Carl Beck

Hi Kats (everyone): Like Alan said, the difference in the day the car was actually completed (driven out the door) between 10/69 and 11/69 could be 1 day, or 62 days. (1 Nov. to 31 Dec.). Indeed, if as Alan tells us the data plates were put on the cars days or even weeks later, just prior to shipment... that difference in actual completion dates of the cars wouldn't change. Given that compliance with the US import laws/regulations was the GOAL of having the data plates on the drivers door jam, stamped with the Date Of Manufacture expressed in terms of Month/Year, on the cars headed to North America. Given the production schedules that would have been in existence at the time, it was an easy matter to check a copy of the production schedule, see what month the unit was reported out as finished - then stamp the data plate and affix it to the car. Really wouldn't have mattered when the data plate itself was stamped and affixed to the car.. the data off the production schedules/reports would have remained the same, and that would have been the audit trail established, and kept on file for the required number of years at the plant. Production dates and serial numbers required to be recorded, reported and retained by law, are not an insignificant data point. They are used to support compliance audits, to base recalls and/or corrective actions on and later might be used to base legal actions on. I find it hard to believe that given the typical attention to detail for which the Japanese Auto Manufacturers were noted... that a subject as important as complying with legal requirements would have been handled with such reputed disregard. When and where the required data tags were put on the car, doesn't mean that the data stamped into them, wasn't accurately transcribed from carefully keep records at the time. At this point, I see no reason to doubt the accuracy of the data itself. Nor to doubt the integrity of the people charged with recording it. FWIW, Carl Carl Beck Clearwater, FL http://ZHome.com

Zthing wrote: >WOOOHOOOO!!!! I struck a gold vein of information. Thanks again people. > >Carl, the plate in the door jam reads 3/72 and HLS30-73112. Same HLS >number as the ID plate in the engine compartment. Hi Zthing: Ok.... now look at the Data Tag in the engine compartment again. It has both the VIN and the original engine serial number stamped into it. The Engine Number will begin with "L24-" Check that number against the number stamped on the engine block just below the #6 cylinder spark plug. If it's the original engine, the numbers will match. (let me know what it is for our data base - should be something close to L24 90xxx to L24 92xxx). If you look on the firewall, just to the left of the Master Vac for the brakes.. you will find the chassis serial number stamped into firewall. Sometimes you have to move the vacuum line from the Master Vac out of the way to find it. The chassis serial number should match the last numbers in your VIN. >I am trying to get the Datsun in the garage asap. Right now it's under the >car shelter. As soon as I can get it in there, I will start making my list of >needed parts. Hope to have it in the door by the weekend. I have the >garage from hell. Boxes of PC parts, Motorcycle parts, etc. stacked >everywhere. This shall be remedied soon. At any rate..you people are a >great help. Thanks again. I will check out the recommended sites above. One of the best "additions" I've ever made to my garage, was the addition of commercial grade "Package Racking". The difference between "Package Racking" and "Pallet Racking" is that Package Racking has flat surfaces to hold packages, boxes etc.. and Pallet Racking has only steel beams upon which Pallets are placed by fork lifts. Sam's Club how carries some fairly good, and fairly inexpensive Package Racking (rivet racking type) but nothing as strong, nor in most cases as wide as the commercial stuff. The commercial stuff is cost prohibitive for private use... UNLESS you call around and find companies that resell it USED. Go in person/business to see them, and the products they have to offer... I also found that they will take less than quoted prices if you are there in front of them with CASH offers. Really good stuff can be had for around $200.00 per section (which would include four shelves with the plywood to cover them, and the additional strengthening supports under the plywood.) With the current prices of plywood and lumber it's hard to build shelving for much less and impossible to build it as strong or as wide without upright supports. I have three sections, 8 feet long, 7 feet high and 4 feet deep. Two have about four shelves for large item storage (doors, fenders, hoods, interior parts like seats etc. One section has about six shelves for storing less tall, flat items like carpet sets, door panels, and containers with all manor of smaller parts. It was simply amazing how much stuff you can put safely on one of these sections.. I'd highly recommend the purchase of this type of storage unit... you simply can not beat having shelves that are close to 8 feet wide, with no uprights obstructing access, nor limiting the size of the items that can be placed on them. Plus it is far less expensive than adding the additional now useable, square feet of floor space to your garage. good luck with your project.. See my white 72 at: http://zhome.com/Classic/Refresh/Refreshing72Z.htm regards, Carl Carl Beck Clearwater, FL USA http://ZHome.com

Hi Guys: The biggest "real" difference between 72 and 73 interiors, was the addition of the Federal Safety Standards requirement for flame retardant interior materials. This didn't effect the "looks" of the 240Z's very much. We did get Gold and Orange PL510's with Blue interiors however... uck...

Zthing Ask: >...snipped.. >but would love to find a book....or site....that would educate me on >the differences, if any, within a single years production, or even a >model span (all years of 240)..... Hi Zthing: For the 1972 Model Year see the "Series III" notes at 09/71 and below: http://zhome.com/History/DesignChanges.htm I think we have most of the minor differences listed there. What is the VIN & Build Date on your Car? FWIW, Carl Carl Beck Clearwater, FL USA http://ZHome.com

Hi Guys: Boy... 240-Z's must be way less expensive where you live... The Yellow car: Actually looks like it might be a pretty nice example. Let's say that it inspects out... as described.. and that in fact it is a stand up example..One that would stand up to serious inspection. Lets say that the paint and body were done correctly for a serious "refresh".. car stripped to a body shell, then body and paint work done to at least factory quality or better.. then the car was reassembled with care to the details etc.. It would sell pretty quickly around here for between $12K and $14K today. The minor problems with the Air Cleaner, door panels etc could be corrected without too much work/expense. (Carl, I think that might be a Fairlady door panel on the drivers side... a lot of them came in and got sold as OEM for the US 240-Z's... which of course they weren't). But then he has speakers in the door panels, so you'd have to replace them anyway if you wanted "stock".... A rust free California owned 240-Z in unrestored, but very good condition is today a $5K to $6.5K car...(solid frame rails and floorboards etc). "Refresh" it today and you will easily spend a year of your spare time and an additional $18K. From the pictures and description... this Yellow car looks like a solid $3 car. The White 72... We don't know the quality of the "respray" but it sounds like the car was just mask off, and top coated.. Wrong hood, wrong carpeting, cracked dash... Lots of minor issues and problems.. Nonetheless, it should be in that $5K to $6.5K range...This car would most likely be a very good driver, that later would have the possibility of being fully refreshed or even restored.. the current owner most likely has twice that amount in it... and in a few years he'll be kicking himself in the rear end, for ever letting it go... a few years from now he won't be able to replace it for twice that amount either... If it inspected out.. to be as represented... it would most likely be a pretty good deal on a 240-Z today at anywhere near, plus or minus $6.5K. Someone back east might go as high as $7.5K... Of course we all know that pictures tell you nothing... we would have to physically inspect either of these closely... There is however a big difference between the two, in terms of their overall quality. FWIW, Carl B. Clearwater, FL http://ZHome.com

