History: 40 Years of the Z

In the late sixties, the recipe for a great sports car was pretty simple. Give the car a long front hood to bury a powerful inline-6 engine into and a sloping nose for aerodynamics. Place the passenger compartment back over the rear wheels in a coupe silhouette, and if possible make it a 2+2 for added convenience. Finally, direct the power to the rear wheels, design the car to be sleek and tune the engine and suspension to work a little better than your bread-and-butter cars, and you’ve got yourself a winner. This was the plan when two small Japanese manufacturers joined forces in the mid ‘60s to build an affordable sports car. Nissan and Yamaha partnered the project to improve both companys’ images, however by 1964, Nissan was unhappy with the power that the 2.0L DOHC Yamaha engine was producing and the two parted ways. Yamaha would then take the project to Toyota, and soon the iconic 2000GT was the dream of many a driving enthusiast in Japan and all over the world.

Witnessing the success of the 2000GT, then-President of Nissan USA, Mr. Yetaka Katayama felt that there was a need for an affordable sports GT car in the Nissan line-up. The company already had a very popular roadster, the Fairlady, which was inspired by the standard British roadster of the day, only it was vastly more reliable and much better handling. But the company did not have a GT to take on both the British and Italian sports coupes. So it was back to the drawing board with the lessons learned from the Yamaha venture. In 1966, a prototype was mocked up, designed to be stylish, innovative, fast, and relatively inexpensive through the use of interchangeable parts with other Nissan vehicles. Little did they know the importance of what they had created.

The first Z-car, the 240Z, was released to the world in 1969 with two separate models, one for the Japanese market and one for the American market. The Japanese Fairlady Z featured a SOHC L20A inline-6 producing 129 hp, while the American Datsun 240Z featured a 2.4L L24 inline-6 with twin Hitachi SU-type carburetors that produced 151 hp. A third Z, the 432Z shared a performance version of the DOHC 2.0L S20 engine with the Nissan Skyline.

The car’s supercar styling of the day and affordable price tag made it a hit in North America, where it sold 135,000 units under the Datsun name between 1969 and 1973. Despite the differences between the Asian and North American models, all Zs were built at the Nissan Shatai plant in Hiratsuka. Once the American-bound cars arrived, Katayama (aka “Mr. K”) would ensure all Nissan badging would be replaced by Datsun badging before shipment to dealerships. The “240” in the American naming stood for the engine displacement, which was 2.4L.

In 1974, the 240 would become the 260, as Nissan increased the displacement of the inline-6 to 2.6L. Ironically, with new emissions regulations in the States demanding internal modifications to meet the standards, the bigger engine actually produced less power than the 240. Everywhere else in the world the 260Z was a 153 hp sports car, but stateside, the 2.6L was limited to 139 hp, 12 hp less than the 240Z. The new 260Z also had the option of 2+2 seating.

Mr. K wanted to see the 260Z be a proper performance evolution of the 240 in America. So, in 1975, to combat the regulations at that time, the 280Z was introduced only in North America with an even larger 2.8L engine that now could produce the performance the car required to be a proper sports car, and to help move a car that was becoming increasingly heavy with modern luxuries and safety requirements. The new 2.8L would feature Bosch fuel injection instead of carburetion, that would help emissions and produce 170 hp.

A second generation of the Z-cars would come in 1979 with the introduction of the Nissan 280ZX. This was an impressive complete redesign of the styling to bring the iconic ‘60s sports car into the modern era, and a beautiful car it was. Owners still had the choice of 2 or 2+2 seating, as well as an available T-tops roof. Mechanically speaking, the ZX was exactly the same as the American 280Z with its 2.8L and 5-speed gearbox, but Nissan would jump into the popular turbocharging game a year later, producing the 280ZX Turbo which bumped power up to 180 hp and 203 lb-ft. These improvements only strengthened the brand, as Nissan sold 86,000 units in the first year alone.

