Many of you know the huge impact that Mr. K has had on our lives.  For those who don’t, Mr. K is the person responsible for the both the original Datsun 240z and 510.  Holding those credentials makes him a very important person in my book.  So when I came across an article on Autoblog the other day I was astonished to read that he preferred driving his Nissan Versa over the 350z that he owns or even the new 370z!!

Most of his feelings seem to stem from the fact that modern day sports cars have gotten too heavy and are now overly controlled by computer systems.  At one point he goes on to mention that the Mazda Miata is more of what a modern 240z should be like.

Another point that he makes against modern Z cars is that they have gotten too expensive.  The high price point really drives away the customers that the Z was initially designed for.  The original 240z had an MSRP just over $4,000 back in the early seventies before options, now the price can regularly top $40K!!  I can see his point.

The article goes on to mention that he would like to see the “Datsun” moniker return to future sporty cars from Nissan.  I haven’t really thought of Datsun ever coming back, but why shouldn’t it!?  It would be a great way for Nissan to branch out and offer cars at a lower price point in the future, sort of like what Toyota did with Scion.  Seemed to work pretty well for them.  Maybe we will see a lightweight sedan come back to the market and channel some vintage 510 styling.  I’d buy a couple of those, rear drive of course.

Thoughts?

Side note:  Mr. K’s 100th birthday was on the 15th of this month, so happy belated B-day to him.  He’s still a feisty old dog isn’t he!?  Good for him.

Source:  Autoblog.com by way of Autonews.com

Image source:  Chicago Sun-Times

When we think about driving do we consciously understand that we are actually sitting down the entire time?  Well now you do.  That is why it is so important to have good seats in a car.  Most modern cars have adequate seats for moderately sporty driving but the older Z seats are downright unsafe in any sort of corner.

When the time came for the old worn out seats in this 280z to come out, we went to our old friends at Recaro for an upgrade.  The new seats feature more pronounced side bolsters as well as more comfortable padding than the old seats offered even when new, or with a sheepskin cover.  Now they look better too!!

Happy sitting driving.  ZCG

The GReddy RB intake manifolds have come back to us from our fabrication shop and we couldn’t be happier with the result!!  They have been modified to suit our needs for the RB 240Zs that are currently being built but that is about all I care to divulge.  You will also notice that the surface has also been roughly polished to prepare for the final finishes which are still to be determined.

The other photo is of the throttle bodies that have been modified.  There are a few upgrades on these as well but at this time we are also choosing to keep the modifications under wraps, I’m sure you can understand the need for secrecy here…

Look for more updates soon as the projects roll along towards completion!!!  ZCG!!!

We have done a couple of these modifications before to other HR equipped 350Zs with great results.  This round of upgrades differs in two areas.  First off, this is the first set of headers that we have done on an HR car, and secondly, this car is an automatic.

The other changes we made to the car were the tried and true Injen intake system and a pair of Stillen high-flow catalytic converters, both of which we have installed on numerous cars that have come through the shop.  Both of these parts have made nice gains in the past so we pretty much knew what to expect here.

Looking at the dyno graph you can see that the automatic transmission is certainly using up a little more power than in the manual cars but the power gains are more than noticeable.  The car is now more powerful throughout the entire rev range and the torque curve in the middle is now gonna give that push in the back that we all love when you stab the throttle.

I have a feeling that we will be seeing this car again for another round of modifications.  Now that we are an Up-Rev software retailer maybe we will get the chance to play with the fuel and timing tables to get the car where it needs to be.  We can’t wait to get the chance.

Just wanted to share these pictures of a newly transformed 240z.  Panasports have been the obvious wheel choice for the iconic Z car for years for a good reason, THEY LOOK GREAT!!

Before: