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 Post subject: 400z
PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2020 8:42 am 
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:11 am
Posts: 678
I've heard the redesign is going to pick up a lot of design elements from the 240z - which I am very excited about. Haven't been able to find much info other than that yet.

Is any one else looking forward to the new model??


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2020 2:09 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
Hi Jay! Great to hear you on here.

I heard it was a special-effects paint job and new badges on a 370Z, which just doesn't ring my bell. The most-recent (only) real throw-back they have made to what I want, was the Heritage edition car program, which were a few factory-rebuilt examples of quality old 240Zs. Those few cars were made to such a high standard that you can still pick them out of a crowd today, and they still win trophies each time they are entered into any Z shows. Their paint is exceptional, their interiors were completely refurbished and the engines were rebuilt to zero-mile-new standards, yet they are actual 1970-71-72 240Zs. NISSAN lost money on every one of those sales and the buyers got the deal of their lifetimes.

Now that the z has reached 50yrs old and become a certified classic, their values have skyrocketed thru the overhead. What was a $15,000 road car a few years ago has become a $30-50,000 investment today. Really good cars are running in the high 5-figures, and a low-mileage near-perfect 1970 survivor car sold for $320,000 last month.

This has had a ripple-effect thru the market and we now see higher prices for all Zs, not just for the 240. The real trick would be to find a pristine example of the really-rare, one-year-only 260Z. That would make a really sound investment which would only increase in value each year.
OH! Wait.......never mind.
Sorry. :roll:

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1970 240Z


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:14 pm 
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Posts: 678
Ouch Frank, had to go there huh? :roll:

Yes I'm still hanging around here. Mostly because you told me I can't quit a free club so I'm kinda stuck. :lol:

The 370Z is a real high performer from what I hear, and I've tried to convince myself that I want one.... But I just don't. I think they are great cars but I don't really see much Z in them. I like the lines of the S30s much more.

My hope is that Nissan will bring out a new model that strongly shows it's lineage, but it's an appropriately modern car. Kinda like the Dodge Challenger did. I'd really like that.

Anyway, the heritage model you mention is not the one I'm referring to.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.carand ... ture-2021/

This is. I like the rendering in this article too.

Jay


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Mon Mar 02, 2020 2:05 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
:shock: OH!

Can you really get a jack under something like that?

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1970 240Z


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Mon Mar 02, 2020 5:37 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:11 am
Posts: 678
I don't imagine it would be harder to do than it would on any other car? Unless I'm missing something.

Had you not seen that article yet?

Supposedly Nissan execs had a private showing of sorts with several automotive journalists to show off the concept car and gather input. What I read was that there are stronger (240z) design cues in the upcoming model and I pretty much stopped listening after that.

If that's true I like it already.....

Jay


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:23 am 
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:11 am
Posts: 678
A bit more

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.motort ... pline/amp/

Nearly 500lbs lighter than a 370z and 240z proportions. Sounds like a great start!

I hope the "insider" information is accurate. And it's available with a manual transmission!

Jay


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:03 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:16 pm
Posts: 1181
Location: Ansonia, CT
Thanks Jay! Good hearing from you buddy! I haven't seen this before. I hope there is a new Z in your future as you only go around once. :wink:

I definitely like the fact that the new Z is expected to be smaller and lighter than the 370Z. I like the proportions as well. I'm personally not a big fan of all the side sculpting or even what appears to be a goofy looking fish-mouth grill (i.e. I like the BMW Z3 styling better than the Z4), but as they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for something worthy of the early Z car's legacy. :roll:

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John Kish
1971 240Z - original owner


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 12:36 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
Thanks Jay, I hadn't seen either of those articles yet either.

I rawtha object to the idea of Nissan deciding to wean us off of the wonderful L6 engines. I don't feel it's their decision to make. That engine was the heart of the car which made them rich and it still has a world full of devoted die-hard fans.
It can be made to generate 300hp and you can design a lot of purpose-built cars around that power. Power to weight is more important than just power alone, and there are limits to how much useable power a street car can put to the ground.

Further, 330-400bhp from 4 cylinders requires 80-100hp per cylinder, which is asking a lot. If one cylinder goes down for any reason, the imbalance could cost the rest of the engine. The L6 is strong and simple enough for most of us to be able to work on it. If it goes down on the roadside we can usually trouble shoot it and get it running again, even if only to a Nissan dealer for a new part. It takes me a full minute to study today's V6 to decide what-all I'm looking at.

Finally, there simply isn't anything on the road which sings like a straight-6. Some of our old Zs have been massaged enough today to equal or exceed the performance of Maserati's wonderful old 1960s 3500GT, which many people loved simply for the sound. The 240Z lets you sing the same song, at about the same tempo, for 1/10th the price.

I can appreciate that Nissan might want to move away from those bullet-proof high-nickel iron blocks, for weight and cost concerns. Yes, casting the lighter weight aluminum V6 is probably quicker and cheaper. But if that is a concern, why not explore offering a cast aluminum L6?

Whether or not abandoning the L6 engine is a financially sound move is not for me to decide, but I am a lifetime Datsun fan primarily due to those wonderful power plants, and I intend to stick with mine.

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1970 240Z


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:50 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:11 am
Posts: 678
John,

Great hearing from you too! For the record, I'm not a fan of all the sculpting and angularity either. The cars pictured in those articles are just artist renderings of what they think could be, not based on the concept that was shown. Thank goodness haha.

I do like the overall shape of the one in the first article better....but hope the actual car is much closer to looking like a Datsun Z. I know I posted awhile back about how I thought the proportions of the Supra looked more Z-esque than the Z's did. Maybe this time around they will get it better? I can hope haha

Frank,

I'm right there with you. I honestly wish Datsun was still a brand, my daily driver would be one too. And I also would really like to see a straight six reappear under the new Z's hood, but I know that won't happen. I'm glad a V6 with be available, at least for a little while longer. Hopefully the enthusiasts will rise up and demand it stays there, but maybe the 4 cylinder will at least make the car more affordable to a wider audience? IDK. I'd want the 6 if I were to buy one.

Also for the record, L series engines are my favorite too. I'm not sure why the decision was made to go the V6 route in the first place...... Weight distribution???

Jay


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:53 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
Yes, partially weight distribution, but mostly because they were already using that engine in about 4-5 other vehicles, so they had plenty of spare parts. They could indeed design a shorter and lighter vehicle around the V6, and that engine had plenty of room for development. I've heard of guys driving the street with 600hp from that V6, and some racers play around 1,000hp. The old 300zx cars were screamers.

But still......once you're in love, it sticks.

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1970 240Z


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 Post subject: Re: 400z
PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:36 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:11 am
Posts: 678
I hear you Frank. No judgement here..... I'm the same way.

Jay


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