(a) zipping around in a lightweight coupe; yet
(b) being able to load a lawnmower / week’s groceries / cat baskets / a fully equipped camp setup in the back as well.
This photo in the article shows it well:
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/1981-datsun-280-...
I do enough trips to the dump with my TT mk3 to refer to it as a 250bhp flying dumpster. It’s like a baby El Camino with a lid :)
For comparison, here’s the TT’s trunk:
https://images.cdn.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/a...
Got a l28 turbo waiting to be refreshed as well.
I should stop working on this refactor and go work on it.
Nismo is coming out with a new DOHC head for the car... https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/nismo-dohc-nissan-datsun-l-...
There was also this gent who made his own DOHC off of a Honda head.
https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/119641-twin-cam-head-for-th...
I absolutely love the heritage program. It's a love letter to its past and current enthusiasts and I hope it also makes business sense, so that it continues.
Any word on how much the Nismo head will be, the OS Giken one is absolutely eye-watering.
There is one more company in japan JMC,that is making heads as well, they have a recast of the N42 heads w/ better machining. https://party-k.co.jp/used/index-3536.html
I have a 260z with round-top SUs from my 240z with L26, its not bad, it's a single click to get that engine running, even after sitting for a long time.
On the carb setup, I find the fuel smell to be a bit overwhelming, to the point where I don't want to drive the car as much because the passengers reek of fuel when they get out. I cant even run a shitty CAT on the exhaust because it would get destroyed by the carb. This is probably also due to leaks in the body gaskets...
I think it's really just the turbo that I want, I cant get smoked by these civics :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13vXFj37RI&list=PLN0SuqPcbL...
Full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU3vhL4Xvzk&list=PLmhNtwDcrR...
The 0-60mph time for a 2025 Ford F-150 pickup truck is 5.8 seconds. Today's "performance" cars are in the 2 to 3 second range.
It was a more leisurely time.
I remember this every time something like a Cadillac Escalade leaves my 21-year-old 350Z in its dust...
I timed my first vehicle - a 1977 Chevrolet pickup - back in the day and it took around 18 seconds to get to 60. Topped out at maybe 85. Still perfectly usable for daily driving.
And your insurer will know when, where, and how often you do it.
The "left door is open" voice alert will forever be ingrained in my memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hJBko3-oV4 It seemed so futuristic when the car was new.
That car had the digital "Heads Up Display" on the windscreen that a lot of modern cars are getting back now. I wonder why it fell out of fashion for three decades?
I swore to the cop that the tree just jumped out in front of my 280Z.
But at least the rich luxury of the crushed orange velour interior could keep you comfortable while you waited for the tow truck.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automot...
“The 4.3 L V6 that came out in 1982 did have a denser head bolt arrangement, and did not suffer the catastrophic head sealing failures of the V8.”
V6 diesels were put in Cutlass’ until at least 1984:
A friend of mine had one as his high school car, but his dad converted it to gasoline. I think it was in an Olds 88
He joined Car and Driver in 1980, became Editor-in-Chief by 1993, retired in 2008. His byline would get me to read an article even if I didn't think I'd like the car.
Perhaps one way in which HN is HN.
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it was a hell car, but I'm still nostalgic for it, likely more than I would have been for the honda that would probably have been much more reliable.
I still have an affinity for Japanese small cars, and am glad it was in my life.
datsun, I miss you.
"The name is Nissan." (1980s advertising, for those who came in later)
Next thing, it was raining Datsun cogs.
(On one of my motorcycles at trackdays, I shift up on straights by holding pressure on the gear lever and waiting for it to hit the revlimiter, which eases the torque just enough to make it shift smoothly...)
I always thought it was a weird car compared to the 240 or 300 since it was a 2+2. I'm not sure if I've even driven it.
One day I'll probably do a V8 or turbo I6 transplant...
TLDR: The review says the car is lightning fast and fuel efficient. By today’s standards, the car is turtle slow and horribly inefficient.
I've had the pleasure of driving a lot of these cars in factory form, like the Nissan Silvia, various years of Skyline, Supras and such. They are connected, more raw than todays cars, and that is their killer feature. But they would get gapped by a 2025 Toyota Camry.
And yeah, driving my current P10, the steering feeling is so much more... real, my son owns a P12, and it feels far more disconnected from the road.
(I also drive a 350XV Fuga, and gosh darn, that VQ35DE(NEO) engine is a rather lovely V6).
Currently I drive an 8th gen civic which I'd rate on par handling wise and is much more safer and modern...
I had a VQ25DET in a Nissan Stagea 250RX, and asside from being a gauntlet to work on in that engine bay, it was a rock solid motor.
Nor the potential aesthetic experience...potential because people have different aesthetic values.
But the haptic experience of a sports car can't be replicated in a mini-van or SUV because the suspension, driving position, acoustic and mechanical output, etc. are all vastly different from a sports car. And of course curb weight, suspension rates, and center of gravity.
To be clear, I am not saying there is anything wrong with SUV's and/or minivans. Only that the map is not the territory.
Now that I’m a grownup, I’m capable of doing qualitative assessments on cars because I can drive them and judge their intangibles.
Lots of cars have sub-par specs, especially compared to modern engineering, but it overlooks that they are just fun. The top speed doesn’t matter because you’re rarely going to touch it. But how does it feel when you downshifting into 2nd to pass somebody? Or take a windy corner a little faster than you should? Does it make you grin? Because that’s a good car.
It started when I was younger. I had 2 unreliable, but fun muscle cars. ( Souped up Corvette and souped up El Camino. ) When they both broke down at the same time, I over reacted and bought a reliable, new Saturn coupe with a 5 speed.
After 3 years of trouble free motoring in the Saturn, I traded it off for a Gen 1 Ford Lightning pickup. ( Strong acceleration for the day. ) I followed that up with a Lexus GS 300, hardly a hot rod.
The cycle continued, back and forth. My last 3 cars have been WRX STi, Lexus ISF, and now Corolla hybrid.
I love trying to keep the hybrid in EV mode, it’s kind of a game. A very different game than rowing the STi through the gears, but oddly similar.
I’m hopeless.
I often have electric minivans come up next to me that have the "nod".
I typically snort back and let them take off the line - they're a ton faster than me, but I'm the one enjoying the drive!
I love lightweight cars. They are harder and harder to make due to regulations so the options are older vehicles. Or motorcycles, but that's too scary.
I recently had the pleasure of finally driving a car on a track and it was so insanely fun even if I was driving a FWD hatchback with like 70 or 80 horsepower and a worn out shifter