My two beauties!

Riddler

Riddler

Active Member
Finally managed to get my Rover together with my Datsun 260Z so I could take a quick picture of them side by side - and here it is!
Two very different cars from the same era - both very enjoyable to drive for different reasons! Anyway, thought I would share the pictures with you.
 

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Nice choice for a pair of cars. I loved those Datsuns as a kid in the '70s. Never actually been in one, but I understand they have a big fan base and are a blast to drive. Super proportions. I'm led to believe the straight six (?) is a sweet motor, and I seem to remember a few small block Chevy swaps from back when I bought US carmagazines. Today they're all stuffing modern LS-generation V8s into anything with room. Bet that'd be even more of a blast with a V8 transplant, eh?
 
mrtask said:
Nice choice for a pair of cars. I loved those Datsuns as a kid in the '70s. Never actually been in one, but I understand they have a big fan base and are a blast to drive. Super proportions. I'm led to believe the straight six (?) is a sweet motor, and I seem to remember a few small block Chevy swaps from back when I bought US carmagazines. Today they're all stuffing modern LS-generation V8s into anything with room. Bet that'd be even more of a blast with a V8 transplant, eh?
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Well I think the straight six suits it perfectly - it is a very light car and goes very well. It was because I desired one so much as a teenager in the 70s that I have got one now! I am in Cheshire - if you were anywhere near me I would be happy to take you out in it!
 
Hi, Datsun's of the late 60s early 70s were copies of BL engineering ideas because I believe they were building under licence. At the time the 240/260 'Z' cars were said to be what the big Healey's should/would have progressed into.

Colin
 
My uncle has a 71 240 z for the last 40 years and the japs apparently were so good at coping the SU carb dashpots fit the 240s ( not sure if if would run though ) .
In the early 70s my dad used to work for one of the airlines, he said that the japs would import cars from minis to rolls Royces strip them to see how they were made, copy ideas and make them better .
Clive .
 
Beautiful cars, a credit to you.
We had a Datsun 240K (Sedan) in 1976-80 the "family" alternative. Lovely handling .
Colin, whilst the Datsuns of the 50's owed something to Austin A40s, just as the Isuzus did to Hillmans, by this time they had rid themselves of that heritage.
As far as I recall the 240K and Z (though the 240Z shared its body designer Count Albrecht von Goertz with the BMW 507) could be traced back to the Prince Skyline (the name lives on in the Nissan Skyline GT) and Prince Gloria, the engines of which were produced under licence from Mercedes Benz. So things have come full circle with Infinity.
The Gloria was one of the few cars at its time to have a DeDion tube rear suspension, apart from the Rover 2000 can't recall any other early 60s cars with that set-up.
 
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As an apprentice I worked in a Ferrari shop for a time. At one point we had a 240Z and a Daytona on neighboring hoists. the Z was like a reasonably priced daytona, 6 cyl instead of twelve but the controls etc were very close. Even the 'lever on the transmission tunnel' choke. Of course you could get all the gears in the Z even when cold...unlike the big F....
 
Hi, MikeMelb. Thanks for that, another school day always willing to be informed. Being brought up in the 60s and starting work and driving in the 70s I sort of resented the Japanese for swamping our car market with cars that worked.:rolleyes: I wasn't really into new cars even then so they held little interest, but I did pick up odd snippets about them which it now appears was wrong. I could see our different makers influences in the Japanese engineering styles.

Colin
 
Strolling through the side streets off the Champs Elysee, Paris, yesterday afternoon, when I saw a nice street-parked metallic pale blue 260 Z on black Watanabe wheels (look like Minilites). Photos when I have more time and can extract them from my mobile phone... Also saw (and heard) an immaculate silver Maclaren Mercedes SLR (650+ bhp turbo V8!), and a delightful silver Fiat Dino 2400 Coupé (NA V6). In both instances the owner turned up as I was snapping pics, and both fellows were nice enough to have a chat with me about their cars.
 
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