Chris wrote of his Beliefs: >..snipped.. >In the begining, there were six? build configurations of the S30. The S30, >S30-S, HLS30, HS30, PS30, and PS30-SB. That doesn't indicate an American >export focus to me. Hi Chris (everyone): As you have shared your beliefs with us, I like to do the same before leaving this hijacked thread. I have to base my conclusions, and to an extent my beliefs on the best available evidence; that being what Mr. Matsuo wrote, and which is supported in several other sources. Based on that, it would seem to me at least, that you are confusing the "beginning" with the end of the design cycle. In the "beginning" there was a 1600 roadster sized, 2.0L 4 cylinder powered, convertible. If we are to believe that the Z Car began with Mr. Matsuo and not Mr. Goertz.... ie. that the "beginning" was Mr. Matsuo's roadster, not Mr. Goertz's or Yamaha's fastback coupe. Mr. Matsuo tells us that his beginning concept evolved over time into a car that was aimed at compliance with a whole raft of US Safety requirements. Becoming next a fastback coupe that Mr. K said he thought would be best for the US market.. , which in turn evolved into a body widened, made longer, made higher to accommodate the L24 that only Mr. K insisted on. When the question of having a 2.0L engine for Japan was raised, management directed the use of the S20 from Prince Motors. Which, according to Mr. Matsuo; "incidentally" resulted in the Z432 (or PS30/PS30-SB). At exactly what point in time the JDM was equipped with the L20 I do not know, but given Mr. Matsuo's account we would have to reason that it was some time after the management directive to use the S20, because at that point the question of a 2.0L engine for Japan was still at question (no L20 2.0L engine = no S30-S, S30) At the end of the preliminary design cycle, there was one body shell, the one who's size and shape was driven by the American Market and Mr. K. Upon that core body shell all other configurations are based. There is no question that during the various design concepts, alternatives and prototype stages from 1965 to 1968, both Right and Left Hand Drive configurations were mocked up and presented to Nissan Management. This would seem to have been standard practice, as all the roadsters before it were. Likewise the Z car was seen by Nissan Management primarily as an export model, as all the roadsters before it were. The sale of those model variations however represented sales in addition to the primary target market. Chris wrote: >....snipped..... >I think that in order to fully understand the American Datsun 240 Z, one must >at least be cognizant of what was not exported to America. I believe that to fully understand the reason for the success of the Datsun 240-Z, one must be cognizant of what the formula for it's astounding success, as well as it's unique place in history, were. Why it was so completely "different in concept" than all other imported sports cars of the era in the USA. What exactly it is about the Datsun 240-Z that made the whole greater than the sum of its parts. There were several sports cars in the same price range offered in the primary marketplace at the time. All better known Brands to the American public, all having larger sports car market shares in America than Datsun, all with similar technologies. To fully understand the Japanese Domestic Models, one must at least be cognizant of what drove the design of such a large Sports/GT coming from Japan, during an era of relatively small Japanese automobiles and very small sports car sales in Japan. If your impressions are correct, then Matsuo and Katayama just got lucky. That may be possible, but none of the surrounding information, nor the actual production and sales figures would seem to support such a position. If my impressions are correct Katayama's marketing approach of designing cars to target specific export customers expectations of quality; combined with Matsuo's ability to iterate, evolve and continually incorporate new design requirements into his designs, resulted in the marketing success they forecast and twice the sales promised. As for bragging rights, the rights are Katayama's, Matsuo's and Nissan's. They got it right, by solid market research and skilled design - not by luck. Katayama and Matsuo got the concept of a Sports/GT for America right - when the rest of the sports car manufacturers selling to that same customer base held fast to their traditional concepts of what a sports car was, and completely failed to grasp the basic concept of the Z Car... until most of them went out of the sports car business. The "whole concept" is physically represented by the U.S. spec. Datsun 240-Z, aimed squarely at the American market, the addition of all the other model variations account for the sum of the parts. IMHO if you miss the conceptual reality, you miss the real story of the Z Car. It would seem with the benefit of hindsight, that the British and Italian competitors missed the real story, and failed to offer anything competitive. Also interesting to see that the Porsche 911, which offered about the same Size and Power continued on successfully for decades here in America. (even in a much higher price range). I'll close my saying that I personally believe that the important part of this discussion, for those following along, is grasping an understanding of the whole concept; seeing the Forest, while the BS being thrown around are the arguments about the specific hue, intensity and saturation of the color of the individual leaves. The whole concept of the Datsun 240-Z for America, is what put Mr. K in the Automobile Hall of Fame, and it is what makes the Datsun 240-Z one of the ten most important cars in US Automotive History. FWIW, Carl

HI Mike: Mr. Corbitt and I exchanged thoughts on this subject in Feb of 1999. His son was helpful in getting digital images of the data plates and the car to me. I had written one of the Magazines in Australia as a result of an article they published about HS30 00004 in which they repeated the commonly held belief that HS30 cars with VINs below chassis numbers 00500 were 1969 Production Year cars. This and previous articles like it, lead to several people, who were selling Right Hand Drive 240-Z's, making the statement that their car as a 1969 production year car. Cars with VIN's higher than HS30 00100 were commonly advertised as being 1969 Production year vehicles. As I researched this subject, collected information from the various owners and their cars it became apparent to me that the HLS and HS models had separate chassis serial number series assigned to them. We found many cases where both HS and HLS cars had the same chassis numbers. HLS30 00016 and HS30 00016 etc. At any rate, my intention was to dispel the myth that the first 500 HS30 series cars were 1969 production year vehicles. It was not only incorrect, it lead some owners of 1971 Model Year cars to believe that their cars were built in 1969. Mr. Corbitt wrote the following: ......."So much of what you set out in your Email made sense. 04 was first registered in Australian in April 1970 and was used by Nissan, initially for evaluation and then as a "draw" car from about October; no-one got a test drive. I first saw the car then and ordered mine, delivered February 1971, which was when the first shipment of cars arrived in Australia. I was fortunate enough to remember 04s registration number and approached the then owner around 1985 re buying it.".......... Based not on an absence of absolute proof, but rather on a preponderance of the evidence, and lacking any conflicting evidence; that being based on the original engine serial number, the arrival date in Australia and the cars configuration we agreed that it was "most likely" built in Jan or Feb of 1970. Is it possible that HS30 00004 was built in 1969? Yes, anything was possible, but the preponderance of the evidence would tend to it being a 1970 production year car. The fact that one or even two HS30 cars might have been actually produced in 1969 is fine me. I'll gladly state that one or two of them were built in 1969 if and when, we can find a actual car that supports that fact. My main goal was simply to dispel the original myth or confusion, mostly found in Australia, that lead many to believe than any HS30 model with a chassis number below 00500 was a 1969 production year car. If HS30 00003 is out there, and we can verify that, I'll be happy to report it was ""possible"" that HS30 00003 was built in 1969... it really doesn't change the main objective of dispelling the Myth, as it related to the first 500 HS30's or the second 499 or the third 498... FWIW, Carl Carl Beck Clearwater,FL USA http://ZHome.com

Chris wrote: >Congratulations Stephan! You just got bullshitted! Took it hook line and sinker! When my good friend Chris accuses me of bullshitting about this subject, I am more that shocked! I thought that he and I agreed that the BS was mostly on the other side of this discussion. Having discussed this subject at length, researched much of what I've reported here and shared that freely with Chris... I simply do not understand how he can make that comment. We can all argue about the absolute accuracy of any documents, documented production numbers vs. actual findings etc etc... This isn't about being American vs the rest of the world (although Alan alway seems to want to paint it that way). The story of the Z Car is about the success of the automotive design path taken by Mr. K and Mr. Matsuo. That design path was to design for specific customers in specific customer markets. Chris, do you seriously belive that the Z Car was designed "for a world market" in 1967? Do you seriously believe that Nissan Motors Ltd. designed and build sports cars for their domestic market in 1970 and just got lucky that they sold a few in America? Do you seriously believe that this dispute is for bragging rights... rather than a dispute about what the true significance of the Z Car is in term of automotive history? Yes my opinions as express here and everywhere are mine, but the are supported by almost every written source of information I can find. What information have you found, that you have failed to share with me, that now leads you to make a statement like that? FWIW, Carl

