240/260 wanted for Practical Classic shoot

Mr.F

Mr.F

Inactive
Received this message from Richard Dredge, writing for Practical Classics:

" Folks,

I write the buying guides for Practical Classics and the next one I’ve been asked to do is on the Datsun Z. I need to find a nice early example, which I can put into the studio to photograph for the piece.

Can you please get in touch with me ASAP if you’ve got a car that we can put in the studio – it needs to be a tidy example that hasn’t been modified. The spec doesn’t matter, but something reasonably brightly coloured would be perfect as it's photographed on a white background in artificial light – so no black or white cars can be used. There will only be studio photography of the car, so there will be no dynamic shots taken at all.

If you think you might be able to help (this needs to be done within the next month), could you drop me a line please, either via this forum or direct to my email address (mail@richarddredge.com) – attaching photos if you want to. In return for the use of your car (which nobody but you will drive), you'll get your costs paid, a set of the pictures (a studio shoot isn’t cheap!) and your car in the magazine.

You'll need to be able to give up a few hours to take your car to either a studio in Derby or to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu (Hampshire). It would obviously be best for us to get someone reasonably close to one of these locations.

Thanks for your time,

Richard Dredge

01905 775 539"

My feeling is that several of our nicest cars have already had Practical Classics exposure, so something new would be appreciated - if you can think of someone who won't see the web page, please feel free to pass the information on. Anyone applying, please let me know also so that we are up to speed with progress. Richard has implied that minor mods (e.g. tuned engine, lowered...) won't be a problem, but they don't really want anything extreme or "bling" modern wheels, body mods etc.

Mike F.


 
Wellllll....I know what you mean, but it isn't really that wild is it?

I mean, it's a classic - it's nearly thirty years old, it rusts, it's got crap headlights and even worse windscreen wipers.

And it's practical too - an 1100km round trip to Le Mans isn't bad going :)

The worst they can say is no.

(if they're polite!)
 
I have offered my blue 71 240Z as Im only 10 miles from Derby, but not bothered a toss if someone else wants to do it.
He can take all the pics he wants he wont find any rust.
 

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Richard has implied that minor mods (e.g. tuned engine, lowered...) won't be a problem...
Mike F.
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A left hooker isn't a minor mod? :conf2:


pmac said:
I have offered my blue 71 240Z
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Seems a shame if that's all available isn't a uk car ?

Hardly practicle lol
 
pmac said:
Of the 156000 240Zs built over 135000 were built in Lhd form
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LHD Indeed !

Hardly "practical" over here in the UK then lol :D

Just an observation ;)
 
pmac said:
Of the 156000 240Zs built over 135000 were built in Lhd form
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pmac,
I think those numbers are slightly rocky, to say the least. What are they including, and what are they leaving out?




Of course there's no disputing that the vast majority of S30-series Z cars sold were in LHD form, but hopefully we won't make the mistake of taking this to mean that the S30-series Z 'family' was designed solely around the LHD layout. The designers and engineers involved in the project quite clearly state that this was NOT the case.

In the case of the 'HLS30U' models ( USA & Canada markets ) the specification of the cars was arguably 'dumbed down' to suit the perceived customer base, and to keep costs ( and therefore prices ) down. Hopefully the PRACTICAL CLASSICS journalist will remember that:

*USA/Canada market cars had softer spring rates, and lower damper rates, than all other markets.

*USA/Canada market cars came 'standard' with a 4-speed transmission and a tall final drive ratio that were arguably somewhat at odds with the image of the car.

*Early USA/Canada market cars were not fitted with a rear anti-roll bar, and had a very thin front one.

*The LHD configuration didn't include the re-siting of the handbrake lever ( which always stayed on the right hand side of the trans tunnel - except on LHD Works rally cars......... ) although all other controls were mirrored. That's a big clue to the 'design concession' exercised on the RHD/LHD configurations.

*Most mechanicals on the cars were naturally biased to RHD configurations, simply because the company that made them was located in an RHD market. None of the major mechanicals on the cars were designed solely for the S30-series Z........



No disrespect to pmac's car ( a beautiful example ) but it is -obviously - not a UK-market model, and the journalist will need to take that into account when writing the article.

And hopefully the article will credit the actual chief designer ( namechecks for other members of the team would be nice too ), rather than a lying Count.

:)
 
We've got a government full of lying counts, what's one more?

:)

(damn... there goes my knighthood - unless I up my bid *lol*)
 
Hi Alan

Albrecht said:
*Early USA/Canada market cars were not fitted with a rear anti-roll bar, and had a very thin front one.
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To the best of your knowledge, were the mounting saddles still in place.
 
Alan / Pete,

Why not BOTH of you work with the journalist to produce an accurate write up and start to get the right message in print ?

We could as a club take a view that each and every time we work with jounos like this, we could ask to help with the content to ensure truth and accuracy ?????

Seems to be the only way to right the wrongs of the lying count in question.
 
ZHead said:
Alan / Pete,

Why not BOTH of you work with the journalist to produce an accurate write up and start to get the right message in print ?

We could as a club take a view that each and every time we work with jounos like this, we could ask to help with the content to ensure truth and accuracy ?????

Seems to be the only way to right the wrongs of the lying count in question.
Click to expand...

Probably because Alan and Pete are very busy men, and have more important things on their minds. Alan I know has gone blue in the face trying to get the correct message across. I wouldn't be suprised if he was getting tired of setting the record straight to journalists who can't be bothered to do any more research other then a quick search on Google.
 
Very good point. Only problem is that unless you're actually looking over their shoulder as they write, or ask for some editorial authority (which you won't get), then you';re at their mercy.

You'll have to try to get your points over during whatever interview they do but without looking like you're lecturing.

Many writers will I'm afraid follow the "perceived wisdom" (ie info on the net) rather than what you tell them. That doesn't mean they're lazy (although some are I expect), it's just they won't want to go out on a limb.

Good luck :)
 
SKiddell said:
Hi Alan,
To the best of your knowledge, were the mounting saddles still in place.
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Conflicting reports about that. Seems to me that in the earliest USA/Canada market cars, the mounting saddles for the rear ARB were NOT present. However, there are lots of reports of them being fitted ( but without an ARB ) on slightly later cars. I think it is one of those things that is hard to pin down, as there are always exceptions that prove the rule. Of course, I'm certainly NOT an 'expert' on the USA/Canada cars - so you might be asking the wrong person! On the other hand, I try NOT to ignore any market or S30-series Z model, or call any particular model / market "irrelevant" either.

If you think about it from the factory's point of view ( always trying to simplify ) then the press shop section making rear body structural sections would probably prefer to have ONE spec rather than two or more. They'd be wanting to weld on the ARB mount saddles to ALL the pressings rather than just some, I'd have thought. It would be quite understandable if some pressings with rear ARB mount saddles got fitted to cars that were not destined to have the rear ARB fitted. In contrast, you can't imagine that a Japanese or UK market model would come out of the factory without a rear ARB when it was a vital part of its spec..........

ZHead said:
Why not BOTH of you work with the journalist to produce an accurate write up and start to get the right message in print ?
Click to expand...

To be honest, it seems to me ( from previous experience with journalists ) that the only way to avoid glaring mistakes in this kind of article is to be allowed to sub the journalist's copy before it goes to print. And of course, they'd never allow that.

Essentially, you'd need to write the article for them.......... :unsure:
 
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