Did the 240z ever come from Datsun with a 5spd?

[100]

or just the 4spd all years?

[280Zone]

The 5-speed became an option in 1978 here in the states.

[Pop N Wood]

Funny thing was Datsun only shipped 4 speeds to the US. The rest of the world got 5 speeds in their 240's.

 

I think the US 240's were all 4 speeds. The 5 speed is a very worthwhile upgrade though

[fl327]

i think that the early non us spec 240 used the roadster five speed

[Mudge]

Yep, US got the shaft because Americans didn't care about performance driving, in the eyes of Europe.

[Greg SmileZ]

The 5 speed was availble first in 1977 (not 1978). I've had a 1976 with a four speed and a 1977 with a stock 5 speed.....

[HS30-H]

Yep, US got the shaft because Americans didn't care about performance driving, in the eyes of Europe.

 

Surely it would have been the Japanese that decided to give the US-market cars the 4-speed and the Diff ratio to match ( and no rear sway bar )?

 

Alan T.

[Mudge]

Right, since its a Japanese car, Europe had FIA racing though, so Japan knew that they actually cared about road racing. There were people in the states very early on that were interested in racing the 240, and my understanding is did not get alot of cooperation from Nissan higher-ups as far as factory support, or help in getting better parts, I forget the complete story but there were only a small group of people in Nissan that genuinly loved racing.

 

So the belief is, they looked down thier nose at us somewhat, after all what did Americans do back then, build bigger and bigger engines/cars and drag race.

 

FWIW the early 5 speed, according to the Haynes are the same ratios as the 5 speed that the 240 cars got overseas years before we had it.

[HS30-H]

Hi Mudge,

It's interesting to me that you are stating something that I have heard before - namely that there was a perception in the USA that Nissan did not do a lot to assist and aid the race programmes of privateers.

I have to say that there was not that much direct help in many other territories either!

Certainly as far as we in Europe perceive things, it always looked as though Nissan Motor Corp. USA was doing a lot more to help you guys over there than we were being helped over here.

Surely the fact that Nissan set up a satellite operation ( NMC USA ) and this subsequently created Datsun Competition, must have been a real boon to the racers? We never had anything like that over here in Europe, and the import and sale of Nissan cars was handled initially by a franchise who did not want to know anything about racing.

In Japan the situation was quite different. The Sports Option lists carried all the FIA and JAF homologated parts, which could be bought by the general public and used in racing ( if you had enough money to be racing in Japan during the early Seventies! ). If you were well informed and could afford to import expensive Japanese parts, then you could get all of these cool and trick bits over to Europe and use them on your circuit race or rally car. In practice, not a lot of people did...............

I think the perception over here in Europe was definitely that you "had it good" over in the USA.............

I find it interesting that your perception over there was quite different to ours.

 

As far as I am aware, it was Mr Yutaka Katayama himself who was the primary influence on the USA-market HLS30 cars having just the 4-speed. This is quite ironic, as Katayama was one of the founder members of the Sports Car Club of Japan ( SCCJ ) and pushed Nissan to compete more in racing and rallying during the late '50's. It must have been his perception that the US-market buyers would be happy with the 4-speed, softer springing and no rear sway bar. Judging by the amount of early Z owners who have retro-fitted 5-speeds and more suitable diff ratios, you'd certainly have to conclude that Katayama was wrong.

 

The rest of the world did indeed get the FS5C71A five-speed transmission in their early S30-series cars. The four-speed was listed as an "Option" part in many markets, and very few made it to Europe. I was always puzzled and intrigued as to why the USA-market got such a compromised version of the Z................

 

In Japan during the Sixties, Seventies and early Eighties Nissan was always seen as THE sporty car company. They put the most effort into racing and they made the sportiest cars with the biggest range of Factory Option race and rally parts. Mazda, Honda and Toyota were trying all they could to take this public perception away from Nissan. Nissan let their crown slip and fell down the rankings. Nowadays there really ARE only a few people interested in making sporty cars at Nissan, but during the Sixties and Seventies they were without doubt supreme.

 

Alan T.

[Mudge]

Certainly as far as we in Europe perceive things, it always looked as though Nissan Motor Corp. USA was doing a lot more to help you guys over there than we were being helped over here.

 

The grass is always greener huh?

 

This was in an article I read a few years back, from an SCCA racer who switched to a 240Z and wanted parts from Japan. It is odd, that Mr.K was enthusiastic about racing, I thought I understood he tried to help but was seen as a rebelious-racer boy by others at Nizzan.

 

I'll see if I can dig up that magazine, it may be available online also, I think I would have saved it but I'm not sure.

[Pop N Wood]

Didn't the first 240 imported into the states go to either Bob Sharp Racing or BRE (maybe Jim Cook? Definitely a racing team). A matter of perception but I would say there was more than a little factory support for racing.

 

Maybe Datsun sent 4 speeds to the US as a marketing ploy. Having grown up in the late 60's-early 70's I know the phrase "4 on the floor" was heavily associated with a performance vehicle. Hell, my 69 Camaro had a "3 on the tree" (as did most run of the mill cars) so a 4 speed floor shifter was definitely the performance set up. Remember what 442 stands for.

 

Back then foreign cars were looked on with more than a little distrust. Things like 5 speed transmissions, rack and pinion steering and McPherson struts were viewed as exotic, overly expensive and overly complicated engineering (at least to the high school crowd). Americans were use to 3000+ pound cars with recirculating ball power steering and 70-30 weight distributions (i.e a Hemi Cuda). Judging from the way the early Z's sold it is hard to argue that Nissan didn't have a clue as to what the American market wanted.

[100]

So wait did the 240z not 260 or 280 come with a 5 spd?

 

Thanks.

[HS30-H]

All markets except the USA / North American market got the early Z with a 5-speed.

4-speeds and Autos were also offered as an "option" in those markets.

When you ask about the "240Z" you have to remember that the Japanese market also had the other variants that were not called "240Z" in their homeland ( Fairlady Z and Z-L, 432 and 432-R ) before they got the "Fairlady 240Z" model in late 1971.

Don't forget that the "240Z" was just ONE variant of the S30-series Z model range...........

 

If you're asking JUST about the USA and Canada - then the "240Z" HLS30 only came with the 4-speed or Auto in that market. But please don't forget that the USA and Canada were not the only places that the Z was sold.

 

Alan T.