However in 1984, engine and turbocharging technologies where changing at an ever increasing rate, and it wasn’t long before the 280ZX was replaced with the third generation 300ZX. The new car featured an all-new engine for the first time, a 3.0L V6 dubbed the VG series. In naturally aspirated form, the engine was good for 160 hp, while a turbocharged equivalent fetched an impressive 200 hp. With yet another all-out styling change, the 300 led the futuristic craze, a technique that worked well as Nissan sold another 70,000 units.

The 300ZX would drive on for another six years, with the Shatai plant pumping out 330,000 examples of the third generation. In 1990, the 300 got another makeover, but this time, the car meant business. The fourth generation 300ZX was a sleek and aerodynamic affair that took performance capabilities well past anything the original designers of the 240Z could have imagined. The displacement of the VG engine remained the same; however, with the aid of variable valve timing, the power of the NA jumped to 222 hp and 198 lb-ft, while a new twin-turbo version was pumping out an outstanding 300 hp and 283 lb-ft. The Z had now developed to the point were it wasn’t just imitating exotics, it was now competing with them directly. The resulting impact of these changes meant that American Z-car sales reached the one million mark, making it the all-time best-selling sports car.

With the success of the 300ZX, inevitably the price had to climb, to the point where turbos were fetching over $50,000 USD. The car may have been setting performance records for the company, but the original concept of an affordable sports car for the average man was coming out of touch. Then in 1996, with Nissan in financial troubles and concentrating on building SUVs, the dream came to an end. The iconic Z car was doomed to the same fate that awaited nearly every Japanese sports car and the program was canceled.

Nissan did not take the same direction as the others, however, the company went through some hard times in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, flirting with bankruptcy on a couple of occasions. Then, French carmaker Renault, a company with a history of doing things differently and against the grain, stepped in and bought Nissan in 1999. The charismatic company head, Carlos Ghosn pronounced, “We will build the Z, and we will make it profitable.” And so, the 350Z, then the 370Z with a 3.7L modular V6, was returned to us. It is a car that pays homage not only to the original design of the earlier cars, but also brings back that joy of driving, a characteristic lost in so many of today’s modern cars.

In a time where safety, fuel efficiency, mass appeal and cost of building dominates the makeup of the cars we drive, the modern Z is a joyful release that reminds us what made driving fun in the first place.

Review: 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

The Porsche Boxster is easily one of the best sports cars on the market today, and by all means I love the car. The coming together of a mid-engine sports car with excellent fuel efficiency and impressive cargo capacity for this segment is truly impressive. However, it still feels a little watered down for a Porsche. Brought in as an entry level Porsche, the car just feels like it’s lacking the zest for life compared to other Porches. The Boxster S, gave the model a performance shot in the arm, waking it up a little. However, while as good as the S is, there still seems to be something missing.

Problem is, with the increasing availability and ease of use of Porsche vehicles today, the high performance brand is now being bought by not just performance enthusiasts, but by those eager to display their wealth. This means Porsche need to design the Boxster to be attractive to everyone, and not just immature boy racers like me.

However, there is now a third version of the Boxster, and I’m happy to say, it’s an angry one. Yes, the engineers back in Zuffenhausen where let out of their cages, told to go take in a couple track days, have a couple pints afterwards and come up with a Boxster that’s full of energy and life. The result is this, the Boxster Spyder.

 

First thing first, the whole point of this car is to be a lighter more nimble version of the Boxster S designed to give the driver a more exciting driving experience, and let me tell you, they have most certainly succeeded. Short of building a GT3 version of a Boxster, the Spyder ticks off just about every box of modifications that I would do to the car. Make the car 80 kg lighter - check. Give the engine a slight boost in power - check with 10 extra horses. Make it look meaner, with a speedster double hump on the rear deck – check. Give me carbon fibre seats that hold you like full competition seats but are still comfortable enough to go on a 500 km road trip – most definitely check!