Hi Mike "Core"... Of course the "S30" body shell is the "Core". The argument is about for whom and for what purpose, the car was designed and built. I believe that Mr. Matsuo and Mr. Katayama are the best authority to define the answer to those questions, and they have. They both say that the Z car was specifically designed for the US market. Mr. Matsuo explains in the book he co-authored how his initial concepts for a "world class" sports car evolved into the Sports/GT that Mr. K wanted specifically for his US customers. Mr Matsuo and Mr. K tell the story of how Mr. Matsuo was getting no-where with his designs as far as the approval of his supervisors... and how once he enlisted Mr. K's support, things started to move forward. Mr. Matsuo also outlines the evolution of the design from his initial roadster size, 4 cylinder, convertible... into the larger Sports/GT that Mr. K wanted.. Mr. Matsuo tells us that Mr. K insisted on the L24 for the US market, and how that drove even farther the size and shape of the car. Mr. Matsuo also tells us that it was Nissan Management that told him to use the S20 for the home market (as they had recently merged with Prince.). Mr Matsuo had designed his car to use the 2.0L four from the 2000 roadster... "Core" of course the S30 body shell is the core... and it is the size that it is, because it had to hold the L24 for the US market, and it had to hold US size customers. Bob Sharp tell a very interesting story about that in a previous issue of Sports Car Graphic. If you dont know Mr. Sharp, or haven't seen him... he is over 6'2"... He evaluated the original Silvia Cpe for Nissan... and his feedback went directly to Japan (his and many other US Dealers)...that's another interesting story. The bottom line is, as far as I can see, documentation from the main people involved all say that the Z car was designed specifically for the US market. Nissan Management in japan also supports that idea, as every interview with Nissan Management that I can find states that they saw their sports cars as export cars... not domestic market cars. I'll be gone... until the weekend.. so save your breath ;-) FWIW, regards, Carl

Some time much earlier someone in this thread as about the percentages of A/T equipped 240-Z's. Sorry I can't remember who ask or commented on it. Nonetheless I did remember the question.. and it took me a while to find any reference point... but looking through the Z Library here at home... In John B Rae's History of Nissan/Datsun... he published retail sales figures for 1971. Taken from Nissans records... The chart shows: 24,441 240-Z's with standard shift. 2,291 240-Z's with A/T Total 26,732 These figures are units sold by Nissan USA to their Authorized Dealers in fiscal year 1971 (I don't think that was the same a Calender year). Nonetheless at least it's one data point... showing about 9% of the total were A/T's.. FWIW, Carl

The book I'm using as a reference here, was written in Japan, published in Japan, written in the Japanese language. I would encourage anyone with an interest in doing their own research to get a copy. Wonderful pictures by Mr. Matsuo of the evolution of the design. The translation by Brian Long is great reading, but contains no Pictures!! So you really need both the Book and the translation if you don't read Japanese. FARILADY Z STORY .. DATSUN SP/SR & Z 1960 to 1989 by Yutaka Katayama and Yoshihiko Matsuo Published Miki Press ISBN: 4-89522-244-6 There are several other good books about the Z published in Japan, in Japanese. There is a good reference to them at: http://dsoanews.tripod.com/History.htm Some rare books published in Japanese are a bit spendy... but well worth getting if you can find them. Filled with great pictures FWIW, regards, Carl

Hi Alpha Dog: "...but fact remains at the design stage of the S30Z no one expected it to sell so well in the US..". Can you tell me where you found these facts? Everything I've found in my research of the subject would seem to indicate the exact opposite to be true. I can only depend on the words that Mr. Matsuo wrote. What he is understood to have told someone in a casual conversation, I have no way of telling the context of the exchange. I do believe that as Mr. Matsuo and Mr. K were writing the story the way they lived it, they were attempting to tell the truth. Not my opinion, just the truth as they documented it in their book, written and published in Japan, in the Japanese language, by two Japanese men. (Brian Long did the English translation and I trust did it well). You say no one expected it to sell well. I have heard that before, but I can not find anything factual to support it. Following all the magazine articles and books written over the years, I believe that the fact that Nissan Management was reportedly cautious, possibly even skeptical of Katayama's sales forecasts, has somehow gotten misunderstood, twisted through reworded repetition - to mean "no one expected the Z to sell well". That just simply is not the case, nor is it supported by actual events. Nissan's top management was always cautious, but Mr. Katayama assured them that if it was produced to his US Customers requirements and expectations, he would sell it in the numbers forecast. Note: In the quoted reference that follows FYI .... when Mr. Matsuo refers to "his superiors".. he is talking about his supervisor and management chain in the Design Dept.. He went around them, many levels of management higher to enlist the support of Mr. K. Successful as he was as a designer, going around your management chain in Japanese corporations was something one just did not do.. Not too long after the Project Z, Mr. Matsuo left Nissan. Of course this is exactly what Mr. K did.. he went around his management chain in 1957... to promote International Rallying in 1958... and his management chain resented it, and him, until he was finally forced to retire. Mr. Matsuo wrote, in his same book quoted earlier: : .... "The Era In Which The Z Project Started" .........snipped... "...Furthermore, instead of producing 300 units per month, this had to be a high-volume seller, capable of becoming the core of Nissan's export business - I suggested a level of nearer 3,000 vehicles per month to make it profitable. Ultimately, we achieved far greater sales figures than this, but at the time, my superiors thought it was a foolish plan; nobody except Mr. Katayama would listen to me. I felt that the only way to make any progress with the project was to make a clay model to show to Katayama-san, gain his support, and ask him, as President of Nissan USA, to push for the models development." = = = =end quote = = = As you can see, according to Mr. Matsuo at least he and Mr. K thought the car would sell very well. Given that Nissan's top management approved the mass production of the car, they must have been convinced it would sell in the numbers forecast. (which were huge numbers by comparison to previous sales) Looking at the start up production schedules that Kats provided, production of the Z was set up to produced at least a couple thousand per month, once full capacity was reached on the lines. By comparison, Nissan had been building 8,868 1600//2000 roadsters in 1969 and selling 8,769 into their export market (again largely in the US). According to tables in the same book, Nissan sold 21,837 Z's in 1970 and 44,988 in 1971. From 1958 to 1970 Nissan built and sold a total of 49,821 Sports Cars.. In 1970 and 71 alone they reported 67, 997 Z's.. At least according to the two men most involved.. it was expected to set new sales records for Nissan and the production plans for at least 1970 were about three times greater than the previous year. I think the statement that; "it sold far better than anyone dreamed", would be closer to the truth. But you can see how that could easily be twisted through reported repetition to .... "no one expected it to sell as well as it did". It was forecast to sell at 3000 units per month, and cautiously it put into production at 2000 units per month... but it sold over the four years of its production at over 4000 units per month average. Had Nissan's top management not been quite so conservative they could have easily doubled their first and second year sales. By 1972, according to the same book - they had ramped up production close to 66,000 per year. (65,956 of which 60,025 were exported 91%) and increased the retail price of the car by 20%! FWIW, regards, Carl

