robb

Also the Bob Sharp racing cars 510 etc.

Palmateer

Interesting Post. Loved that Fairlady! Thanks.

excia

Right out of college I purchased a used 1976 280z. Had about 75,000 miles on it and needed a bit of work, almost all of which I was able to do myself. The engine was very simple to work on, except for dealing with the fuel injectors (I didn't have the right tools).

I lived in Phoenix, Arizona at the time (1981). If I recall correctly, speeding up to 20 over the limit was a $5 "wasting precious resources" fine, paid on the spot. As a result, I knew of no one who ever got a ticket simply for excessive speed. (Racing or reckless driving was a different thing.)

I recall fondly the high speed runs to northern parts of the state. The only problem with the Z was that, above 95mph, the nose began to lift off the ground -- so I never took it over 100. Just too scary.

The S2000 is so much better ... 100 comes and goes without any indication, other than an extra digit on the speedometer.

VFROOOM

My 2nd car was a 1977 Datsun 280Z, bright yellow/black int. I added black rear window slats and clear Jaguar like headlight covers. My S2K is my 2nd sports car and it brings back so many memories. I did'nt realize what I've missed for nearly 20 years now.

P.S. My brother had a 1973 original 240Z, that thing ripped! Although it had fuel injection, the 280Z started getting heavy & had pudgy looking 70's style bumpers.

BBY2KS2K

My next door neighbor had a 1969 Datsun 2000 roadster (you can see them in the first picture). It was a well restored black on black on black and was the first roadster I ever got a ride in. I would love to someday have one, they are awesome cars, I like them better than the European roadsters (except the E-type Jags) like MG's and Fiats of the same era.

MrForgetable

they actually MADE that skyline??? I thought it was a photoshop all the way.. that's pretty good looking actually.

94NSX

Datsun's reliability went downhill in the early days and consumer confidence fell along with it. As a marketing ploy, Datsun decided to change their company name to Nissan to disassociate themselves from that bad image. New name, new outlook, new reputation. It worked.

ralper

The first sportscar/roadster that I lusted for was the 2000 but I was too young to drive.

I loved the 240Z except that it wasn't a roadster. The 240Z was the first car that I ever heard an ex-girlfriend describe as "Way to hot for her to handle." Never liked the Z cars after they started to "grow".

I always thought the reason for the Datsun/Nissan change was because their marketing department wanted to use one name worldwide. I had heard that for some reason they couldn't use the name Datsun in either Europe or Asia (I don't remember which). I never realized that Nissan had quality problems that early. I thought that happened in the mid 80s, long after the name change.

Great pictures. Thanks.

zcarcrazy

Nice pics Holman, I still own two Z cars, 260 & 280. The 280 looks like the red 240 from pic three. Flared and awesome.

Chazmo

Holman,

What exactly are we looking at here? What is the Zama Operation Center.. Is this a museum or a Nissan factory in JP?

Excellent pix. Thanks!

Oh, like Rob, I always thought the 2000 was a damn fine car (but, yup, that was a wee bit before my driving days).

Even today, the orig. Z-car styling still looks great to my eye!