Guest bastaad525 Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 Got a kick out of this... was watching a show on Speed Channel the other day, "Sports Car Revolution", and snuck in right at the end of the episode, with no warning, was a short (VERY short) piece on old race cars, specifically, a Triumph TR6 (who cares ), and everyones favorite, the Bob Sharp Racing 240z. The piece was nothing special, just a little bit of history on the cars and their drivers, but the part that got me was when Tom Hnatiw and Peter Klutt (two of Speed Channels resident 'car guys') were talking back and forth about the cars, after they actually got to take both for a drive, and saying that, and I quote "these cars were very difficult to drive (compared to current production race cars)", and that, "you had to be more of a man, to drive them fast". So I guess we're all just a manly bunch eh?? well those of us that actually DRIVE our Z's anyways Anyways thought some of you might get a kick outta that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2126 Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 YES....WE ARE MEN!!! Pretty funny. During my viewing of the boob-tube this weekend, (Discovery Channel) they were showing sporting event mishaps. One in particular involved an early Z in a rally. A photographer, positioned on the outside of a righthander, was video tapping this Z coming through a lefthander that preceeded the righthander....anyway the Z overcooked the lefthander and wound up is a nice big slide coming out of the corner. Well, the Z just kept sliding right into photographer!!! Holy crap! Fortunitely the photographer only got bumps and bruises.....the Z looked to be OK. You gotta wounder about some of those photographers!!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 I quote "these cars were very difficult to drive (compared to current production race cars)", and that, "you had to be more of a man, to drive them fast". Funny. I hear that a lot. Having driven lots of different production based race cars I can say that a properly setup 240Z is very easy and rewarding to drive fast. Its light, agile, and very responsive (unlike the 400+hp WRX STi I drove a few weeks ago.) An improprly setup 240Z (or any other car) is a frickin' nightmare and is almost impossible to keep out of the dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 Don't tell my wife that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKDGabe Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 Don't tell my wife that. You mean she won't believe you're "more man" than most? J/K'ing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 The Z is HERS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5foot2 Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 YES....WE ARE MEN!!! Pretty funny. During my viewing of the boob-tube this weekend, (Discovery Channel) they were showing sporting event mishaps. One in particular involved an early Z in a rally. A photographer, positioned on the outside of a righthander, was video tapping this Z coming through a lefthander that preceeded the righthander....anyway the Z overcooked the lefthander and wound up is a nice big slide coming out of the corner. Well, the Z just kept sliding right into photographer!!! Holy crap! Fortunitely the photographer only got bumps and bruises.....the Z looked to be OK. You gotta wounder about some of those photographers!!? Whenever I watch a rally on the tube, I'm always shocked by the spectators. crowds of people at the corners of a road course made up of loose dirty or mud. Cars drifting by them at high rates of speed. I wonder what the spectator fatality rate has been over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240zspeed Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 YES....WE ARE MEN!!! Pretty funny. During my viewing of the boob-tube this weekend, (Discovery Channel) they were showing sporting event mishaps. One in particular involved an early Z in a rally. A photographer, positioned on the outside of a righthander, was video tapping this Z coming through a lefthander that preceeded the righthander....anyway the Z overcooked the lefthander and wound up is a nice big slide coming out of the corner. Well, the Z just kept sliding right into photographer!!! Holy crap! Fortunitely the photographer only got bumps and bruises.....the Z looked to be OK. You gotta wounder about some of those photographers!!? I've seen that too on some "worlds wildest videos" or whatever. It was a red Z and it just came right into the camera mans face, crazy stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest austinlt1 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Whenever I watch a rally on the tube, I'm always shocked by the spectators. crowds of people at the corners of a road course made up of loose dirty or mud. Cars drifting by them at high rates of speed. I wonder what the spectator fatality rate has been over the years. I heard in an interview with one of the first drivers of the baja 500, that some times the spectators got so close that he could hear them slapping the roof of his car!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Funny. I hear that a lot. Having driven lots of different production based race cars I can say that a properly setup 240Z is very easy and rewarding to drive fast. Its light, agile, and very responsive (unlike the 400+hp WRX STi I drove a few weeks ago.) An improprly setup 240Z (or any other car) is a frickin' nightmare and is almost impossible to keep out of the dirt. Yeah well... I can't say how properly or improperly mine is set up, but I will say, it definately takes a certain degree of bravery to drive fast. I used to feel the same as you... I mean, compared to every other car I've owned up until recently, most of which were sporty or muscle cars (all of them older though, never could afford anything newer until recently)... the Z was definately the most agile, and felt the most stable and controllable. I used to really drive the thing like a nut. At some point after the turbo swap, when I really started going at it, upping the boost, but even now it's really only a 'moderate' level of power... now the thing is just kinda scary to drive fast. I recently bought a '91 Sentra SE-R, which has really made me appreciate just how far cars had come in 20 years... the Sentra just feels so much more solid, I've little doubt that this stock Sentra would outhandle my Z with it's mid level suspension modifications... I may be wrong though, I know it's probably a bad way to measure, but the Z is way more stiff. Maybe it just feels 'better' because it's so much slower ? And those brakes!!! The Sentra has awesome brakes straight from the factory... whereas I dont trust the Z's for more than one hard stop. Anyways... the point is I can see why the guys on this show would say that it takes more of a man to drive a Z fast, compared to newer cars... and my best example is still a 14 year old car! I can only imagine what a brand new car like a Z must feel like to drive.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 A zcar makes every other car ive ever driven VERY easy to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Roman Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 i jumped in a mitsubishi lancer evo the other day(a friends) and i must say no car has ever inspired confidence in me like that car. i must say it was nothing to take long sweepers at well over 100mph and the faster you went the more stable it felt. Kindof scary to know that kids (like me) with relatively shitty driving skills are out there piloting those rockets around the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 I think the light weight 'tricks' you into feeling like the Z is just such a nimble, great handling car... but really the nature of the 240, with it's 'half' frame rails, and very old body structure, small disk front and drum rear brakes... it's hard to imagine the Z has anything on modern cars in the handling or stability department. We are of course talking stock Z... I really have yet to experience a 'well set up' 240, with roll cage and thicker anti sway bars and good brakes and properly adjusted coil-overs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patzky1 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Yep, have to chime in here.... It's sad that my GF's Mercury Mystique could probably handle as well and is definitely more stable than my 280. It really just glides over the bumps as compared to my Z. Thing is, I think it has similar spring rates and tires, but the suspension and structural rigity shine through because of its newness. It's also about 5 times quiter on the hwy. Oh yeah, and the kicker? It weighs only a little more (300 pounds) and is a friggin' 4 door. However, in the power and acceleration category I rule it but that's really my only plus Well, that and the looks Just tells me that I need to a) reinforce like crazy (subframe connectors, thicker frame rails, rollcage?) and make sure I finish the suspension goodies like planned. So far I have only overhauled the entire front end. And damn, Bastaad, you have a lot of posts! Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildky Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Grassroots Motorsports Magazine did a comparo once, a classic porshe 911, adn jag e type and a modern Honda minivan, the did a drag comparo and an autocross campar, and the scores were close in bith cases but the honda won out, their point was that techknowlogy is in fact a good thing and that the new honda minivan might be able to keep pace with these classic sports cars in the minivan you remember the destination in the jag you remember the drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 seems that Honda Odysee (sp?) is a popular vehicle to use to compare (read: humilate) to old muscle cars/sports cars. I've seen comparo's in mags comparing them to all kinds of older cars, usually beating them in most if not all categories. I remember a bold article in Motor Trend where they compared it to a list of all time favorite classic cars, old Vettes, Mustangs, Camaro's, T-birds and the like, and it beat them all out in handling, acceleration and braking. They were all stock of course. Was kinda sad and a real eye opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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