Hi Eric: Yes, we are most likely talking about the same car. It was gold as I recall.. Yes, it had sat for many years in a ladies garage. The guy that found it, had it at MSA three or four years ago, but then he thought it was worth $11K. No takers... I believe he could have sold it for around $6,500.00 at MSA if he hadn't chased the buyers off with the silly high price. A year or so later, he needed money... and had put more money into the car. At that point, forced to sell, he sold it for something less than $5,500.00. I don't know what Ben paid for it... but if Ben was willing to sell it for $5,500.00 I seriously doubt he paid more than $4,500.00. He would have had another grand in it for shipping. A few days ago, a friend of mine went to look at the car, and called me. He said he could buy it for $5,500.00 - I told him to buy it. It was pretty close, so he'd save a grand on shipping alone. (compaired to having one shipped from the SouthWest) FWIW, Carl

Hi Chris: The picture on the Left, the one from #26.. is the same as the one on #20. The picture on the Right, looks the same as an air cleaner from a late Series I that I have (around 10/70).. I do not know for certain that it is the original air cleaner on that car however. I can not see the third one well enough to be able to telly anything. Carl

Alan wrote: >I attach a scan from a Nissan factory parts manual for you. If you tell me that >it is incorrect in the data it portrays, then it also calls into doubt the data >published in the corresponding North American market parts manuals, >does it not? Hi Alan: Thanks for the image. I would not say the data it presents is incorrect. I would say that like most of the data published by Nissan in the early days, I'd like to see some verification. I'll put a lot of faith in it... and leap to the conclusion that not only was a chassis serial sequence assigned to the HS30 Datsun 240-Z's in Oct. of 1969, but that a car was actually built and stamped with that number in 1969. I'll report where necessary that a Nissan publication would seem to indicate that at least 1 Right Hand Drive Datsun 240-Z was built in 1969... but that we have no way of telling if it was ever released for sale.. regards, Carl

Alan wrote: >....snipped... >As I have noted so many times before, you seem to be in total denial that the >'240Z' ( for all territories ) was part of a range or family of cars that was covered >by the appelation 'Model S30 Series'. Accepting that plain truth will not diminish the >'240Z' in any way. Why can't you see it? The problem we have is, that I can see it. You desire to have the Nissan Fairlady Z viewed as, perceived as, being the same as, existing on the same level of importance as - the DATSUN 240-Z. I simply do not share that perspective. Actually I believe it to be totally false. Your affection for Japan is admirable and I share it. Only in America would Mr. K have been able to realize his dreams.. and he has said so. Only America was so open to and supportive of Japan.. when they needed a friend the most. Honoring the accomplishments of Mr. Katayama and Mr. Matsuo certainly can't be construed as having an American bias, supporting their written perspectives can't be construed as being arrogant... When the history of the Z Car is written, the story will be about the DATSUN 240-Z. Yes there will be a chapter maybe two about the JDM Nissan Fairlady Z, as well as a chapter or two about all the following years alterations and incarnations of all the Z's... Nonetheless the main story will be carried by the DATSUN 240-Z that changed the automotive landscape on an international basis. The Fairlady Z didn't kill the British Sports Car industry.. the Datsun 240-Z may have. The Fairlady Z didn't change America's perception of Japanese Automobiles and their Quality... the DATSUN 240-Z did. The Fairlady Z didn't set all time sales records, the DATSUN 240-Z did. The Fairlady Z wasn't designed for the Japanese market, but the DATUSN 240-Z was designed for the American market. If you think about it -the real story of the Nissan Fairlady Z is that it was the exact opposite, of what almost every other sports car imported into America was. The Nissan Fairlady Z was adapted for sale in the local market, where all the other non US sports cars at the time were adapted for sale in their export market. If Nissan had brought another British or Italian style, Japanese sports car to America, it would have most likely sold in slightly better numbers than the 1600/2000 roadsters did, but it wouldn't have had much of an impact on the market. Designing a car specifically to meet American Customers expectations - had a huge impact on the market. If the Nissan Fairlady Z's had never been produced, the story of the Z wouldn't be changed all that much.. If the DATSUN 240-Z had not been produced.. there would be no story to tell, there would be no Z. No, the DATSUN 240-Z was not just a part of a family of cars, it was the singular Head Of Household. Yes there are interesting offspring surrounding it, but they are most certainly not siblings. just my honest perspective .. Carl

Hi Ben: FYI - just in case you don't have the book.. = = == Quoted From the book Mr. Matsuo and Mr. Katayama wrote; "FAIRLADY STORY DATSUN SP/SR & Z", and as translated by Brian Long = == = In this section Mr. Matsuo is telling how his original concepts for a world class sports car (a convertible with a 2.0L four cylinder engine), were over time modified by the realization that Nissan Management would do nothing to put his design concepts into production, hence a Change In Direction. Mr Matsuo enlisted the support of Mr. K, who he felt was the only person in Nissan Management that would listen to him. ... In turn he walks us through the evolution of the concept, as driven by requirements from the US market and Mr. K.. With Mr. K's backing and assurances to Nissan Corporate Management.. the Z car moves from "concept" and "styling alternatives" to pre-production and final design... = = =Quote - - A Change In Course: Regarding the Plan A series, in late-1966, we decided to approach the project in a different way. We heard of America's new safety regulations (MVSS), and realized it would be extremely difficult for an open car to comply, especially with the roll over requirements being cited. There were other factors, too, that made us abandon the softtop, such as poor rearward visibility, particularly in the rain, the cloth top flapping at high speeds and security. Mr. Katayama has always said a closed coupe was perhaps the ideal compromise, so we started to look into the possibilities of a hatchback, which would enable us to combine aerodynamic styling with good luggage capacity. {two paragraphs about pop-up headlights snipped..cjb}.... A Prototype Based On "Plan A" From 1967, work begin in earnest producing full-sized clays based on the Plan A proposal. One of the key Z styling features evolved during this period, namely the "sugar scoop" headlights. The SAE regulations stated they should be 60cm from the ground, but plastic headlight covers were not allowed in America at the time. However we offered the later item as an option in Japan. The final clay we produced was very close to the to the ultimate shape of the Z. Although the body was still a touch narrow, the roof-line a little too high, the bonnet much too low to accept the six cylinder L-24 engine, and there remained a lot of detailing to do around the windows and tail-end. I was basically happy with the result. By coincidence, at the time of it's completion, Mr. Katayama was back in Japan to see the 510 before it was launched. During his visit he ask to see the next generation sports car, so we lined up the various clays (including the early ones depicting convertibles) and his eyes went straight to the last one we built. He said this was just what he needed in America. With Mr. Katayama's support, the project finally started to progress and the engineering department became involved. Eventually, by early Autumn of 1967, we had produced a fiberglass prototype. It was allocated the "Z" designation (an appellation that would stay with the car throughout it production life). However, when the technical staff arrived to discuss the project, we found we had a number of problems. Mr. Katayama had requested the 2.4 liter L24 powerplant, while the Japanese market had exorbitant taxes on vehicles over 2000cc. Nissan had just taken over the Prince concern, and we were told to use their two liter S20 twin cam unit. (this eventually became the famous Z432 model incidentally). This powerful engine would require a stronger transmission, and the automatic version of the L24 equipped model required a much wider transmission tunnel; this in turn led to a reduction of interior space, so the only solution left open to us was to increase the width of the body. At the same time, the bonnet height had to be altered to accommodate the engines, and the roof-line was adjusted to suit. - - - - - - END Quote: - - - - - - - I believe that from the above statements by Mr. Matsuo it is quite clear that the design from 1967 forward, was driven by US requirements, Mr. K's inputs and only brought to production with Mr. K's support. No question that the flexibility to re-configure the design for additional sales in other markets was designed in from the beginning.. but selling all manor of different configurations in many markets wasn't the main goal. The main goal was to design a Sports/GT specifically to meet the expectations of American Customers.. Something that no other foreign manufacturers had done to that point. FWIW, Carl

