- This car sits near and dear to my heart.
I personally owned one
for a bit over four years
and I learned just about everything
about what I needed to learn
about the automotive community, the build process
of an older classic and just why people
LS swap in the world because hey,
if you drop an intake valve after driving
a freshly built motor after 20 miles
at least it's not that expensive, right?
I'm Alex, Alex.Fi on Instagram and today
we're gonna be talking
about one of the Japanese classics of the car scene.
One of the cars that I describe as both
one of the best and worst JDM cars to own
which just confused a lot of people.
It's like the Crown Royal of the car scene
and it's systematically become one
of the go to cars for design inspiration
when it comes down to the coupe cars
of the world right now.
This is the car that spawned from a loss
from Porsche, the Japanese Grand Prix.
Ladies and gentlemen today we're gonna be
talking about the one, the only,
the Datsun 240Z.
(hip hop music)
(engine revs)
- And if you're just jumping into this, welcome.
If you haven't yet, because of commitment issues,
I would politely ask that you subscribe
so we can keep makin' bangin' videos like this
and if you're looking for aftermarket wheels,
tires, or suspension, be sure to check out
fitmentindustries.com where we literally
have everything, plus we have a giveaway with
ConSet wheels going on right now for the
month of January pick up one of these tshirts
send in a postcard get you automatically
entered to win they'll be a description link below.
That is all of the plugs I could possibly offer.
Anyway, let's go.
The Datsun 240Z was an iconic tuner car that
was introduced to the market back in 1970, Datsun.
Which had been originally introducing budget
friendly sports cars, wasn't really new to the game.
They had success with the FairLady 1500,
the 1600 sports and even the 510 which was
aka the poor man's BMW.
That was also a banger.
Yutaka Katayama the then president of Nissan Motors
began working with designers and engineers
like Yoshihiko Futsamatsu, ah see,
to try and create a more coopy style car
that would be easier to get into the market
versus a roadster which had began to lose popularity.
The result was an all new design with a 91 inch wheel base.
Four wheel independent suspension,
disc front breaks,
a few other goodies to top it all off
and to keep costs down, Datsun stores plenty
of the parts from the 510 sedan that
they had already made to save on just pretty much overhead.
Just another reason why prices right now
on these cars just make me a little bit sad.
The cars marketing in Japan as the Fairlady Z
and it had a pretty baby 2.0 liter
inline six for the time.
However, for the first time ever, it felt like
United States finally got something that
was slightly better than Japan, because
we got the 240 Z which was introduced
back in 1969 and it had a 2.4 liter inline six
which had Hitachi variable cams 151 horsepower
and a jean jacket for you to pose up
next to the fender with.
The single overhead cam and a four speed manual
made it the perfect car to combat the
impending EPA being a bunch of buzzkills
in the 70's and although the 240Z had some
different series in the beginning the
overall car was quite the successful little coupe.
It would decimate the east African safari rally
which was probably one of the worst events
you can put a car through back in the 70's.
That (beep) sucked it was a
five day grueling hot ass day they kept the car
on both pretty much average speeds of 60
miles per hour and it was off road for
pretty much all of it.
We can barely drive the E 35 days a year.
♪ Whole lotta whole lotta whole lotta ♪
♪ Whole lotta gang shit ♪
It would win multiple classes and put it
on the map as a car that wasn't meant
to be just an affordable sports car,
but a durable coupe car that could really hold
it's own against the competition.
This car was beating like the Porsche of it's time
at a fraction of the cost.
It would win every race and it would just
destroy all competition.
It got so popular that dealerships kept
marking up the car like 200 to 300%
cause the cars normally 3500 bucks at the time.
I mean I'm like, like seven thousand all right.
And you could be six foot and still sit in it
have space and as the EPA continued to crack down
on the big heavy large motor V8's at the time
the Datsun 240Z continued to thrive.
Fun fact for the good old garage talks out there
because those happen, the car was originally
introduced and imported as a Datsun 240Z
Fairlady, Mr. K knew the car would
not do well with that name and said
it was a kiss of death for the
success of the brand because America is known
for being burly, manly, and stuff, all right?
He personally went and removed the Fairlady
badge from every car in the initial shipment
of 240Z's to then exist cause he didn't want
that name to be associated with it.
Bonus bonus point, the Fairlady name came
from the play that Nissan's then president went
to go see called My Fair Lady which is
usually pretty common fact
he fell in love with the play so much that
he wanted to use the name somehow in a vehicle somewhere,
he took that to his customer car sales representatives
in Japan who would hire the pretty ladies
you know what I'm sayin' to help individuals
put the trigger on their new Datsun purchase.
These female sales representatives would be called
Miss Fairladies, you're welcome San Diego.
The car would be upgraded to
260Z in 1974 and increased to
a 2.6 liter for 260Z, get it?
240Z 2.4, 280Z 2.8,
not very creative.
