Quandary

Chinese for awhile were blatantly copying Jap and Korean cars/bikes (who in essence were and still do copy from elsewhere) for their own domestic market and smaller countries like Vietnam embrace them for their affordability and (questionable) good looks. Meanwhile noone can penetrate into the Chinese market. More recently they've started replicating high end European type luxury cars. I read Rolls Royce got upset about a Phantom copy and were pursuing it legally. Will be interesting to see where/if that goes. I haven't been to China but have been Korea and Japan often and they don't really embrace anyone else products at all for some reasons. Both very nationalistic and proud of their products, and Korea set huge taxes for imports. I absolutely love Korea but I couldn't stand living there cos their views on vehicles are depressing and maybe a bit primitive. Anyway, what I wanted to say from the start was maybe China will realise they won't easily penetrate global market with cars when they can't get into Korea and Japan. Do they need to anyway? But I reckon China could turn the auto world upside down selling parts. I would seriously consider buying "Made in China" Z parts, as long as its not for the driveline.

Could be any number of reasons because the year and make of trucks vary and also the methods in the way that it recognises the speed has exceeded whatever the limiter is set at, and then again varies by how it goes about limiting speed. Many trucks are still not speed limited, usually the early model trucks obviously, but also trucks with new or aftermarket boxes or ECU. Some of the makers have got speed limiters so precise that speeds can't exceed 100 period without some monster tailwind where as the old "speed limited" trucks would still pull 120, or 150+ if they were going downhill with a load... which meant all they had to do to pick up speed was take it out of gear if it is controlled by gearbox ratios. Then on some rigs it is known that limiters can be tweaked by playing with the fuses. It may just be a government spin but the claim is that speed limiters have reduced accidents. I would question that for several reasons but that is off topic. I wonder how the everyday motorist would feel about a 100km/hour speed limiter put on their car, and see what they think of the guy that actually drives anywhere between 8 to 20 hours a day. Maybe no biggie for a car driver, going down a hill at 100 still means they can do 100 going up. I'm all for getting kids into some kind of driver training or a track facility club. Unfortunately that is not without problems too. People go there trying to do the right thing and then get pinged for defects down the road from the raceway where the cops are waiting.

Hi. Any update on this? I've been doing some highway driving as of late. I'd get better fuel economy from a tank. It has gotten so bad I'm now considering an engine swap to counter fuel and heating problems. I never thought I would.

Police also often use it against you if they know you are speeding. If they didn't catch your speed but know you were I have known them to tell people they will get you with anti-hooning laws, or to just admit to what speed you were doing. In all cases I heard about this occurred on the Gold Coast. They are entitled to use the laws at their own discretion, but I believe most police, if not all, are very fair. I have a poor driving record having been working in the transport industry for 10+ years. I would not like to be judged on my driving record, because I believe that I know how to act responsible. Sometimes work pressures can be immense. Then outside of work its a different story. My everyday gripe are the drivers that simply shouldn't be on the road, drivers that are just disrespectful to truck drivers and others that make their living by driving. Maybe people don't understand that the road is actually an office for some. But my great dislike are drivers that while they have passengers are putting them in danger by driving like idiots. There are places to go hoon legally. Maybe better efforts should be put into getting hoons off the street and into driver training and track days. They will fast learn they are not as good a driver as they first thought. From my understanding not all cars taken with these laws are destroyed. Many of them are impounded and sold at auctions. And a small story from yesterday. I'm in the left lane of a large roundabout, with a corner sweeping to the right for both lanes to exit at. A BMW driver is straight ahead of me waiting to merge into my lane just before I hit the bend and I can see he is watching and waiting. He hesitates, and then goes when I am almost on top of him, and then hesitates again! At this point I am fuming and didn't really behave as I should have after this point. So maybe I could be done for hooning here? And what would be done to this BMW driver? Absolutely nothing. I agree with the hooning laws, but a lot of the focus by police is not where it should be.

I felt obliged to answer because I am passionate about these cars. I don't want to see a Z go to waste on drifting. Regardless of my opinions of the sport itself, it's not the most ideal car to use because of the inevitable damage. I'm sure others that support drifting would feel the same. The topic in my opinion began out of complete idiocy and disregard for owners of Z cars that spend a lot of time and effort maintaining their car. That grinds my gears... I get the feeling your opinion of a "ricer" differs to mine. No need to get worked up over it. Yeah I've been in rally cars often (mostly non moving ) and I have the biggest amount of respect for a sport that takes years to become a professional. Circuit racing was put down in a previous post. It's too bad he ignores that to be a top circuit driver, in its various forms, requires them a skill level meaning they had to start racing from a very young age. In fact many years before they could hold a road license. To go out and drift a car in those weekend type events is nowhere near that. I didn't want to drag on the battle of wits here because some people are just likely to not shut up. Drifting itself was around long before these kind of cars evolved. And actually, having friends in open wheeler racing, drifting or floating some of those cars around corners are the norm. "120" km an hour into corners isn't really all that fast if we are talking about motorsport.