Ben wrote: >...snipped... >I have talked with Matsuo-san personally and he told me that the Z was meant >to be a worldly car; one that would be acceptable in all countries. Thus, each >export market had a slightly different variation. Where do you get that it was >only intended for the US? It is very arrogant to say that. Hi Ben: I do not believe that I have ever said it was "ONLY" intended for the US. I said it was specifically designed for the US. As such, variations of that core design were pretty easily accommodated for sales almost anywhere in the world. I am sure that during the design process, considerations were made to offer the car in both Right and Left Hand Drive configurations. I'm also sure that during the design process and the production engineering process several variations were anticipated. No doubt in my mind that Nissan wanted to sell a few into their home market. There is also no doubt in my mind that Nissan Management felt there was only a very limited market in Japan for any Sports Cars. From the early 50's Nissan Management felt that sports cars were intended for their export markets. (this is written about almost everywhere you search for Datsun/Nissan Corporate history) I do get the impression that the Z Car was "specifically" designed for the US Market, based mainly on the thoughtful writings, and public speeches of the two men most directly involved. Mr. K and Mr. Matsuo. I too have personally meet both of them and talked to them. Mr. Matuso only briefly at Mr. K's induction into the American Automobile Hall Of Fame. (arrogant as we Americans are..we put the U.S. head of a Japanese Automobile Company in our Hall Of Fame!! While his kind hearted Management, at Nissan Corporate Japan, tried to shuffle him off into obscurity by forced retirement). Combine Mr K and Mr Matsuo's words (quoted below FYI ) with the fact that aprox. 148,000 Datsun 240-Zs were sent to the USA (aprox. 160,000 to North America including Canada's 11,198 units ) while aprox. 5300 were sent to all other Countries in the world combined. (Australia 2358, GB 1929, Germany 112, Holland 232 and France 672). #Figures from Nissan Motors Ltd. Japan, as published in their 280ZX Book. 160,000 to 5300. Doesn't look like a "World Car" to me. As a matter of fact, it was designing and building "world cars" that contributed to Nissan Motors Ltd. Japan going all but broke and being taken over by Renault. That is one of the reasons I refuse to refer to the Z Car as a "world car". It most certainly was not. The single most significant factor that made the Datsun 240-Z one of the ten most important cars in US Automotive History.. is the fact that Nissan changed their design paradigm way back in 1967, when instead of designing cars for their domestic market and exporting a few for extra sales, they focused on designing cars for the specific customers in the specific export market they wanted to sell into. The key here is the word "Customers" what the Customers in that market expected in an automobile and what the Customers wanted. In 1970 that was primarily the US market and American Customer expectations. Nissan Motors USA did extensive market research and Mr. K insisted that Nissan Japan build cars specifically for his American Customers. (unlike all other foreign sports car manufacturers at the time). IMHO to infer other wise, to argue that the DATSUN 240-Z wasn't aimed specifically and squarely at American consumers, wasn't designed specifically for the American market -- is to loose site of the single most important part of the Z Car Story. Successful sales alone, do not add up to becoming one of the ten most important cars in US Automotive History. Mr, K wasn't inducted into the Automobile Hall of Fame simply because he became the head of a Japanese Auto Manufacturers Subsidiary here in the US and sold lots of cars. The story of the Z Car is about the paradigm shift in how foreign automobile manufactures designed and marketed cars in the US... about how that paradigm shift impacted the entire US Automotive Market... and then the worlds automotive market. FYI The following as Reprinted in John B. Rae's "NISSAN/DATSUN A history of Nissan Motor Corporation USA 1960 to 1980 (authorized by Nissan Motors Ltd. Japan). At the introduction of the Datsun 240-Z in Oct. of 1969, Yutaka Katayama said to the employees of Nissan Motors USA the following: - - Quote Mr. Katayama - --- With the introduction of the Datsun 240-Z, Nissan will have enjoyed the accomplishment of covering the American market from the Pickup to the Personal Sports Car. We are proud to have been able to cover all purposes of motor car use, and for our Datsun dealer network, the new 240-Z affords an opportunity to create an exciting new image. 240-Z represents the imaginative spirit of Nissan, and was designed to please a demanding taste that is strictly American. It meets all the requirements of sports-minded drivers, fulfilling their desire for superb styling, power and safety; and provides them with the most thrilling, and enjoyable ride available in any car." Our new product reflects the rapid advancement of our company, and its development will be unique in automobile history. We have studied the memorable artistry of European coachmakers and engine builders and combined our knowledge with Japanese craftsmanship. The result is an exotic, high performance car exclusively for America. It will be the beginning of a new romance for true car lovers who believe that motoring is more than just a commute. We adopt this new 240-Z as an aggressive innovation in automobile building and take pride in having been totally responsible for its concept. Nissan offers this spirited car with affection - its heart is Japan and the soul is American. = = = = = = .....end quote...... = = = = = = I would say that is pretty straight forward and pretty definitive language from the Father of the Z Car, who fully understood what had been accomplished. No sales or advertising hype.. he was talking to the Nissan employees honestly from his heart. If both men say it was designed specifically for American and Nissan Motors shipped 90% of them here, I'll take their written words and actions for it. Quite frankly I see no rational basis to dispute it. See Mr. Matsuo's words in the next Post.. Carl

NovaSS wrote: > ...snipped. >.. Carl says its worth $500.00 ... Hi NovaSS: I know you just may be razzing me.. but actually I intentionally did NOT say "it was worth $500.00". More correctly I said..." in my opinion it would sell for between $500.00 and $1500.00 USD". You ask for our thoughts, and I gave you my honest opinion. I did not assign a "worth" to the car, rather what I believe would be the range within the market at which it would actually sell. I felt it was better to arm you with what I felt was the truth.. than to let you keep it until you actually needed the money, only then to find out you couldn't sell it for as much as you had hoped or others hand thought. As far as I know, right now anyone can buy HLS30 00040 for $5,500.00 or $6,500.00 . It is a very solid, all original California Z (meaning never wrecked nor highly modified and not badly rusted) running car.. a very good candidate for full restoration. I can not see anyone paying the mid point of Chris valuation..$5,250.00 for your Z, when for the same money they could buy an easily restorable, solid bodied Z. Supply/demand and market competition for few buyer dollars... Chris said he paid $2350.00 for #27... also with extensive rust damage. But Chris also received hard to find new OEM parts with the car - IMO well worth $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 on ebay. Parts which he could apply directly to his #26. Also the brag factor of having sequential serial numbers is well worth a few hundred bucks to any of us.. deduct the value of the new parts and what did he really pay for the car? It is also possible that someone out there desperately needs some parts off that car.. and at the same time winds up bidding against another equally desperate and determined bidder on ebay.. it's possible.. but I believe not really probable. Put it on ebay with a reserve of $5,100.00 and if it doesn't bring that.. sell it to Chris. Like everyone else.. just my perspective of the current market... FWIW, Carl

