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Cars that make your jaw drop.

I love it, but with a twin turbo, big power motor, it will end up having lack luster sales due to the high cost again. Didn't they learn anything from the Miata and FRS?
 
Mr Pepsi said:
I love it, but with a twin turbo, big power motor, it will end up having lack luster sales due to the high cost again. Didn't they learn anything from the Miata and FRS?
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The economic case for entering that market is more difficult.

With this thing, they are basically implementing a redesign of the 370Z, based on the same platform, but with updated designs and features, and a more powerful engine that they don't have to put much more money into developing since it was already used in Infiniti branded cars. For a pretty small investment they have a vehicle that will sell more than the 370Z, with much better profit margins than the 370Z.

Competing instead with the GR86/Miata in price, they would probably struggle to get a car using that platform to be in the same price bracket at all, their margins would definitely be lower, and there is a fair chance that they would not compare well to Toyota/Subaru, or Mazda, when it comes to reviews.

This is a better move for a company with economic struggles like Nissan.
 
Agree with others, looks good, and better than the recent, prior versions. Nice combination of modern shape and nostalgic design cues. No idea if it will sell though.

Funny, I had a '78 280Z in my late teens/early 20's. Super fun car, especially for longer road trips. Blew a head gasket and did the repair myself. It was (somewhat predictably given my meager skills) never the same. Sold it for an '82 Srirocco.
 
more "jaw drop"

don't wanna google it but the safari sticker makes me think this is more-soornot stock mod prepped by a company

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scene in SF.



As for the Z, don't necessarily dig it :dunno

Holeshot said:
Nissan's brand cache's a continued problem .
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What do you mean? Unless you mean the Altima.. always dnozzles.

E9WKk7rUUAEGhd1
 
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As a previous owner of a 240Z (w/327 V8), and a 300ZXTT, the new Z just isn't doing it for me.

It's too soft, too bland. It looks like it was designed by an Intern that ignored the design legacy. The taillights, hood, and grill look like they were tacked on at the last moment to try and make the connection to previous models.

It's like the C5 Vette was, and like the C8 is, to the Corvette legacy of design.
 
Enchanter said:
As a previous owner of a 240Z (w/327 V8), and a 300ZXTT, the new Z just isn't doing it for me.

It's too soft, too bland. It looks like it was designed by an Intern that ignored the design legacy. The taillights, hood, and grill look like they were tacked on at the last moment to try and make the connection to previous models.
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I don't care what you think, I want one. :laughing
 
Enchanter said:
As a previous owner of a 240Z (w/327 V8)...the new Z just isn't doing it for me. It looks like it was designed by an Intern that ignored the design legacy.
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How about the design legacy that was ignored when you (or whoever did it) swapped in a heavy American V8 into an otherwise wonderfully designed original Japanese sports car? :dunno
 
Kornholio said:
How about the design legacy that was ignored when you (or whoever did it) swapped in a heavy American V8 into an otherwise wonderfully designed original Japanese sports car? :dunno
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My opinion of the new Z is focused on the appearance of the car. But now that you bought it up…I’m a little disappointed that it shares so much with the 370Z. Hopefully it works better in the new chassis than the 370 does / did. There’s a reason you don’t see them at trackdays.

I put the motor in while in high school in 1980. The Z wasn’t as iconic as it is now and no one knew it would have a 'legacy' In 1980 it was just another car. We chose the 327 due to the relatively similar weight comparison, and I had one sitting around. If I remember correctly it was less than 25lbs more than the 6 we took out. We also moved the battery to the rear of the car at the same time as the swap. I wasn't smart enough to know why, I just followed the adults telling me what to do.

At the time, I wasn’t skilled enough to know if it handled better or not, but all the adults in the local Z and gymkhana clubs said it did. :dunno

Would I do it again? I don’t know. If the car was a basket case, probably. I wouldn’t swap a 240, but a 280…all bets are off.

EDIT:
This was the car that inspired the build: https://drivetribe.com/p/the-scarab-datsun-240-z-aU3HYJ17Sa2Zw3YhWrdA8Q?iid=Thmocc9BRUuh6uj-1gxM4Q

The article claims 50/50 weight distribution. I never weighed mine, but I would guess it was lighter. While I did change the wheels they weren't as big, and I had bolt-on fender flares instead of the glassed and bondo'd ones on the Scarab.

My car was a well worn and abused 240 that I got for less than $200. The motor 'ran' but just barely. I recently crashed my Vega and decided to use that motor in the 240. I thought the Vega handled well (it didn't). I knew it was quick (for 1980), but the 240 was lighter. The 240's previous owner had put disc's on all 4 corners so I knew it would stop better than the Vega (re: crash from above).
 
Enchanter said:
My opinion of the new Z is focused on the appearance of the car. But now that you bought it up…I’m a little disappointed that it shares so much with the 370Z. Hopefully it works better in the new chassis than the 370 does / did. There’s a reason you don’t see them at trackdays.

I put the motor in while in high school in 1980. The Z wasn’t as iconic as it is now and no one knew it would have a 'legacy' In 1980 it was just another car. We specifically chose the 327 due to the relatively similar weight comparison. If I remember correctly it was less than 25lbs more than the 6 we took out. We also moved the battery to the rear of the car at the same time.

At the time, I wasn’t skilled enough to know if it handled better or not, but all the adults in the local Z and gymkhana clubs said it did. :dunno

Would I do it again? I don’t know. If the car was a basket case, probably. I wouldn’t swap a 240, but a 280…all bets are off.
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Jalopnik did a side to side of the old 370 to the new Z (https://jalopnik.com/heres-all-the-370z-hiding-in-the-new-nissan-z-1847516109) The interior is just more modern materials in the same exact cabin, and the exterior is basically a retro looking body kit over the 370. Exactly the same width, height, and wheelbase. So, yea, a lot of the 370Z's problems will probably carry over to the new Z, and describing the new one as having retro bits tacked on is almost literally true.

Absolutely nothing wrong with a V8 swapped 240Z, as long as it's done well. I don't really think that L series engines are particularly special
 
As stated somewhere, Jalopnik is just a bunch of New York hipster millennials that want to write for someone. They're the Buzzfeed of cars.
 
The last sentence of the jalopnik piece sums it up nicely...

If reusing a platform and carrying over some parts was a necessary tradeoff so the Z could continue on like this, I reckon the sacrifices were well worth it.
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Most of the journalist complaints about the 370z were about the uninspired styling, not the performance. :dunno
 
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