Albrecht
Well-Known Forum User
Did factory replacement blocks come without numbers?
Whats your opinion on the matching numbers thing?
That particular one is a factory replacement 'motorsport' block.
I think 'Matching Numbers' is a term that originated in the American car scene, and was more specifically applied to American cars that tended to have - literally - matching chassis and engine numbers, as the manufacturers made a point of applying numbers to suit.
On S30-series Z cars the term can only be applied to the numbers stamped on the engine bay-mounted chassis plate, and it's probably only the people with really early production cars and 'Concours' types who care about the engine block number matching up with what's stamped on the plate. People with hybrid swaps and modified cars talk with glee about 'p*ssing off the purists', but true S30 purists are pretty thin on the ground in my experience and very few care about Chuki and Kouki cars anyway.
My opinion? Somehow I think its nice to see the original engine in one of these cars, especially as so many have been changed over the years. However, it's only one piece of the puzzle and it means little in terms of originality of it is hooked up to a C type transmission and has other non-period modifications. My 4/70 car still has its original L24 engine, but its sitting on an engine stand and I probably won't use it. Probably will keep it as part of the car's chattels, and pass it on with the car when I eventually part with it. Nice to keep them together, I think.
Of course, not all S30-series Zs had their engine block numbers stamped onto the chassis plate: