1972 Datsun 240Z | The Game Changer

[@MaumbusToad]

My dad bought the second 240Z sold in Indiana. It was awesome. It’s the reason I’m a gear head. I miss you dad! God speed.

[@hemmingsmotornews]

That's quite the story! It's amazing how these cars inspire people.

[@TommyRobinson-ep5xq]

I have a 71 240z and a 83 280zx turbo. Both 5 speeds. I love them both.

[@harringtonbenton334]

I WOULD SAY THE 5-10 PUT DATSUN ON THE MAP. THE 240 SEALED THEIR LEGEND

[@bondgabebond4907]

We need the 510 today. I had the 510 station wagon, great car and super easy to work on. Damn thing had a chain for the overhead camshaft. I bought a Datsun 2000 sports car in 1969 that had 135hp and a 5-speed gearbox. These cars need to be driven on sweeping mountain roads like the ones around San Jose and San Francisco. Wish we had cars like this today, bare bones, simple to work on, reliable and fun to drive.

[@johnsheetz6639]

I saw him on the road and they look nice but I finally got to ride in one when I was a teenager and you know what really sold me on it? the dashboard!

[@dannyg6592]

The 240Z was not just a great sports car, but it was also the beginning of the end of the British sports car industry. For the same price as an MGB GT or a Triumph GT6, the Z was light years ahead of those cars in technology, sophistication and performance. I love British sports cars of this era, but the Z is a much better car. My friend had a red '73 240Z back in the day, and I remember how incredibly well it performed and how much fun it was to drive. If the Opel GT was a mini-Corvette, the Z was a bargain E type Jaguar.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Couldn't agree more!

[@racketman2u]

As a TR6 to 240Z convert I have to agree, they were the same age but a generation apart. I'd still own either in a heartbeat, if my car club days weren't behind me. I loved the Triumph woodgrain dash, but the Z was just such a good platform for building a really fast car with relatively simple mods (stiffer suspension, better carbs); and it didn't break!

[@charlesdalton985]

I quote the philosopher Joan Jett when I see a 240Z, “I hate myself for loving you”. You’re right, they opened the door to Japanese car companies, and it does do its job well (and was the 70’s Miata). Not a new concept but a new way of thinking of the concept. Thank you as always - well done! ~ Chuck

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Yup - just a really fun, reliable and well build sports car!

[@brandonpierce2086]

That’s my dad!

[@tstyle76]

When my dad bought his 1978 280Z I fell in love with it. I became a Nissan fan and owned a 300ZX and a 350Z. I still have the 280Z and it’s currently going through a restomod.

[@zrunner240Z]

I LOVED MY 240Z.OWNED IT 26 YEARS AND DRAG RACED IT FOR 2 DECADES. BEST RUN ON STOCK CARBS 12.801 @ 107.26 MPH ON SHITTY STREET TIRES!!

[@mikegrizwold2522]

And I caught a trout that weighed 100lbs. I call BS on your statement, I've built these cars and in stock form they will not do that

[@kurtstephan7039]

Great video! I was a kid when these came out and to this day it's my all-time favorite "I might be able to afford this someday!" sports car. In 1985, I got to drive a friend's 240Z for a couple of days and several hundred miles, and even though it was a high mileage and visually tired car, it drove beautifully. I never forgot how great that car was. All these years later, I finally got an ND2 Miata RF because it's about as close to a '72 240Z as you can get nowadays. But I still think about Z I drove forty years ago...

[@crenge]

One of my favorite cars it’s pretty beautiful!

[@bigmountain7561]

My neighbor her fiancé and future husband got a 240Z in 70 when I was 10 years old. Since a Matchbox was my binky I walked over was like Wow!! Still the Best Bang for Your Buck Performance Car!!! Only One Problem, They Were Rot Buckets. But if you found a good one that hadn’t been in the Salt it’s a miracle. Also the manual B210 was another awesome car!!! Great Video Thank You for Jogging My Memory!!

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Absolutely - and thank you for watching! Fortunately there are still some good ones out here on the West Coast, but they are not cheap!

[@dabcorn]

yeah, had mine patched up twice in the 10 years I owned it. :(

[@jimdeboer84]

In 1970, I went to a Datsun dealer to order a Datsun 2000 sports car. The salesman asked me if I’d like to look at a new sports car that had just been unloaded from a cargo ship arriving from Japan. Of course I said yes. He drove me to a warehouse in Portland, Oregon, filled with around 50 brand new 240Zs. I hadn’t even heard of this car. I was hooked on the looks of this awesome car! All the cars I was looking at were sold so I had to wait 6 months for mine to come in. People would gather around the car in parking lots and ask all kinds of questions. It was that unique in 1970. Get this. The full price, loaded with every option, was$3850 but I think minimum wage was 60 cents an hour so it’s all relative.

[@hemmingsmotornews]

Thanks for sharing your story - you were one of the first to experience the 240Z! when did you get rid of it?

[@anthonydietmeier6524]

Oh man, a video with a driving review and a look at the underside while on a lift? This is fantastic.

[@m.newman7722]

In 1970 I put down $500 for the number 2 position to buy the 240Z. Almost 1 year later it arrived, I was informed by phone, sold my 442 Olds, bought new wheels, and several days later went to the stealership (I believe it was called Miller Datson at that time) to buy and pick up the car, at which time I was informed that it now had $1000 of dealer installed equipment, and the $3,500 MSRP price tag was now suddenly $4,500 plus tax and registration. Pay for added equipment that I did not need nor want, or walk. When I asked when would I be able to purchase the car at MSRP, I was informed in "maybe" another year. $1000 back then is equivalent to almost $8000 in today's money. And you thought dealer markups were a recent phenomena. This was in Van Nuys, California and my friend who lived in Riverside, California bought his 240Z at MSRP that same week. I sold him my newly purchased wheels at a small discount, and went out and bought a 1971 OTAS sports car from John Rich motors, and never looked back. Stealerships have not changed much in 50+ years. But the recent markups on many vehicles have become truly outrageous.

[@hemmingsmotornews]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@louislepage5111]

I remember seeing these things everywhere when I was a kid 😊

[@AlanShirtsink]

I have had 90 automobiles and the 240Z is top 2. Great car that was fun, fast, and tuneable for even more thrills

[@BakerDeltaFour]

What was no 1?

[@AlanShirtsink]

@ 1990 Porsche 944S2 Cab that I still have an will not let go. Corvettes, 911, Mustangs, MG but this is the best overall ever

[@ryanwalker1376]

Top tier as always, I have a new appreciation for the Z!

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Thank you!

[@christeitzel9609]

don't forget Australia, my gran had a yellow one, fond memories of helping push start it when the carbs were playing up :)

[@EchoSigma6]

What a beautiful example of a 240Z here, that car must be worth a pretty penny.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

It was a such a wonderful automobile!

[@willyhwang1059]

i always felt the 240SX Silvia is the true spiritual successor of this car.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Ya know... that's the first time I've heard that and I think you're dead on!

[@bondgabebond4907]

It all began with the Datsun 1600 and 2000 roadsters of the mid to late 60s. In 1969, I bought a Datsun 2000 roadster. Few years later the 240Z hit the road. What is nice about the six is the power, smooth power. The 4-banger in the 2000 can rattle a lot at 7000 rpm. Those were great days of sports cars. And the one that really shone was the Jaguar XKE. Pure beauty. I believe it was the inspiration for the 240Z but then I may be dreaming.

[@pi.actual]

As a teenaged sports car enthusiast when the 240z was first introduced I can say that not everyone was enthralled by it. It's biggest draw was that it was cheap but there were compromises like McPherson struts, four speed, single cam, drum brakes and a lot of plastic. They were popular though and by 1973 Datsun had built over 150,000 of them.

[@dabcorn]

mine had stock front disc brakes. I didn't find that any of those other items were any big deal. Routine maintenance was pretty easy for DIY. Lotta bang for your time and $...

[@garyleibitzke4166]

BTW, I owned a 1974 260Z. Unfortunately the smog stuff hurt it some but still super easy to work on. Having the clutch slave cyl. mounted externally on the transmission was genius. If it went bad you didn't have to pull the transmission.

[@DrZaius_3]

My mom had a 71 240z and 72 Camaro in the late 70s and said that while she loved her Camaro, it was a weekend car because you just couldn’t beat the reliability and efficiency of the 240z at that time.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Yup - the reliability was key

[@dabcorn]

Hey, was that shoulder belt hanging on the little hook by the door frame? I drove mine (orange. Door date: 2-71) for 100,000 miles. (1974-1985) Places like "Skyline Drive" in Virginia, Rt190 east of Salt Lake, Mt Rainer, Death Valley, Grand Canyon. Snow, rain, heat, what a fun car! Sold it to a friend who put many more fun miles on it. That "summer/winter" flap let air come in from an engine pre-heated duct under that intake neck (see it @ 9:17). No fun changing out 6 U-joints at the same time! The OEM flexible connector in the steering linkage left a lot to be desired, but easy upgrade to solid nylon block really tightened up an already solid feel steering. PS- owners manual said that the shift lever was "located on the flower between the seats" !

[@hemmingsmotornews]

Sounds like an awesome car to take on adventures!

[@garyleibitzke4166]

I San Diego, Ca. in the late 1970's-early 1980's the 240Z was the most stolen car. There was a story on the local TV news about that. The reporter asked a policeman why so many were stolen and his answer was, "have you ever tried to catch one?"

[@cva1122]

I think the 510 introduced Datsun to America. Look at it's racing pedigree. Brock Racing.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Agree, but as a sports car, the 240 really put Datsun on the map.

[@reverseffect]

thats my uncles car, i hooked up the speakers in that car. nice video

[@BarryRigoni]

Had a 1980 280zx 84 zx 86zx the 280 would love to have back

[@V8bgt]

Nice to discover Mike back… since The Drive I wondered what he was up to

[@loilt5091]

Once owned a couple of 280ZX's; an '83/5 spd & an '81 turbo/auto. Would've rather had the original 240Z. 🇨🇦

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

The 240z was such a pure driving experience with a gearbox that was just sublime!

[@loilt5091]

@@drivebigmuscle8080 I’ve never had the pleasure…this particular review was especially helpful. The driver’s my size, so it’s great to know the car literally fits!

[@norm1815]

LOVED THE ELVIS COMPARO!!

[@danieldelaney576]

You had to add a front spoiler to keep it on the ground at 80 mph , with the $100 spoiler, I could cruise at 130 all day.

[@shingoose6197]

I'd like to see Mike review a 300ZX like the one he drove

[@jimiverson3085]

The car did have one key driving flaw - front end aerodynamics. The front end channeled air under the car and over about 70mph you could feel the front end getting light due to the lift. There was a major after-market in under-bumper air dams for the Z and you can see the BRE cars all had big air dams in the front. The longer-term issue was rust. Japanese car makers hadn't figured out how to deal with American winters and Zs had the same rust issues as old British cars and Alfas. Mine was a 1973 and in that year Datsun was struggling to meet emission rules with carburetors. Running could be a bit tough and cold weather starts were reluctant. The earlier years of the 240 were better for that.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

As someone from the east coast, rust was indeed an issue. So many of these cars simply rotted back into the earth...

[@jimiverson3085]

@@drivebigmuscle8080 Yeah, mine was a Minnesota car. Doomed from the day the original owner drove it off the lot. 6 years old when I bought it and didn't make 10.

[@dabcorn]

oh boy, the first time I encountered that was kinda scary. But, after figuring out what happened it was just something to adjust to.

[@kennywatkins8762]

They proved what Neil Young said rust never sleeps

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Nope, not on these cars!

[@CatamaxPor]

Bmw had the E9 series that was in the same category as the 240z but more luxury oriented. The 2002 like mentioned at the beginning of the video was a competitor to the 510 ,not the 240z .

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

The E9 was in a different league than the Z from a price point perspective, but I'd be curious to see how many people actually cross shopped them.

[@ClamHammer-rn3rg]

...and got mopped by the 510

[@Haffschlappe]

Fiat should have exported the 130 Coupe with the proposed 4500 V8 engine to USA

[@unowen-nh9ov]

Datsun were already racing 510 in Trans-Am vs. Alfa & BMW.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

True, but the 240 was the companies first true, massed produced sports car.

