Z432R Article

For suh a rare car in a collection like this, i'm surprized its not standard. Those strutt braces just dont look correct. I guess if you can aford a car like this, you can modify it anyway you like.

Love the colour.
 
It's an 'R' or 'simply' a 432 ?

Quite a few non-period 'changes' that downgrade it unless my knowledge of them is worse than I thought.................where is HE, the inflamer, the accused, the infractioned..........The Count ?
 
What non period changes barring the strut braces have you spotted?
Braces can easily be taken off.
Personally not my taste but nothing cut or welded so not too major.

I love this car, a lot. And have for a while.
 
Yes all things point to this being either a very good replica or an original 'r'.
I think the latter.
So many differences to the standard z432 sean.
Lots which are common (ish) knowledge and some not so.
Alan's project, tribute, replica z432r is a measure of his knowledge, contacts and down right passion for the true original homeland models of the s30's.
Let's hope he chimes in.
I know if this thread was started on any other site he probably would.
 
franky said:
its in the correct position for this model isn't it?
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SeanDezart said:
................ unless my knowledge of them is worse than I thought.................
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Well, there you are then !:eek:

Unfortunately, due to having been penalised for having an exchange (with people not directly concerned) on another subject whilst searching the truth on another car, we might not see The Count for some time or at all so (the collective you) YOU might never know.:)

Ignorance is bliss chaps - believe all that you want and be happy - smilies all round to keep the mods happy too.:):):):):):)
 
SeanDezart said:
Well, there you are then !:eek:

Unfortunately, due to having been penalised for having an exchange (with people not directly concerned) on another subject whilst searching the truth on another car, we might not see The Count for some time or at all so (the collective you) YOU might never know.:)

Ignorance is bliss chaps - believe all that you want and be happy - smilies all round to keep the mods happy too.:):):):):):)
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Lets hope he does come back:thumbs:
 
I just posted some comments on the article at 7 Tune. Let's see if they "approve" them and publish....

Here's what I wrote:

Quite a lot of mistakes in this article.

First of all, I'd say it's highly unlikely that this car has covered just 5000km from new. It's more likely that it has covered 5000km since the speedo was reset at restoration time.

The "various circular cuts" in the unibody were certainly not a factory feature on the 432R, and are a later attempt to make the car lighter.

This car is missing the thin 'leather look' vinyl covering for the trans tunnel that was stock on the 432R, as well as the headlining, the moulded rubber mats on the floor and the thin urethane rear floor cover. The dash has been re-covered / re-skinned, and the seats are recent re-makes of the original Ikeda Bussan items too. The steering wheel is the stock, early ( solid spoke ) shallow dish item that was seen on ALL the Japanese market Fairladies until the vented spoke version was phased in, and there's nothing 432R-specific about it. The horn push was unique to the 432 and 432R in having a red-coloured 'Z' motif ( L-gata engined models got a blue 'Z' ) and the owner might like to note that his horn push is upside down in the photos....

The performance figures you give for the 432R are not the figures that the factory quoted. When the 432R was sold new, the S20 engines were exactly the same as those fitted to the contemporary 432 model, except that they came without the cold air box over the carbs and the air filter box in front of the radiator support. It was up to the owners to spec them to their choice of performance level. Same story with the transmission ratios and diff ratio, which the 432R shared with the stock 432. Owners had to pay extra and buy the different ratios from the Nissan 'Sports Option' lists.

The stacked rear exit exhaust was not unique to the 432 and 432R, as it was offered as an extra-cost showroom option on the L20A and L24-engined Japanese market Fairlady models too.

Your quote of the 432R being "22% lighter than stock" doesn't make sense. You appear to be comparing the 432R to the weight of one market's '240Z', as though the '240Z' is the stock base-line. Any weight comparison only really makes sense when you compare the 432R to the 'stock' 432.

The wheels on the car are not the stock Kobe Seiko '432' wheels you are calling them, and are in fact a set of replica Kobe Seiko Nissan works 'Rally Mag' wheels ( note the vented spokes and 7j width as opposed to the 432 wheel's solid spokes and narrower width ) and are probably aluminium Revive Jalopy items, like many of the other details on the car.