Hi NovaSS: First let me say that I'm a bit confused by the title. I thought you were Mike Harris, and that we had exchanged information about this specific car when we registered it on the Fairlady Z Register at Z Home some years ago... yet the title shows W. A. Robert jr. OK now to your questions: You wrote: >Carl, can you explain the idea that Fairladys were not produced until Jan 1970? > Nope, I can't explain it. I believe that you might be confusing the Datsun 240-Z with the Nissan Fairlady Z. I never stated, nor implied that Nissan Fairlady Zs were not produced in 1969. Indeed if you review Z Home you will see articles there on the Z 432's stating they were shown at the first auto show in 1969. If you review the Fairlady Z Register on the Z Car Home Page, you'll see your car listed there with Model Year of 1969... (it's been there since May of 2000). I have stated that there were no Right Hand Drive DATSUN 240-Z's produced in 1969. That was based on many facts, not the least of which is the fact that the lowest VIN sold to the public, that we have found and verified, for the RHD 240Z's is HS30 00004 in Australia. I have communicated extensively with the person that inspected it in 1970, then later bought and restored it. He and I are in full agreement that the car was most likely produced in late Jan. or early Feb. of 1970, based on his known history of the car, his farther research and documentation etc. (we could not verify in any way the HS30 00003 that was on ebay). Having seen HS30 240-Z's with VIN's of HS30 00350 and above, advertised as 1969 Production Year cars... I've tried to inform people that the sellers of these cars are mistaken. I believe both buyers and sellers want honest information. It was a common mistake based on previously confused information. (thinking that the HS and HLS series cars shared a common sequence of serial numbers... which they did not). >It has been stated that the first run of the 240z are sometimes found to >be titled as 1969 because of the sales date, even though its a 1970 model, >WHY ? Because they were sold/ titled in late 1969. I do not know where it has been quite stated that way. It has been stated by me that the some of the Datsun 240-Z's produced in 1969 were titled as 1969 Datsun 240's. Not because of their sale date, but rather because of their date of manufacture listed on their Manufacture's Statement Of Orign (MSO's). In 1969/70 it was common practice in many countries to keep "Model Year" the same as "Production Year". Thus their cars produced in 1965 were sold as 1965 Models, their cars produced in 1966 were sold as 1966 Models etc. (makes logical sense). The US was one of the few counties that brought new Model Year cars to market ahead of the beginning of the calendar year. So here in the US you could by a 1966 Chevy/Ford in Sept of 1965 or later. Titles for automobiles are issued by the individual States here in the US ... so the Selling Dealers have only a Manufactures Statement Of Origin (MSO) to start the process of applying to the State they are in, for an automotive title to be issued, which is then transferred to the buyer upon the sale. (in many countries this is handled at the Federal level). Many Foreign Car Dealers here in the US, followed the practice of their Manufacturer's Countries when designating the "Model Year" of the cars they sold. So when applying for a State Title, they listed the "Model Year" as being the same as the Date Of Manufacture given on the MSO. At about 1969/1970 with the increased competition of imports gaining market share, and therefore attracting ever more and more buyers that did not normally buy foreign cars.. The Dealers realized that by the time they received their "new" Models... it was Feb or March of the Calendar Year (due to release in Jan. and shipping times from the overseas factories), and they were now five to six months behind the US models coming to market..In turn the Customers expected significant discounts, as in their minds half the model year had already passed, and the domestic dealers were already discounting the "new" models. Nissan and their Dealers realized this just like all other major importers. So in the late 60's they started shifting their production schedules, and releasing their new models earlier, year by year. Being a completely new model, you can see from the schedule that Kats provided that the 1970 Model Year Z's actually started serious production in Oct. of 1969. (not uncommon for a completely new model start up) Once full production of the cars was rolling, you will note that the 1971 Model Year (the late model year) Series II Z's started production in Jan. of 1971. This was normal practice. ...But the Series III Z's (1972 Model Year) started production in 08/71. From that point forward Nissan and most other Manufactures outside the US shifted their production schedules to keep their Model Years, in line with the US Model Introductions. While all this was first happening around 1969/70, the Authorize Foreign Car Dealers were in many cases were a few months behind, so they continued business as usual (keeping Model Year the same as the Date of Manufacture) Once they saw the shift taking place.. most fell in line with it and started selling the cars they received in Sept. as their "New Models" and titling them as such. Which State Laws allowed them to do. Because this was not a coordinated change, you see today that we have a large overlap in the VIN's of the Series I Z's.. some being titled as 1970 and some being titled as 1971 Model Year cars. (this may be where you saw model year determined by Date Of Sale?? ie.. cars sold after 1 Sept. 1970 were mostly titled as 1971 Model Year cars.) This situation was ended when the Federal Emissions and Safety Standards started to drive new requirements, year by year in 1971/72. Now it would be against the Federal Law to sell a 1971 240-Z as a 1972 Model Year... even if they were identical in build, as cars are certified with the Feds year by year now. It would not surprise me that when your Fairlady was brought back to the States, the title clerk at the local DMV, took the Date Of Manufacture off the paperwork, and applied it as the Model Year (common practice for imported cars back then). The Dealer that originally sold HLS30 00020 titled it as a 1969 Datsun 240, I suppose in keeping with the then common practice, and it is still titled/registered that way today. You will notice that I did not question your Fairlady being a titled as a 1969 Model.... anyway, hope that answers your questions. kind regards, Carl