[@scottmcamis2127]

240,260,280z

[@HANDBALLDIEHARD]

It looked like an domesticated updated 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO .Some even converted the bodies to Ferrari GTO copies, as the design is already a modernized looking version. The price was the big attraction ! Affordable makes it originally styled? nah

[@cringe7886]

He missed that we had Datsun roadsters here before the Z. The 1600 and 2000 models. The 240 Z was a 4 speed the 67-70 2000 models had 5 speed transmissions and were faster than the 240 Z

[@hemmingsmotornews]

Appreciate you sharing your knowledge of the Datsun history!

[@danieldelaney576]

At 132 mph , the doors sucked out from the body and mad a big noise

[@zrunner240Z]

TOMORROW IS THE NATIONAL Z CAR SHOW IN TAMPA SEPT 11 2024 AT FLORIDA FAIRGROUNDS!

[@davidsolloway9349]

like 6 !

[@mg_streetkandi]

Ok...I'm 1st view and Like..👍🏽🏁

[@w00002]

Know anybody who put a Scarab kit in a 240Z?

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

Nope.

[@The_Hollywood_Mission]

A lot of Corvette influence on the 240 z

[@dabcorn]

actually it was Ferrari 250 GTO. For a brief time in the late 1970's early80's Ferrari actually sanctioned/authorized one particular conversion kit that used authentic OEM emblems and parts.

[@jimk2880]

I bought a 72 new. Great car until it rusted out before your eyes. You could buy every body component and part from JCWhitney and other third parties to replace the rusted pieces. It should never have been driven in the rain or snow.

[@Haffschlappe]

The Datsun ohc 6 Was a copy of the Mercedes Pagoda 230SL engine.

[@unowen-nh9ov]

No, Jag I6.

[@lars277]

Wrong! The Datsun 240Z came out in 1970, not 1972.

[@ddoty2073]

Why don’t you just take a little peak at the description, might learn a thing.

[@unowen-nh9ov]

Elsewhere says 240Z arrived in U.S. in '69, R&T test in April 1970 issue.

[@unowen-nh9ov]

1970 debut doesn't mean there was no 1972 model, Datsun sold Z for years.

[@The-El]

Certain colors shouldn’t be used on cars and this is one of them, completely uglies a piece of art!

[@Ardent445]

It is not a 240 Zeeee it is a 240 Zed.

[@drivebigmuscle8080]

In the U.S. it's Zeeee

[@Ardent445]

@@drivebigmuscle8080 In Japan where the car was named and around the rest of the world it is ZED - you mericans need to learn how to pronounce words in the english language - and I am not even english.

[@Haffschlappe]

It was much better than any Cirvette C3 and Jaguar XJS but not as good as the Toyota 2000GT or Mercedes Pagoda

[@unowen-nh9ov]

Didn't compete with any of those & actually created new market segment, budget knock-off of years old classic E-Type, XJS was V12 GT.

[@saintnificent5532]

"lime green", looks Yellow to me......

[@Au_Ag_ratio5021]

My father had that one in se florida. We called it key lime.

[@jadams3427]

I think it looks like a Fiat 124 Spyder as a coupé. The Fiat has the same style, with a less power and less weight.

[@unowen-nh9ov]

Fastback hatchback, 2 seater, sugar scoop headlights, I6, this is budget E-Type Jag, NOTHING to do with 4 cyl. Fiat apart from rendering it obsolete.

[@Mark-d7c4r]

How come you never talk the Datsun 1600 and 2000 roadsters that were the first American Japanese sports car

[@unowen-nh9ov]

They were knock-offs of existing British MGB, like 510 was Ford Cortina, 240Z was budget E-Type Jag & established whole new segment.

[@bo8404]

Lucky to be the original, and current, owner of a 1971 240Z! Almost no rust except for a few left rear fender lip paint bubbles, and still runs great (and fast) after 53 years! Fair weather, “Sunday driving” only for the last 40 years and garaged for all but the first seven years. Not stock: header w/ low restriction exhaust, 205/60’s on 7” Minilite-style chrome mags, front air dam and rear sway bar. Since you don’t see them on the roads anymore, it really turns heads when I take it out, mostly on nearby Colorado county roads!