasons that I've obviously missed. Nobody seems to be able to come up with any reasons at all, so I'll just have to file it under 'hyperbole' rather than 'speed bowl'..... Just the way it is? Just the way it was more like. How can anybody seriously believe that the 2005 INDY 500 ( no disprespect to drivers, engineers, entrants or organisers ) ranks at anywhere near the level it did in its heyday? The Indy 500 is just another emasculated motor racing event living off its past reputation. If only Indy's ghosts could come back and put all this into perspective.

Walter, Maybe Wheldon is my countryman, but his win didn't even make the terrestrial news media here..... Sadly, the INDY 500 is a pale shadow of its formerly glorious self. A backwater for assorted has-beens and probably-won't-bes to paddle in. Can we measure Wheldon and his ilk against the likes of Wilbur Shaw, Jimmy Murphy, Jim Bryan, Bill Vukovich and Frank Lockhart ( and that's just a few off the top of my head )? I doubt it. Sorry, but I think the rest of the World might have trouble agreeing that it "already knows" that Indianapolis is the "...racing capital of the World.". But maybe Sopwith 21 might like to expand on it for me, as it is he whom has it written next to his avatar? Surely it should be easy to justify if it is true? Come on - give it a shot

The R190 ( called 'R192' in Japan ) was fitted as standard equipment to PGC10 & KPGC10 Skyline GT-Rs and the vast majority of PS30-SB Fairlady Zs. Quite a few of these cars ended up with full 4-pinion units over the years as the owners upgraded them. Parts to rebuild these diffs are still available from specialists in Japan. Expensive, yes. Difficult to find, yes. Impossible, no. But when R200 units in most ratios are still so easy to find, comparatively cheap and simple to rebuild / fettle and fairly easy to fit in place of an R180, it seems pointless to use an R190 / R192 unless forced to do so by competition rules and regulations.

Sopwith21, Er, so who exactly was it who 'drank the milk' this time? I didn't see a namecheck for Mr Dan Wheldon above..... And "Indianapolis, racing capital of the World" - please justify.... ( ? ). Alan T. :classic:

The A680X certainly deserves a whole new thread topic on its own. I reckon you could argue it several different ways, both 'for' and 'against' influencing the design of the S30-series Z cars. What is without doubt is that the styling of the A680X was influenced by that of the Ferrari 275GTB, and that Matsuo has quoted the Ferrari as a design he was influenced by. Probably a case of everybody ( including other Italian design / styling houses ) looking at Pininfarina's styling of the 275GTB of 1964 and being affected by it. I reckon that Matsuo must have known about the A680X and seen it, and would have been influenced by its existence one way or another ( whether he admits it or not ). I think its shape would certainly illustrate the 'zeitgeist' in car design at that point, and if you got a schoolboy anywhere in the world during 1965 & 1966 to draw a 'dream car' it might very well look like the Ferrari 274GTB......... The A680X was being developed as a race special rather than a high volume production car, and you would have to say that in some respects it was already fairly old-fashioned by 1966. Nissan certainly went the right way when they absorbed PMC and the Prince R380 sports racer projects, and went the way of monocoques and rear engines..... I don't know all that much about the car, but its mechanical spec was very interesting.

Hi Mike, Sorry, it does not have an ISBN number.... It was published on 24th November 1979, and actually it was an AUTOSPORT magazine 'Bes-satsu' special publication ( not Car Graphic - my mistake ). You will have to search for it with Japanese vintage book dealers, or on net auctions.

Some pics of a GRX engine taken on the Nissan display stand of the 1969 Tokyo Auto Show. See our 'little friend' in the background of the first shot - the Fairlady Z432-R:

A gentleman called 'Skip Scott' wrote it, according to the credit. Not the same Skip Scott as the a race car driver by the same name, I presume ( ? ).