And it continues to kinda get hindered by
some EPAness that was happening in the mid 70's
but it still carried the iconic style that Mr. K
envisioned back in the late 60's.
The car would get easier to understand
with it's interior controls that would
just be about it.
The 280Z would fall shortly after that
and behind the 260Z which was the last series
of the 240Z being in the US market.
EPA wa being a (beep) downer bud because
why have fun right?
280Z had the 2.8 liter which
was a fuel injection system, had good
old classic impact bumpers.
The 280Z would have some more upgrades
but nothing really too major.
There were some small things that changed
or increased over time but not much.
Most people 240 through 280Z look awfully
similar, many individuals wouldn't really even
notice the difference between the three
once you pop off the impact bumpers.
Cause they just, that's just how it goes brother.
The 240Z was truly a halo car and a lot of people
that get into racing affordably it was
practical, it looked good.
(ding)
It ran laps around cars 50 times the price
and it was insane, all right?
But we're not here to talk about history we're
here to talk about you wanting to own one
cause you guys are wondering why I call
them the best and the worst.
So you want a Datsun 240Z, well set down that
10 milometer that you're inevitably gonna lose
42 times while working on this car and
grab your favorite pair of pants that you'll
inevitably ruin because oil is just everywhere
in these cars and let's just jump into it.
The Datsun 240Z is a car that is a complete
head turner, it always has been.
Pull up to a gas station and you'll likely
have not just 16 year old asking you what
the hell they're looking at, but 40 year olds
wanting to tell you a story about them racing
their 240Z against the Camaro back in the day
during lunch break back in high school.
These cars were so influential in the 70's
that the boomer generation of this,
they just love this car.
It attracts a massive amount of attention
just about anywhere it goes.
But that doesn't mean that it's boring just
because old people like it, old people,
they're not old okay they're just slightly
older than us, okay?
They're still good, they had independent suspension
though, which a lot of people that jump into
coil overs the moment you buy one,
which is usually BC coilers.
Not only that but the design has saved us so
absolutely like Subway fresh that the car is
gonna look so good now with just some
new wheels and tires that fill the wheel well.
Wheels go everywhere from your typical NK's
to your volks, tar races, even your Wonkanabis.
Tires are really pretty much toys mostly
and pretty much anything people can run a
10 wide one.
The good new is about these cars is
everything is mechanical.
If you manage to catch one with the original
inline six you'll actually see the heart strings
of the operation every time you press the gas.
You'll see it in the cars it's just a cool
visceral experience but there are a
few small issues with the good old 240Z
which is why these have a little bit
of a tough time in my heart okay first off
they were built to be an affordable sports car.
Affordable sports car, affordable.
40 years old now, this one is, okay?
And ain't it a little bit of an oversight
to forget that one, okay.
These cars have been through absolute hell.
Most of them have been rusted out so badly
that they're just impossible
to restore and they'll sit in a junk yard until they
inevitably just go away.
If it's not the floor panels
then it's usually the fenders.
And if it's not the fenders then it's usually the hatch,
and if it's not the hatch it's
prolly something else.
The car was never really meant to be this
timeless machine it was built to get
in as many enthusiasts hands as possible.
You can expect that if you snag one for under
15k you're gonna be battling the good old,
damn that car is old battle almost
every single day you drive it because
it also has the finicky motor which has some
pretty limited after market support.
The R180 diffs don't like to stay alive,
wiring has aged and Datsun engineers just
came out with odd ideas when it came
down to wearing harnesses.
Window cranks deteriorate,
hatches start getting
misaligned and just above all else,
the car can just be tired.
Jumping into one of these is a tricky thing to do.
They're expensive now,
which means you're pressing a hefty penny to actually have
a naturally older car that isn't too quick.
It's kinda like an air-cooled 911.
They look fantastic but they don't
always behave fantastically.
To own a 240Z is to own a piece of history
that requires you to get your hands dirty
because nobody else is gonna be able to.
It doesn't ask for your help,
it demands your attention as soon as you drive it.
It's a car that sits as one of the most iconic
cars because it did one of the most unique
things in the automotive industry.
It supplied a driving experience
that was worth vastly more than the price tag
that was initially attached to it.
Nowadays, prices have caught up
and age have made them a peculiar car to own.
But if you can snag one at a good price
and you're willing to put POR 15 in just about
every single piece of the interior frame
and restore the body and paint the whole thing
over again, you'll love it.
I loved mine, even with the 355 supercharged V8
the car was a Lego and it was the reason
that I get to sit in front of all of you
everyday and for that, I cannot thank the car enough.
So maybe I should just buy another.
Anyway what do you think of the Datsun 240Z
drop a comment below and let us know your
thoughts and if you're looking for aftermarket
wheels, tires or suspension be sure to check out
fitmentindustries.com.
Just get his t-shirt that has that all the time.
Anyway, we appreciate you guys, let us know
what you want us to talk about next.
I'm Alex from Fitment Industries.
We will see you later, peace.