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2017-06-30 23:36:34 UTC
From Jalopnik.com ...
The Original Nissan Z Car Was Never Supposed To Happen
------------------------------------------------------
Former Nissan designer Yoshihiko Matsuo is the hero we
need right now: a true believer in designing fun cars
for the common man. His legendary 240Z went on to spawn
an entire lineage of Datsun and Nissan Z cars. Yet
Matsuo's bosses at Nissan corporate thought he was
insane for even suggesting a car like the first Z.
Here's how he had to fight to make it happen.
[Full disclosure: Nissan wanted us to check out
their longest-running Z car enthusiast show, ZCON, so
they gave us a couple of passes and bought us lunch and
dinner for the day. There, Matsuo told us the story of
how he got involved in cars and how the 240Z came to be
through an interpreter.]
The original 240Z entered production in 1969 and was
built through 1973 and on to 1978 if you count the
bigger-engined and slightly redone 260Z and 280Z models.
It not only drastically improved Americans' perception
of Japanese cars, but it has been beloved by enthusiasts
ever since.
To this day, Matsuo said his ideal sports car looks much
like his original Z car: a small, lightweight chassis
with a smaller but adequate engine. He's still a fan of
inline six-cylinders, as they're easy to turbocharge to
if you feel the car lacks power. Upgrades could include
dual-clutch transmissions (though never a CVT) or even
hybrid-assisted power, but the base, manual model of the
car should remain simple, affordable and light: the same
formula he used to create the 240Z.
Long article continues at
<https://jalopnik.com/the-original-nissan-z-car-was-never-supposed-to-happen-1796498349>
with a few pictures and a video clip showing the many pre-production
variations.
Originally the car was apparently going to be similar to the later
Mazda MX-5 ... a little MG two-seater roadsster. Thank goodness someone
saw sense.
But later models of the "Z car" became more and more Americanised. The
overweight, over-sized, and verging on ugly 300ZX being the worst
example, but changes to the newer 350Z to make the 370Z are also
heading in the same "fat ass ugly" direction (although the 350Z itself
is an Americanised deeisng, hence the big fat ass on it). :-(
Nissan still needs to bring back a cheaper proper 2+2 sports coupe (the
200SX / 240SX / Silvia) as a competitor to the Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S /
Subaru BRZ, a car that matches much of Matsuo's brief, other than
perhaps the engine.
The Original Nissan Z Car Was Never Supposed To Happen
------------------------------------------------------
Former Nissan designer Yoshihiko Matsuo is the hero we
need right now: a true believer in designing fun cars
for the common man. His legendary 240Z went on to spawn
an entire lineage of Datsun and Nissan Z cars. Yet
Matsuo's bosses at Nissan corporate thought he was
insane for even suggesting a car like the first Z.
Here's how he had to fight to make it happen.
[Full disclosure: Nissan wanted us to check out
their longest-running Z car enthusiast show, ZCON, so
they gave us a couple of passes and bought us lunch and
dinner for the day. There, Matsuo told us the story of
how he got involved in cars and how the 240Z came to be
through an interpreter.]
The original 240Z entered production in 1969 and was
built through 1973 and on to 1978 if you count the
bigger-engined and slightly redone 260Z and 280Z models.
It not only drastically improved Americans' perception
of Japanese cars, but it has been beloved by enthusiasts
ever since.
To this day, Matsuo said his ideal sports car looks much
like his original Z car: a small, lightweight chassis
with a smaller but adequate engine. He's still a fan of
inline six-cylinders, as they're easy to turbocharge to
if you feel the car lacks power. Upgrades could include
dual-clutch transmissions (though never a CVT) or even
hybrid-assisted power, but the base, manual model of the
car should remain simple, affordable and light: the same
formula he used to create the 240Z.
Long article continues at
<https://jalopnik.com/the-original-nissan-z-car-was-never-supposed-to-happen-1796498349>
with a few pictures and a video clip showing the many pre-production
variations.
Originally the car was apparently going to be similar to the later
Mazda MX-5 ... a little MG two-seater roadsster. Thank goodness someone
saw sense.
But later models of the "Z car" became more and more Americanised. The
overweight, over-sized, and verging on ugly 300ZX being the worst
example, but changes to the newer 350Z to make the 370Z are also
heading in the same "fat ass ugly" direction (although the 350Z itself
is an Americanised deeisng, hence the big fat ass on it). :-(
Nissan still needs to bring back a cheaper proper 2+2 sports coupe (the
200SX / 240SX / Silvia) as a competitor to the Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S /
Subaru BRZ, a car that matches much of Matsuo's brief, other than
perhaps the engine.