alt Hacker NewsTested: 1981 Datsun 280ZX Turbo (1981)
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My first car (hand-me-down from my Dad) was a 1980s Datsun, that I managed to total within a few weeks of getting my license, much to the consternation of my younger brother and sister who expected it to eventually be handed down to them as well.
The "left door is open" voice alert will forever be ingrained in my memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hJBko3-oV4 It seemed so futuristic when the car was new.
There is a Swiss restoration youtube channel, my mechanics, that's restoring a 1973 Datsun 240Z. It's quite a project and worth watching if you're into that sort of thing. He's incredibly talented and loads of other restoration projects that are super interesting. Easily my favorite youtube channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13vXFj37RI&list=PLN0SuqPcbL...
My dad has one of these in the garage. Hasn't driven it in a few years because some of the parts are hard to find.
I always thought it was a weird car compared to the 240 or 300 since it was a 2+2. I'm not sure if I've even driven it.
One day I'll probably do a V8 or turbo I6 transplant...
180hp was no slouch back the. Many v8s came with the same or less. Including Ford’s 5.0 (which I’m running in my Mustang).
This was an era of some pretty awful American cars. A mid-size family sedan would have a v6 with a carburetor and 110-125 hp and still weigh 1.5 tons or more. An automatic transmission with a lockup torque converter was probably a pretty new improvement at the time, and ABS brakes were still 5+ years away in high-end cars.
What really struck me, besides the nice car is the quality of the text of the article.
I can't imagine why this article link is on HN, but I'm glad it is. The 280ZX was the first car I remember actively lusting for.
when I became old enough to drive, my parents decided (in the family tradition) to purchase me a car. apparently, the options that my father chose from were a 1982 Honda, or a 1978 datsun f10. he settled on the less reliable f10. it was a wonder-car, it was a 5 speed that started at reverse:
R 2 4
1 3 5
it was a hell car, but I'm still nostalgic for it, likely more than I would have been for the honda that would probably have been much more reliable.
I still have an affinity for Japanese small cars, and am glad it was in my life.
datsun, I miss you.
My 17 y/o self (living in small-town Oklahoma) lusted heavily after this car. For a few weeks, I would drive down to the dealership in my parent's car in order to drool over it in person (yeah, I was stupid kid who loved this car). Anyway, one day I managed to convince a salesman, who wasn't much older than me and obviously bored, to take a test drive in one. We got into the car and he told me that he first was going to show me what the car could do before letting me drive it and so, I had to wear the seatbelt (which was unheard of back then). Soon, we were on the highway and he put it through its paces - demonstrating the acceleration and handling, but he got a bit overconfident and then wound up putting it into a spin. By an extreme amount of luck we managed to avoid hitting anything. After he regained control we pulled over to the side of the road to inspect the car, and much to our relief (and astonishment on my part), there wasn't any visible damage on it. To his credit, he let me drive it back to the dealership were I shook his hand and thanked him for not killing us. Just as I get over to my mom's car, the sales manager shows up to try to close the deal - but when he got a look at my 16 y/o self, his demeanor changed from optimism to mild disappointment. I said I had to discuss with my father before I could consider buying it (but the look he had on his face was that he knew I was full of crap)
If you have nostalgia for the Z cars of the 1970s, this master mechanic is restoring a 240Z to museum quality.
This should have (1981) in the title to make it clear it’s not a recently published article.
Sometimes we focus on what’s not perfect today. In doing so, we might forget just how good we have it.
TLDR: The review says the car is lightning fast and fuel efficient. By today’s standards, the car is turtle slow and horribly inefficient.
I’ve been restoring a 240z in my garage, it’s on a rotisserie…
Got a l28 turbo waiting to be refreshed as well.
I should stop working on this refactor and go work on it.
Nismo is coming out with a new DOHC head for the car... https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/nismo-dohc-nissan-datsun-l-...
There was also this gent who made his own DOHC off of a Honda head.
https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/119641-twin-cam-head-for-th...