>Alan wrote: >Hi Enrique, >Since nobody else ( as far as I am aware ) has posted any serial / VIN number >information on this thread apart from me, I presume you are referring to the >figures that I posted - which relate to Japanese market models declared manufactured >in 1969. Correct? > >I posted production figures supplied directly by Nissan Shatai ( the people that made >the things ) Hello Alan: Is what you supplied, related to the production numbers supplied by Nissan Shatai, something different than the picture of the Production Schedule supplied to Kats, and which he published on this forum in an earlier discussion? Did Nissan Shatai supply different information directly to you? >and also Japanese government ministry records which show the VIN numbers of cars >declared manufactured during the 1969. Reviewing the Posts.. I do not see any VIN numbers. Where did you put them? All I see is a reported total, broken down only into two categories... ie. the number of 432's and all other. Most certainly not a complete listing of VIN's. If I understood Enrique's post, that was what he was getting at.. we don't see a complete listing of VIN's released by the factory. For those following the thread, a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is comprised of two parts, the first being model information and the second being the chassis serial number..ie. HLS30 00500 would be a VIN. >All of the numbers I posted are for JAPANESE market cars, as one of the first >posts on this thread quoted "300" cars manufactured for the Japanese market >during the 1969 calendar year - which was clearly wrong. Actually, if you want to get specific, it's you that are wrong. The statement was.."It seems the first batch of 500 240z heading for america and the 300 or so Fairladys that stayed in Japan were made in the last three months of 1969." As written the statement is correct... the first 500 240-Z's as well as the first 300 or so Fairldays that stayed in Japan were made in the last three months of 1969. The actual total numbers may have been higher... but the statement makes no reference to totals nor limits, minims nor maximums. The additional information related to the totals.. was interesting and IMHO should have been offered as "additional information", more so than a correction of wrong information. But then reviewing your Post... "All" of the numbers you Posted were most certainly NOT for JAPANESE market cars, as you also listed and commented on the "Export" numbers as well. >Compare these figures to what you see on 'zhome.com' regarding the "first 500" at your >leisure. Yes, I invite everyone to do just that. Please see: http://zhome.com/History/69ZArticle.html Please define and report specifically any information there that is "inaccurate". Every effort has been made to report clearly what we actually find. Where the owners of these cars have allowed, we also list them with additional information on the Z Car Registers. There you find not only the VIN's, but the Date of Manufacture, the Original Engine Serial Number, the Owners and their e-mail addresses. Where you quote reported totals by categories for the JDM cars. We list the actual complete VIN's of the cars found to be still in existence. The title of the Article is; "Finding The Remaining 1969 Production Year 240-Z's" A brief review of the article will also show that I discuss the fact that VIN's above 00500 were found and are reported. Nonetheless, the statement "the first 500 Datsun 240Z's were produced in 1969 is still correct. Quite possible the number is something greater than that.. but as EScanlon pointed out.. we still do not know how many of the units shown on a Production Schedule, actually received chassis serial numbers. For that matter we do not know exactly when that picture was taken, nor if that is a forward forecast (which production schedules usually are) or documentation of actual units produced, or some combination of the two. >I don't recall seeing ANY mention of the 1969 S30 and S30-S models on that site, >and one would be forgiven for imagining that they did not even exist. As I have repeatedly told you Alan.. I personally have only a minor side interest in the JDM Nissan Fairladys. So I have absolutely no motivation to spend MY time publishing information just to please you. Quite frankly it's silly of you to expect me to. I told you honestly and forthrightly that in my opinion, and the opinions of most automotive historians the real story of the Z Car, is the story of the DATSUN 240-Z. The JDM Fairlady's are simply an interesting side note in the overall history of the Z Car. About 10% of the total, sold only in Japan, they represent a few additional sales of what was from the beginning intended by Nissan to be an Export model. (as were all Sports Cars from Nissan after WW-II). As I offered in our first e-mail exchange on this subject in Nov. of 2001, if you think the information is worth sharing with the Z Car Community, then write interesting articles, document the facts as best you can, .. and we would be glad to publish it on the Z Car Home Page. I'm sure many people would be interested. I'm always interested in learning more about them, just not interested in spending my time doing the research and documentation. All the information on the Z Car Home Page, intended to be shared with the Z Car Community, has been freely contributed by people with an interest in the subjects they research and write about. On average "the Z Car Home Page" is visited 45,000 times per month, and an average four different articles per visit are called upon. (numbers taken three years ago, before we removed the hit counters -I'm sure it has increased by now). Instead of constantly criticizing the work of others, bemoaning the fact that for 90% of us the JDM Nissan Fairlady Z's are simply an interesting side trip to our main interests in the Datsun 240-Z's that we own ... I'd suggest that if you actually want Fairlady Z information on the Z Car Home Page; you simply do the work that everyone else does. Write the articles, gather the pictures, encode the html formats and submit them. As I do exercise editorial control over the site, I will publicly state that I will be glad to publish well written and factual information related to the Fairlady Z's submitted by anyone willing to do the work. I will farther state that I will not support a wacked out opinion that Nissan Motors Ltd. Japan, just got lucky with their Z Car and just happened to sell more than expected in the USA. Nor that the Z Car was actually intended to be anything other than an export model, aimed squarely at the US market. (as extensively documented by Mr. K and Mr. Matsuo themselves in numerous places). >The irony of seeing Carl Beck posting on this thread - completely ignoring the subject >under discussion in the title of the thread, surprise surprise - was not lost on me. I wouldn't expect it to be lost on you Alan, as you have now posted four off topic Posts to this thread yourself. The topic was a request for the value of one Fairlady Z located in the US... For that matter I haven't seen anyone answer the question in any specific manor. So I will, in my opinion it would sell for between $500.00 and $1500.00 USD. >Gave me a wry smile, actually. But nevertheless, here is a 1969-build Fairlady being >very relevant - in its own thread - and providing interesting conversational matter...... Yes, if you disregard the original request .... which every one of your Posts, and most others including mine did.. ie. what is the car worth?... or where are links that I can find the information at??". I will grant that it is one of the few threads we see that "was" specifically about a Fairlady Z, even though it was about selling it .... FWIW, Carl

Carl S wrote: >People seem to think that because we are discussing this now (in >2005) that the desire for things like a 5 speed wasn't known at the >time the 240Z arrived on these shores. That's not the case. It was >often discussed in trade magazines, and at race events by >enthusiasts as well. Also, I wonder what was the percentage of >Manual Transmission equipped 240Z's v.s Automatic Transmission >equipped 240Z's? 50/50? 60/40? 70/30? Maybe 40/60? (I don't think >so, but I really don't know) You sure don't find many of them (Auto >Trans Z's) around these days. The Auto trans seemed to be more >accepted in the 280Z, 2+2, and ZX models. Hello Carl. You are of course correct, there were enthusiasts that wanted a 5spd. and of course, finding nothing else wrong with the 240-Z the automotive magazines writers did have to say something negative (just to appear balanced). Although I thought that the cheap diamond patterned vinyl provided them with something negative to say If the enthusiast wanted a 5spd. he had only to tell his Dealer. It was easily ordered through the Parts Dept. and easily installed by the Service Dept. A brand new 5spd. cost $375.00 in 1970/73. (of course you could change the gear sets as well). If you were poor.. you went to the junkyard and got one out of the 2000 roadster, then purchased the parts necessary to convert it to the Z from Datsun Competition and installed it yourself.) I know several of people that did that.... most simply changed the rear gear. Nonetheless the 240-Z really was aimed at a far larger market as you suggest. The 240Z was by design a "Sports/GT", not a pure "Sports Car" in the more British sense of the term. Nor was it strictly a "Grand Touring Car"... It was by design a well balanced combination of the two, that was intended to have far broader appeal than either individually. The 240-Z was aimed at putting traditionally American "non sports car buyers".. into their first Sports/GT. Mr. K didn't want to just capture market share in the Sports Car market.. he really wanted to greatly expand the market, to include new buyers. Mr. K wanted to sell Sports/GT's to people that had never bought them before. Most Americans didn't buy the traditional Sports Cars because they were for the most part underpowered, harsh riding and cramped. Coming from Great Britain, Italy and Germany they did not enjoy a reputation for quality nor reliability. They were all but strictly "enthusiast's" cars. The 240-Z was also aimed at gaining market share in the "Second Family Car" market here in the US. Much the same as many compact cars were at the time from the Big Three. You didn't "Sell" the "compacts" from Ford, GM, Chrysler as "Family Cars" (at least that was not how they trained you to sell them) ... you sold them as Second cars for the family. Believe me, I sold a ton of 240-Z's rationalized as the perfect second car for the family.. The 240-Z offered more "utility" than any mere sports car of the era.. and as much utility as a Pinto or Vega (hatch backs).. 95% of their time driving, Mom or Dad were in the car by themselves anyway, so a two passenger car made perfect sense as a second car. (please sign right here ...). Features and the benefits of them, had to be rationalized in the buyers mind, before they would sign on the dotted line... The 240-Z was loaded with features and benefits that made it easy to rationalize as the second family car. (a side benefit was it was COOL... and BEAUTIFUL...a more Positive Image for the driver and it offered Datsun reliability) Since I sold these cars for a couple years.. I can only tell you about our Customers... Most (75% or more) had never even considered buying a "Sports Car" before they saw the 240-Z.. they simply liked the looks of the 240-Z and it was in the price range of other cars they were looking at. Of our 151 Z Car Original Owners... only about 32 of them had owned a Sports Car before... The Z was everything the traditional sports car weren't. The Z was roomy, rode well on it's fully independent suspension, was powerful and smooth, and it had Datsun's reputation for reliability. We received maybe one out of 20 240-Z's with A/T... I don't know if that was typical or not. But it seemed to be. A few people simply had spouses that refused to drive a stick shift... so the compromise was the Z with an A/T. I do not recall any of my customers wishing for a 5spd. (some of the people I raced or autoX'ed with did). Carl S wrote: >It carved out it's own niche in the market largely from Baby Boomers who were >coming of age, had no children, and wanted something exciting and different. >They were disatisfied with the quality and style and range of products from >Detroit. A lot of us (in that demographic) already had manual trans equipped >cars and considered them desirable. In a general sense I'd agree that the Baby Boomers were an important segment. More so for the influence they had on their parents. However, by it's original definition the Baby Boomers were born between 1948 and 1956..Now it seems to be defined as 1946 to 1962.. In 1970 the oldest Baby Boomer was 24 and not quite yet out of College.. or just out looking for a first job. They were also just the tip of the iceberg for the huge swelling of the population to follow. From 1970 to 1973 they really weren't that large a segment of the buyers. Most of the people that I sold 240-Z's too were between the ages of 28 to 38. Most(when I say most here I mean at least 80%) were married, most had at least one child. The vast majority had above average incomes, in the professions or trades (school teachers, engineers, architects, carpenters, draftsmen, contractors, small business owners etc.). I was 25 at the time, and I can tell you that I sold very few 240-Z's to people my age. Most people my age were buying 510's, 1200's and Pick-up's. (all below $2,500.00). For the most part my buyers were simply looking for something "special" to reward themselves with, while still making a rational purchase. I'd say that 95+% of them never raced, never auto-crossed, never used their Z as a "Sports Car". (just as 95+% of SUV never leave the paved highways). I would certainly agree that they were dissatisfied with the offering from Detroit at the time and they were looking for something "different". Carl S wrote: >I don't really think that tarriffs had much to do with the ability of Japanese >auto imports to compete in North America." You are correct. In 1970/73 there were no tariffs on Japanese automobiles coming into the US. Protective tariffs were common in Europe, carried over from the reconstruction after WW-II. A tariff was later placed on "commercial vehicles".. which caught the Pick-up (so they were simply shipped without their bed, then "assembled in the USA") Carl S wrote: >Another interesting point is that about the time Mr. K left the USA was when >the Z cars began to morph into larger, more cushy "American" styled cars. Actually, the same process of market research that lead to the 240-Z for the US, also lead to the 280ZX for the US. While you and I didn't like it as much... the 280ZX sat new sales records. The Z evolved with the generation of people that originally purchased it. As they got older, the feedback they gave Nissan was that they wanted more luxury (power windows, power steering, cruise and GOOD A/C)... The mistake that Nissan made was not coming to market with another car that the younger generation wanted... to keep them in the Datsun/Nissan fold. Of course the other mistake was to change the Brand Name at the same time... da.... I personally believe that if Mr. K had stayed in the US, those major mistakes would not have been made by Nissan. Carl S wrote: >I do agree with the statement that......."When you're selling an item with a 6 >month wait, you can literally produce what you want and the demand will snap it >up." I'd phrase that somewhat differently to reflect the actual situation. "When you're selling an item with a 6 month wait, you ARE producing what the customers want.. don't screw with it!! anyway, just my perspectives... kind regards, Carl B.