There's a lot about this car that a true 432R scholar would pick up on as being less than original-looking, and indeed if you add it all up it starts to look like a stock 432 has been restored / modified to a 432R-ish look with some extra bells and whistles and owner-specced preferences. I could say more but I'll keep at least some of my powder dry...


I know a bit more about the car than I can say. I don't know if the current Thai owner knows the full story or not, so I'll have to bite my tongue a little. Suffice to say that the car has some 432R-ish details about it, but all of those details are now being reproduced by certain Japanese specialists and it's relatively easy to turn a stock 432 into a 432R lookalike i you are so minded. The hard part is the unibody itself, so unless you start pressing up different gauge sheetmetal sections for the rebuild that is pretty hard to replicate ( or fake... ).

There's a list of the chassis numbers of the 432R models that the factory sold to the general public, and which were licensed for road use. Nuff said, I think.
 
Good stuff Alan - there were various things I picked up as not ringing true in that article, so I figured you would be preparing a detailed response! :D

It's still great to see articles like this is the English-speaking world though, even if enthusiasm and heresay does overcome accuracy somewhat (it would be preferable if enthusiasm and accuracy came together though so various myths weren't perpetuated!). :eek:
 
I would add, there were some nice photos in that article and the owner's collection is certainly impressive, details associated with the 432 notwithstanding.
 
richiep said:
It's still great to see articles like this is the English-speaking world though, even if enthusiasm and heresay does overcome accuracy somewhat (it would be preferable if enthusiasm and accuracy came together though so various myths weren't perpetuated!). :eek:
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Be careful that you (and all of us) don't fall into the trap of saying - well, it's better than nothing.

I don't see why 'our' cars have to have so much bullshit published when other makes strive for accuracy.....it appears that lots of people want to have discovered the hen that laid the golden egg......!

Apply that to racing Zs - better to see one Z regularly being lapped (''oh well, at least he's out there doing it") or one occasional car skinning the Porsches ?

Same with articles. Don't dress up cars to be that which they're not but celebrate them for being superb replicas or tribute cars and applaud the workmanship gone into them.

Thanks my Count - perhaps people will appreciate your inputs and questions as constructive........
 
SeanDezart said:
Be careful that you (and all of us) don't fall into the trap of saying - well, it's better than nothing.

I don't see why 'our' cars have to have so much bullshit published when other makes strive for accuracy.....it appears that lots of people want to have discovered the hen that laid the golden egg......!

Apply that to racing Zs - better to see one Z regularly being lapped (''oh well, at least he's out there doing it") or one occasional car skinning the Porsches ?

Same with articles. Don't dress up cars to be that which they're not but celebrate them for being superb replicas or tribute cars and applaud the workmanship gone into them.

Thanks my Count - perhaps people will appreciate your inputs and questions as constructive........
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Don't worry - I totally agree with you Sean. Maybe I came off sounding a little too charitable! :p It is disappointing that where Zs are concerned, inaccuracies are constantly perpetuated and those that print them seemingly never take on board the criticism and corrections often offered by those more knowledgeable (the Count must feel like he is banging his head against a brick wall quite often - certainly every time an English mag prints an article about S30s!).

This subject reminds me of some the laugable bullsh*t one hears at car shows all the time as people comment on our cars. They mostly haven't got a clue - but that doesn't stop them coming out with lots of "knowledge"...
 
'Them' (being the genral public and journalists) can be forgiven - a specific make (and +/- model) club SHOULD be putting the stories straight and promoting said cars.

All the articles I read of in UK mags appear (question mark) to be from direct contact between the owners and the magazines.

But it's not just the UK, I could cite you a couple of crazy stories dissimulated here re Zs, parts and notably Schuller.........
 
SeanDezart said:
All the articles I read of in UK mags appear (question mark) to be from direct contact between the owners and the magazines.
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But that doesn't stop things like the usual Goertz fluff from getting trotted out every so often does it? I suppose its the difference between articles based around people's particular cars (several good pieces in pubs like Retro Cars, Banzai, etc.) and those that attempt to go into the history/background of the S30. That's usually where things go a bit wrong...
 
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