The debut of Z myths !

SeanDezart

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
I've been revuing all the Z books I can get my hands one (yes Mr Burns - you will get the copies when I've finished) and I've come across certain interestings facts :

where do you think the first reference came from to liken the 240Z as the Big Healeys' successor ? (I personally admit that I detest this simili as I consider the Healey to be full of charisma but a bag of s**t).

Is it not surprising that in the States (a large Healey market) that the Z has never once been compared to said car, rather the E-Type, Corvette, 911 ?

Who started the rumour that Goertz had taken Nissan to court over the origin of the 240Zs design ?

Who started the rumour that Goertz designed it anyway ?

Where did the idea come from that the Z series were designed especially for the States or indeed for the export market ?

It is interesting to read all the UK Z reports and hear that luckily the Z came along to replace the British sportscars, especially in the States - makes me laugh this arrogant and blinkered vision - the Z squashed the opposition and was why the others disappeared, not a successor but a dominator !
 
Didnt goertz design the project within yamaha, paid for by nissan for a new sports car. this was then dumped by nissan and toyota used it and made the 2000GT. nissan then made the 240z using the same diesign, though altered and nevr gave him any credit for it.
 
Datsun 240z combined the shape of the e-type and the size of a Porsche with the performance of the fastest healy 3000 or truimph TR as it was said at the time.
 
Nissan subcrontracted th design of their new sportscar to Yamaha , Goertz worked with Yamaha on a project known as 200gt. when towards the end of 1964 the complete car came to be reviewed by nissan management. the 2 liter twin cam engine that yamaha had designed did not work properly, nissan were not amused and cancelled th project. Yamaha as free agents sold the design to toyota and this became the toyota 2000gt. The nissan bough out the 240z several years later thats in the eyes of goez could have been brothers with his design such were th similarities. i.e lean forward stance, the backward sloping air intake, and a tigh body/wheel relationship (wit the wheels close to th outer extremities of the body and the tyre treads patly exposed as the wings cut away behind them)

Hope this helps lol
 
[where do you think the first reference came from to liken the 240Z as the Big Healeys' successor ? (I personally admit that I detest this simili as I consider the Healey to be full of charisma but a bag of s**t).


Interestingly, I bought my 240 off the chairman of a local Healey club! He told me at the time that the standard 240 was a much quicker car than the standard Healey. He actually had his 240 for nine years and once took it along to a local meet where it was received with some derision. I have to say, for it's day,[ remember it was pre 69] the Healey was a very brutish and exciting car to be in. The exhaust note was second to none, especially thro' narrow streets! I never managed to own one but had friends who had them from new. My first experience of 100mph+ motoring was in one of them. They seem a bit agricultural now but were fine cars just the same and BRITISH! [ doffs flat cap ]
 
and BRITISH! And ????

My step-grandfather crucified me for not buying British when at 22 I bought my first Japanese car and again two years later with the 240......then he never stopped buying Toyotas :)

I referenced the bag of s**t as a driving experience, fun but very dodgy ! Easier and quicker to drive a Z faster !
 
to compare a healey to a Zed is an insult to a Zed,a zed is a car that nothing in my eyes gets near it,ive had all the cars you can think off from the 70s,mexico,dollomite sprints,rs escorts,you name it ive had it,as for mgs wot a pile of crap,love blowing them away,they should be banned from the roads just for being crap on that basis alone,at the end of the dayit doesnt matter where the idea come from.The zed stands above all else,as for being tagged rust buckets i think you will find there was a lot of cars from the 70s that were a lot worse
 
Hear, Hear for Status!! Totally agree with you mate - Come to the Half Way House next meet, it's been a while!
 
300zxmarcus said:
Didnt goertz design the project within yamaha, paid for by nissan for a new sports car. this was then dumped by nissan and toyota used it and made the 2000GT. nissan then made the 240z using the same diesign, though altered and nevr gave him any credit for it.
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Oh no! I can feel a Count coming on!
 
Let's compare like for like guys. The Healey first came off the production line in 1952, so of course there's no comparison.
 
300zxmarcus said:
Didnt goertz design the project within yamaha, paid for by nissan for a new sports car. this was then dumped by nissan and toyota used it and made the 2000GT. nissan then made the 240z using the same diesign, though altered and nevr gave him any credit for it.
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This would be the common misconception, as written in most Z books over the years and almost every journalist since.

I think we ALL thought this was true at some point in our Z lives.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Try find the thread "Goerts did he or didn't he" - a worthy read.
 
SeanDezart said:
I've been revuing all the Z books I can get my hands one (yes Mr Burns - you will get the copies when I've finished) and I've come across certain interestings facts :

where do you think the first reference came from to liken the 240Z as the Big Healeys' successor ? (I personally admit that I detest this simili as I consider the Healey to be full of charisma but a bag of s**t).

Is it not surprising that in the States (a large Healey market) that the Z has never once been compared to said car, rather the E-Type, Corvette, 911 ?

Who started the rumour that Goertz had taken Nissan to court over the origin of the 240Zs design ?

Who started the rumour that Goertz designed it anyway ?

Where did the idea come from that the Z series were designed especially for the States or indeed for the export market ?

It is interesting to read all the UK Z reports and hear that luckily the Z came along to replace the British sportscars, especially in the States - makes me laugh this arrogant and blinkered vision - the Z squashed the opposition and was why the others disappeared, not a successor but a dominator !
Click to expand...
Sean reading your post with interest and are you saying that in the in the interesting facts you have found you have the answers to who started the rumour re Geortz and where the idea that the Z was designed for the export market

If so don't keep us all on tenderhooks or are you just asking the questions
 
I do have the answers but am VERY curious to see where other people think these stories started : come on now, just type 'em up and we'll see, it aint a turkey shoot as I admit as Rob suggested, that I too believed all this untilI was shown the light (thanks Count) !

I will inform you all.................later, after your replies !
 
in the same boat over many a year re info in the earlier and in most cases later Z books but it is changing even if it is slowly, and some of the true facts are begining to become better known

any chance on finding the origin of "Porcine Flabiness"as would like to put my snout up the guy who started it:)
 
Oh great, now he tells me - I'll have to go through all the books again !

But didn't that start in Holland in 1990 ?
 
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