Hi Jim, The GR8 and GRX shared some design details ( especially in the cylinder head design ) but it is probably not fair to call the GRX anything other than a quite different design to the GR8. Of course, they were related. Car Graphic released an excellent book on the R380-series racers in the 1980s. It has fold-out blueprint sections on the cars and engines, and is quite a production. They don't fit on my scanner...... The A680X - the great missing link! Here's a couple of pics from 1966:

Well, first of all, 'PS30-00017' ( if the car was indeed "no.17" as the article claimed ) is not on the list of noted PZRs. Secondly, the description of the car ( even with its obvious inaccuracies and mistakes ) does not sound like a true PZR to me. I think the journalist would have noticed the lack of numerous items on the car ( such as eyeball ducts, clock, heater / demister systems - unless the owner put these back in, which did happen - centre console, ignition switch, carpets, standard seats, spare wheel well etc etc ) and the presence of others ( acrylic windows, FRP bonnet etc etc ) and noted their differences to the '240Z' instead of saying that they were the same..... The pictures tell their own story. The car is wearing the full rubber-trimmed bumpers ( not PZR items ) and full window rubber garnishes and drip rail garnishes, as well as some dress-up details. It seems strange to me that the owner would choose a super-basic PZR and then add items that came standard on the stock 432 and other models. Its missing the whole point of the 'R' spec ( less is more ) and seems to me to indicate that the car started life as a stock PS30 rather than the ultra-rare PZR. I also think the journalist would have noted the spare tyre sitting on the rear deck of a PZR ( if the car had a spare at all ) and the reason for this. He didn't. Seems to me that the owner was exaggerating slightly, and the journalist didn't know the difference between a PZ and a PZR anyway.

The R190 / R192 fits anywhere the R180 fitted, and vice-versa. It takes the same mountings and same driveshafts as the R180. R180 and R190 / R192 were essentially the same design internally. R200 was a fundamentally different design . R190 / R192 is just like an R180 on viagra.

It looks like an EMPI GT steering wheel to me. Looks very cool, and 'period correct' I'd say. Used, NOS or a 'Flat Four' repro, Victor?

Hi Jim, Nice links! Nissan took R380-series race cars to South America and South Africa too. I sent Lincoln Small some information and photos about the Brabham BT8 ( chassis no. SC-9 ) owned by Prince / Nissan, but he never acknowledged receipt and hasn't updated the pages for a long time. Some relevant photos and info posted on this thread ( from around post no.50 onwards ) back in 2003: Nissan's collection of old cars Don't fret about this subject being 'OT' Jim. It most certainly isn't. Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Jim, Interesting article. Thanks for taking the time to scan and put it up. It was originally from the January 1974 edition of 'MODERN MOTOR" magazine, I believe. I'm afraid the article wasn't strictly correct factually, and Mr Don Knight ( the owner of the car ) wasn't being completely truthful about the car either.... First of all, the car being described in the article is clearly a Fairlady Z432 ( PS30 ) and not a Fairlady Z432-R ( PS30-SB ). Secondly, the journalist writes: "All the stock running gear, suspension, interior layout, transmission, body, etc are 240Z components" which is not true. For example, the suspension ( spring and damper rates ) of the 432 were different to the '240Z' in all market versions, and the diff in the early 432 was the R192 ( equipped with an LSD ) rather than the R180 of the '240Z' ( although it got an R200 from 1973 ). He also writes ( presumably in good faith ) that the owner claims to have fitted a "Rally option cam" when the S20 had two cams and no "Rally" cam option to choose. He's getting his L-series and S20 option parts mixed up. He then relates that the car has "Racing headers and a dual pipe exhaust system" when the 432 had what could be considered a 'race' header and dual pipe system as stock equipment. He also reckons that "A tad has been milled off the head to bring up the compression ratio" which is NOT the way the increase compression on the S20, as it completely messes up the cam drive geometry ( you need to change the pistons to increase compression ). Again, L-gata and S20 practices being mixed up. He writes that the "differential has been modified for better acceleration - a 4.1 ratio" when the stock ratio on the early 432 was 4.44 and even the later 432 had a 4.375 ratio R200. A 4.1 would not 'improve' acceleration over the stock ratios. Sorry to make a negative post about the article, but I think it is important to point out the mistakes and confusing information to save them from being quoted as fact in future. Alan T.