Anyone can have a go at it. Only need a ricebox with barely 100hp to oversteer. But I'll leave the bickering for your imbecile drift fag fans. I don't want to come to this forum to think about drift kid garbage. Good luck.

Rally on tarmac, are you kidding? It is absolutely nothing like rally on tarmac in any form at all. And is it putting your car into situations that it normally wouldn't be put through, or simply shouldn't? No "pro" drifting racer boy I've watched at these events hold a candle to professional circuit drivers that I've seen, and often met, let alone a rally car driver I would envisage. Yes it is fun to occasionally go into a corner and get some tail action, and then kill your tyres on the exit with some opposite lock, but did this really need to evolve into some sport? No. Also I should add that it will never be a sport, but a public spectacle (for photo opportunities), with all the bickering that goes on when there are no clear winners, because a winner is judged and is not an obvious outcome. Its a sport yeah? A sport in the same realm as ballroom dancing. The idiocy of drifting as a "motorsport" is observed from the moment the type of crowds that view these daft events are observed, up until the end of the event where the crowds covert it as some "art" and "sport" of "talent" which after watching several drift events (not for my own pleasure I should add - but for work) I am still unaware of. So please enlighten me. Also, I would challenge you to find any family in the crowd at drifts.

Is that RS a replica? As much as I love muscle and historic touring cars, the standout for me is that Porsche. A Bris local has a 69 911 (E model I think). Its just so incredibly sexy with the body kit and fat tyres I stare at it every day I drive past.

Drifting is the nancy boy brother in the motorsport family.

I see quite a few of them. Why is it half of them are a poo bronze?

I had nothing but problems with my AC even with a lot of work on it. So its still there but disconnected. If you are after working AC I would suggest something newer than the 260 unit.

Its disgusting. :-\

Well, probably off topic but speaking of old shots anyone seen the pic of Peter Brock holding up an .05 against a Z when he was promoting the reduction of the legal alcohol limit from .08? Would I be right if I said a Z was the first car he had an 05 on?

Anyone notice the HT Monaro? [/Offtopic]

Oh wow what a fantastic shot.

Sandown 1975. Driver / Team? I was also informed that they actually started racing the Z's in 1974 but have no real info on that. But I do know that Motor Magazine in 1970 have an article about Datsun Japanese Racing 2 cars in Australia (called the R380 MK3 - they boast 1st and 2nd place at Surfers Paradise 6 hours), and were essentially testing the powerplant that was soon after engineered for the Fairlady Z432. So yeah, I figure that 1975 is probably not the first year for the Z and if it was there is a big time gap. Try Google images of the car if you haven't seen it, it looks very special. I have those pages of the magazine in photocopy. I will try attach them when I have time. The woman is pestering about dinner. I've sent this Gordon fellow an email. I am hoping he could shed some light.

I have a picture of the 260z at Sandown. I'm not sure from what year it is but I figure it's the same one. If I could figure out how to attach it I will. 2+2 by the way.

Wow, and there was also a 240z. Thanks for the info Sirpent, it's given me some good leads.

Spotted a clean looking red Z on the Ipswich Motorway today, heading towards the 'switch. Was around the Bundamba area.

Hmm well I've been trying to locate info on it for awhile and seems appropriate since it's soon that time of year. Does anyone have any info on the 260z that was raced in 1975? I believe it was group C car which would have run it against some very special cars. I've only ever seen small clips of it in Bathurst footage. I'm wondering what they did with the car and why noone tried to run one again.

I would understand if the engine itself uses some aluminium parts but I have doubts that better cooling will be all that much beneficial. When I had overheating issues I had the core done and it now sits nicely in the 80's... where it should be?

I'm very proud to have mine original. It sits funny without sport springs and the rims are old but I get a lot of looks. I enjoy it as a 6, and its quicker off the line than many roadgoing v8's. I'm not sure that I'd go swap then just for the sound. Flat 6 still sounds ok. With a conversion it can be pricey and some run into the trouble of value losses. I think the market for a v8 Datto is not so big here. If you go looking for a Z you will be looking for one as close to original. So yeah, that's me trying to be persuasive without saying that a v8 swap in a Datto is just sacrilegious.

I'm at Auchenflower. Seen a few Zeds around, mostly west Bris cos that's where I'm working. I'm fairly sure I've seen you around. I gave you a thumbs up one morning. You often drive inbound in the early morning weekdays?

Nah it's great really to get some comments or conversation, as brief as it was. Usually people have a look but don't know what it is, and if they do they're asking me if I can drift with it. Thanks for introducing me to here. There is loads of good information.

I'm keen on meets anywhere around Bris or Ipswich. But I just hope noone would ask me to lift the bonnet. I have an oil leak that has just made a total mess of the engine bay.