Hi Kats (everyone): First let me say that from memory only... I recall replacing the smaller OEM Oil Pressure Sending Units (25240-89910) on the L24's with the much larger units from the 2000 Roadsters. It was a long time ago and I could be remembering it incorrectly. Or maybe I need to order another Roadster Sending Unit to remind myself what they looked like... Second: In my Nissan Parts Manual revised June of 1974, it shows: 25070-89910 Switch Oil Pressure From 08/73 In my Nissan Parts Manual revised December of 1979, it shows 25070-89901 Gauge Oil Pressure From 08/73 Is it possible that by Dec. 73 they "corrected" the part number, changing it from 25070-89910 to 25070-89901? Or did they create an error with that change? Checking the online Parts Sources.. 25070-89910 good number Sw Oil Press $46.36 25070-89901 supercedes to 25070-89972 Sw Oil Press $46.32 25240-89910 good number Gauge Oil Pressure $10.96 It would be interesting to "see" what part you would get today, if you ordered the 25240-89910. It would be interesting to find what part number is listed in the 2000 Roadster Parts Manual. The car pictured in the Jan. 1970 Road & Track... which we believe was HLS30 0006, 00007 or 00008... has the Large Oil Pressure Sending Unit shown. The car pictured in the Aug. 1970 ROAD TEST Magazine also shows the Large one. The car pictured in the Oct. 1971 ROAD TEST Magazine also shows the Large one. (first tests of the Automatic Transmission). If I can find an old oil pressure sending unit... I'll let you know what I find. Right now however it would seem that you have the correct unit for the early L24's in the Datsun 240-Z. kind regards, Carl

Hi Kats: On your web site, you show what you call an "early" oil pressure switch. That "looks" like the "Oil Pressure Sending Unit" that was used on the 2000 Roadster's. Many people switched from using the oil pressure sending units that were supplied on the L24, to using the ones for the roadsters because the ones used on the roadsters were more accurate and held up better. The hyper-link to "Rubber glomet for cables" http://www.geocities.jp/datsunz903/workrub.html results in either a blank page being displayed, or I get redirected to some other Google site. Can you fix that link? I'd like to know what/which rubber Grommet you need. Screws for door strikers: I believe that the silver one's shown are as original.. but I will go pull the one's for HLS30 00020 to see what they look like. All the Z's here at the house have the silver bolts shown (71, 72, 72, 73). Do you know the difference between a "screw" and a "bolt"?.... Have you ever been bolted? (an old joke;-) kind regards, Carl Carl Beck Clearwater, FL USA http://ZHome.com

Hi Kats: When I spoke to Mr. K the first time in Atlanta 1995, he said he took the "FAIRLADY" badges off the first Z Cars and replaced them with "DATSUN" emblems. Although we did not specifically state it... I believed at the time he was talking about the first three production cars to arrive in the States... they are also known as the "Press Cars" which were later given to the race teams HLS30 00006, 00007 and 00008. According to articles written at the time, the first ship from Nissan that contained Z Cars for sale to the public, held 36 DATSUN 240-Z's and arrived in early Jan. 1970. According to Mr. Brock, BRE received their first Z from the second boat-load which contained several hundred 240Z's in Feb. 1970... that is why BRE started their race car program three months after Bob Sharp Racing got one of the Press Cars in Dec. of 1969. You may recall that John Morton had to use a 2000 roadster, up-classed from D-Production to C-Production to gain enough championship points, to make the 1970 SCCA C-Production Class, American Road Race of Champions for 1970.. (which of course he won for BRE). Years later, in Dearborn at the Induction Ceremony for Mr. K into the Automobile Hall Of Fame in 1998, Les Cannaday and I were standing in the Hotel hallway around our rooms talking to the man that was the L.A. District Sales or Service Manager in 1969... I'm sorry I can't think of his name right now and I'm not sure of his position. He told Les and I the same story and said he was there at the time and he was the person that went and got the "DATSUN" emblems to put on the cars. Sorry I can recall the man's name, we meet so many people from the very early days of Nissan USA at that ceremony I had a hard time keeping them straight. That same person is the one that remembered selling the BRE Baja Z for Peter Brock in 75... so Les or I should have his name somewhere.. He was a tall/big man and may be the person in the films... I'll let you know if I can find his name again.. I don't think that there is any question that Mr. K personally removed the "FAIRLADY" badges from the Z... He said he did and others that were there at the time have confirmed it. FWIW, Carl Carl Beck Clearwater, FL USA http://ZHome.com IZCC #260