'LR' is basically what the Works called the Factory race engines fitted with the 'normal' type ( non-Crossflow SOHC ) head castings. Again, specs were a moving target - but in essence it refers to a Factory race L-series 6 engine.

Hi Jim, WOW - nice picture. I haven't seen that one before. Let's see ( I hate being put on the spot like this ). I'd say it was probably Round 4 of the 1973 Grand Champion Series - the 'Fuji Masters 250km', held on 10th October ( at FISCO, obviously ). 1st - Kazato Hiroshi ( Chevron B23 ). 2nd - Tanaka Hiroshi ( March BMW ). 3rd - Tsutsumi Tomohiko ( Lola T212 ). Incidentally, the great Henri Pescarolo ( March BMW ) came home in 15th place. Kazato covered 41 laps, over the course of 1 hour, 13 minutes, 26.56 seconds for an average speed of 200.973km/h. Tanaka was only 8 seconds behind him at the finish. Always nice to see Kurosawa getting a bit of bad luck ( the miserable sod ). Did I pass? If you've got any more Z pace car shots I'd like to see you ( anyone? ) add them to this thread. I feel a bit like a unicyclist spinning plates at times. Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Chris, A brief synopsis? Whew, even that might take a bit of doing...... But essentially we are talking about a roughly two year period between the first of the aero parts equipped factory cars in late 1971 and the 'Type B' aero package equipped works cars illustrated by the red and white car now owned by NISMO. Basically you can see all the stuff in the Sports Option lists, except that the true 'Works' parts had a little more work go into them. Yanagida's car evolved from a carburated LR engine into ( eventually ) an injected LY 'Crossflow' with dry sump. Direct Drive ( Dogleg ) 5-speeds, R192 4-pinion LSD diff ( later an R200 ), vented MK63 four-pot brakes ( later cars had these on the rear as well ), Lobro-jointed driveshafts, 100 Litre fuel tanks ( 120 Litre later ), fully adjustable gas struts with camber-adjustable uniball top mounts, etc etc. Some of the Works cars had fairly trick bodies, and were pretty light. Getting down to fine details you have to talk about individual cars, and almost on a race-by-race basis. The specs changed very quickly. The red and white car pictured at the 2002 NISMO Festival is fitted with an LY28 Crossflow running on 50PHH Mikunis ( it would originally have had Injection at some point ) and an Option Direct-Drive 5-speed. The green / white / black car belonging to Terashima san ( a 240ZR replica ) is running a 3 Litre L-series with a trick Works head casting, Sports Opt crank, 50PHH Mikunis, dry sump, Option 2 Direct Drive 5-speed, and a whole host of genuine Works and Sports Option parts. Hope that gives a little insight.

Hi Emil, Yes, I know what you mean. That Fujimi box art is pretty special isn't it? Many people say that they don't like the looks of the ZG, but most of them have never set eyes on a Factory example in the metal ( and plastic ). Surely the fact that the 'HS30-H' Fairlady 240ZG was legal for street use in Japan ( as a Nissan Factory-supplied showroom model available to the Generel Public ) is more relevant? It was also JAF homologated, and the JAF homologation was recognised by the FIA - with the paperwork to back this up. There is also a good case for legal precedent of use in Europe ( my car ) and I can back you up if need be. My biggest problem was with the Insurance companies, who didn't have the ZG model on their computers. It took a lot of work to straighten that out and get covered. I don't see how the USA comes into this, and the Fairlady 240ZG was never officially sold outside Japan anyway. Surely your best course of action is to link any replica to the precedent set by the Factory model, even in the case of bolt-on parts to a '280Z'? Yes, the first of the Factory race cars to use the ZG/ZR aero packages were more simple - and were closer to the roadgoing ZG looks-wise. But they only lasted a few months before evolving further - so pictures are more scarce. I have a fair few though, and will scan some up for you. Maybe I'll send them to you direct. Cheers, Alan T.