So on paper it’s meaner, it looks meaner, but how is it to drive. Well, let me tell you, the Spyder is a breath of fresh air to anyone that is getting tired of today’s cars being packed full of luxury and safety conveniences, spoiling the cars fun-to-drive drive nature. The Spyder is a Boxster on speed, shivering and shacking, wanting to go faster and faster. It is as close as you can get to a Lotus Elise, in terms of driver communication with the car, without all the storage and seating issues that hamper anyone over the age of 16. The steering is surgical, the chassis is near telepathic in its predictability, and the driver can feel a surge of life exude from sitting in the drivers seat. This truly is a driver’s car.

However, that’s not to say there aren’t any complaints about the Spyder. Lets start with the top. The butt of the majority of the complaints about this car comes from its unique top. One of the largest weight savings areas was the top, so this lighter and much more complicated version was created to keep the weight down first, and the weather out second. Jeremy Clarkson even went so far as to call it nothing more than an umbrella. While the operations do take a while to get used to, and in Vancouver it’s not exactly water tight, I actually think its pretty cool, and the immature boy racer in me would much rather have this than the regular Boxster top.

The fabric loops that act like door handles are case in point number two. Most people will not take kindly to these and many of my own passengers were dumbfounded as to how to open the door, but again, the immature boy racer in me loved them. They’re different, basic, like a racecar. Mind you, if I were paying $70,500 for a sports car, I’d rather not have Porsche put a big ugly screw right in the middle of it, at least try to hide it. Along with the minimalist interior you don’t get a radio, or A/C, so posers, turn around and go back to your Escalades and Hummers.

Now many journalists are complaining that with the Spyder, Porsche are tying to sell you Boxster that is missing a whole whack of parts and are charging a premium for the pleasure of being bent over. However, I like to look at it another way. Just look at it. This Boxster is what a regular Boxster is not, exciting, over the top and a true drivers car. Lets not beat around the bush, a regular Boxster is mostly purchased by wealthy parents to give to their daughters for their sweet sixteen, or maybe the wife keeps it for herself for getting to and from Pilates, the spa and a bit of shopping. A true Porschephile would never really want one because it just doesn’t quite offer the excitement and character of a 911. Lets not forget that all those lightweight and unique bits of bodywork, seats and engine modifications come at only a $3,100 premium over the Boxster S. I challenge anyone to buy a Boxster S and equal the Spyder’s power, weight and aesthetic advantages with the aftermarket for such a price. So really, the Spyder driver is getting a great deal. However, start to tick off the options boxes when you make your purchase; well that’s another story, as this test car came in at a whopping $90,425.

So am I angry with Porsche for bringing a car to market with fewer parts, a feeble leaky roof and a higher price tag. No, I applaud Porsche for building a Boxster that stirs the inner driver in us all, a car that is more about the joy of driving than about the badge one wears on the hood. If you are one that wants a Porsche for the badge, go ahead and buy a Boxster and option it out with all the goodies. I you are a driver, and want a car that becomes an extension of your limbs and will always keep a smile on your face, even with no access to satellite comedy, the Spyder truly is the driving mans Boxster.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Base Price (MSRP): $70,500

Price as Tested: $90,425

Type: 2-passenger Sports Car

Layout: Mid-Engine Rear Wheel Drive

Engine: 3.4L Horizontally opposed 6-cylinder

Horsepower: 320 combined

Torque: 273 combined

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual – Optional PDK

Brakes: Four-wheel discs

Fuel Economy (L/100km): 14.2L city, 7.1L highway

History: A Special Breed

Last year something special rolled across the auction block at Mecum's inaugural Monterey Auction in August. A 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. Accompanied by the it's designer, Peter Brock and the man who piloted the car to an FIA World Sportscar Championship, Bob Bondurant, this special piece of motoring history fetched $7.25 million USD, a new record for an American car sold at public auction. That is a massive amount of money for just on car, so one must ascertain what makes such a car so special to garner such attention.

