I don't think the words "posh" or "quiet" have ever described the ride in my 280 during my entire ownership.

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-Chris

Hi Guys:
You can review the reported performance of the 240Z/260Z here:
http://zhome.com/History/zcarperf.html

Note how much faster the UK 260Z was in 74.

FWIW,
Carl B.

very nice! bazically the uk version 260 went as quickly 0-60 as the 240 and had higher top speed. sad for the us market what all those regulations did to a nice car.

seeing all this makes me want to get the manual box asap. but first I need the car registered.. still waiting for some papers before I can start..

Don't be too sad; we set and enforced the worlds strictest standards for auto emissions in the 70's and lead the world in getting Lead out of our gasoline, keeping our air and water cleaner than it otherwise would have been.

In the longer run - the strict US Standards forced every automobile manufacture that sells cars here, to greatly advance the Science and Engineering that would be implemented in our newer models for decades to come.

A 350 cid V8 from Chevy in the Corvette in 1970, would get about 12 miles per gallon and produce about 250HP SAE Net. Today that same Small Block V8 can produce 450HP and deliver about 26 mpg.

On the Nissan side - our 2.4L engine in the 240Z could produce about 150HP - today most good 2.4L engines easily put out 225HP or more, run with 98% less harmful emissions and deliver far better gas mileage...

Overall - I think giving up a second or two 0-60 in the 70's was worth it. Not only for us but the world in general.

The bottom line is - which is "better" a car running cleaner but a bit slower, or a faster dirty car? {don't answer that!! }...

FWIW,
Carl B.

faster dirty car

but seriously. I'm from a country of thousands of pure, clean lakes and beautiful forests. I DO appreciate clean power.

faster, dirty car

Still grinning about Paul Mackin's experience w/ emissions testing;REMOVE PROBE NOW OR DAMAGE TO MACHINE MAY RESULT!

Good catch, Carl, I don't know how I did that. Obviously 9/71 is the
correct info. Thanks for the help, I'll be more careful next time.

John, I hope you know I was just "funnin' with ya." I knew a long-
term certified Z Nut like yourself would already know what I said; I
actually shared that more so the other guys who weren't into Z Cars
(and maybe not even into the womb) 40 years ago could benefit.

King, one of the reasons I liked the Z from the beginning is that it was
a sort of factory hot rod, not of the muscle car variety, but fast while
being economical. And ooh could it outhandle a muscle car!!- it would
make them look plumb silly. Sadly, that is also one of the reasons for
their "rarity" today. If a person were not a reasonably capable driver,
the car could "get away" from that person pretty quickly, and some-
times with disastrous (read: unrepairable) consequences.

All Z Best,.....................................Kathy & Rick

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

hey jarno, let me clear up the mystery of the lower fender badges on your lady. 18 years ago when the car was repainted, the 260 badges didn't make the removal well. the tabs broke off and the badges were thrown away. 16 years ago when i bought the car i had datsun badges laying around that covered the holes in the fenders and made the car look like a 240z. 260z's were not the most popular models and the first thing you heard was, oh, it's a 260!!! well, fast forward to now and what we hear is, wow, it's a 260z, boy that's a rare car!! people, go figure!! the badges are double sided taped on, if you care to change them. you can buy new 260 badges, or make them wonder if this car is a fluke.save your money on badges and buy the new scuff plates instead. mike

Mike, good to hear from you! I did think it might be something like that
I don't know if I will go for the 260 badges. I like the car the way it is, and don't want to change too much of it. it's like people in this forum call me "king" and it is becoming a part of my personal history that doesn't need to be erased. same goes for the badges on my 260..
for example I always wanted my Z with a black rear spoiler. now that this one has it in body color I'm not sure if I bother to change it. It looks good the way it is. I always change my preferences and plans just because any given feature that doesn't stand out as wrong, seems to add to the personality of the car. I've started to bond with this car as a red spoiler one and maybe it's the way it will stay.. lol I'm making science out of this..

also I keep telling ya the sill plates are very good! I just like to work on these things and if there's a small dent I'll try and beat it out, but i like them the way they look after polishing 'em. if I buy new ones I'll just keep worrying that my wife's high heels will scratch them..

and that's one of the reasons why I like these cars! In fact it's part of our european motoring heritage as well that cars should be compact, and focused on driving dynamics. Good power/weight ratio combined with excellent handling and compact size is such a great combination it usually beats sheer power. at least on the european roads that are rarely dead straight.

Except here in mid-north Finland. I found myself driving like crazy everytime i found road with curves

There is lot of differencies between european and US models. I've been searching for B310 series Datsun (US model) for a long time and everytime i come up with one it's equipped with automatic transmission and air conditioning. I want a stickshift! Also Datsun 1200 (sold here as Datsun Finn) is mechanically a bit different (different carbs etc)

true. my wife's from that flat area of the country where the roads go on straight forever. I tend to fall asleep when driving there.

if u find a good automatic get it man and swap a manual in. that's what all the clever guyZ today are doing, didn't you know that?
It's been said that generally people who bought automatics back in the day drove more gently so those cars today tend to be in a better shape. so it may be easier to find a solid automatic in a good shape. converting to manual is not difficult!

Hi Reverend:
If we are talking about Euro Spec and US Spec. Datsun 240Z/260Z's - I'd be interested in knowing more about the many differences between the two.

As I understand it there were few differences.
1. 5spd with 3.9 rear end - vs - 4spd with 3.36 rear end. Over-all gearing in top gear is about the same.

2. Spring rate were about 10% stiffer on the Euro Spec. cars.

3. Some Countries had different tail/stop light colors required

What else am I missing?

FWIW,
Carl B.