Much like the birth of Fords GT40, the Daytona Coupe was a product built out of spite for Enzo Ferrari, and their domination of closed top GT racing. The 250 GTO won the World Manufacturer's Championship in 1962, 1963, and 1964. In order to compete with the GTO, Shelby would not only have to build a tin top, but also homologate it, requiring at least 100 examples be built. To get around the homologation issue the Coupe would be built on the original Cobra roadster chassis, which already had its papers and as such was temporarily designate the Shelby Cobra Coupe. Shelby brought in a young designer named Peter Brock to pen the lines of the Coupe, while Bob Negstad was enlisted to design the car's suspension.

It's said that Brock designed the cars silhouette by taking pictures of fellow engineer Ken Miles sitting in a roadster to get dimensions. Brock took these photo's and designed a roof line that would that would support Miles height and foot reach, and when the first copy went to the wind tunnel, the aerodynamics were considered perfect by the team. The problem was getting the car built. The creation of the body had taken so much time due to the exotic shape of the car, there was not enough skilled labour around to build the additional cars needed. Ironically, Italy is full of highly skilled coach builders that could start pumping cars out for the upcoming 1964 racing season. So with that, the original American built Coupe was sent to to Daytona to compete in its first ever race, while five other chassis' were shipped, even more ironically, to Modena, Italy where Carrozzeria Grand Sport would go on to build the rest of the six Coupes. Ironic since the remaining Daytona's were built a mere 17 km from the Ferrari headquarters, the heart of all Italia.

Meanwhile, back in Daytona, the Shelby Cobra Coupe had just won the GT class in its first ever race prompting Carroll Shelby to name the car the Daytona, and ever since the car has affectionately been know as such. The Daytona would go on to win the 1964 24h of Le Mans and 12h of Sebring, narrowly missing the overall championship won by the hated Ferrari GTO due to a cancelled race. This prompting Shelby to famously declare, “Next year, Ferrari’s ass is mine!”

1965 would see Team Shelby commit an all-out attack on the championship, now armed with four examples of the Daytona. The season was shaping up to be a great war of rivals, however the Ferrari factory decided to limited involvement in the GT category, choosing to concentrate on the more prestigious prototype category. Without the full backing from the Ferrari factory the Daytona would go on to win nearly every race to take a commanding championship win over the GTO. It is this conquering of the most feared force in sportscar racing which gives the Daytona its prestige, even if time has forgotten a few poignant details.

However, the story of the Daytona does not end here. 1965 was also a year that Goodyear was hoping to break several landspeed records with their tires. They had Bonneville scheduled in September but did not have a car, while Firestone was waiting in the wings to also take some records for themselves. A call to Shelby procured the original American built Coupe for use in the task, but with the car fitted with tires ready on the salt flats, a driver was still needed. Craig Breedlove just happened to be hanging around the area after making some speed record attempts in a jet powered car, and was enlisted to drive the Daytona last minute. After mechanics showed Breedlove how to shift the car and some minor tweaking, he went out and set 23 new records for both the tires and the Daytona.

After 1965, the Daytona was obsolete as a top level racing car, and the Shelby team's attention was shifted to improving the GT40 with a MkII variant. So with that, the Daytonas were sold off to collectors, while the lone American built car went to music producer Phil Spector. Spector was known in LA well for always racing his Daytona Coupe through the streets, collecting several speeding tickets along the way. He had so many that his lawyer demanded that he sell the car or risk loosing his license. So, he sold it to his body guard, who would later give it to his daughter Donna O'Hara as part of a divorce settlement. Well, Donna would go on to become a recluse and with the Daytona, disappeared from the public in the mid-70's. For thirty years collectors and historians feared the car lost forever when Donna's body was found, apparently deceased as a result of suicide. The lost Daytona was then discovered in a rental storage unit in California and after a long legal battle, sold to a collector in Pennsylvania.

The Daytona's life was lived hard and fast, it was hand-built, with an illustrious history full of fierce rivalry, irony, great victories and defeats, while creating great stories of survival. It is these attributes that make such a car so special while such small numbers make it the dream car of even the richest of collectors. An icon so attractive, that it forced one man to part with $7.25 million USD.