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Fairlady
- Thread starter MattP
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aeronca65t
Great Pumpkin
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Matt:
There are 2 "Datsun Fairladys".
The older SPL Roadsters were called Fairladys (these came in 1500, 1600 and 2000 cc). Many folks say they look a bit like the MGB in the nose, although the early 1500 cars came out before the MGB. This is probably what you saw.
The Datsun 240Z (and some later models) was also called the Fairlady, at least in Japan.
Both great cars in their own way (and both helped kill off the British sports car industry).
The name "Fairlady" is said to came from the "My Fair Lady" musical. One of the Datsun execs had just seen the musical while the car was being developed.
There are 2 "Datsun Fairladys".
The older SPL Roadsters were called Fairladys (these came in 1500, 1600 and 2000 cc). Many folks say they look a bit like the MGB in the nose, although the early 1500 cars came out before the MGB. This is probably what you saw.
The Datsun 240Z (and some later models) was also called the Fairlady, at least in Japan.
Both great cars in their own way (and both helped kill off the British sports car industry).
The name "Fairlady" is said to came from the "My Fair Lady" musical. One of the Datsun execs had just seen the musical while the car was being developed.
G
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I'm pretty sure that the earlier Z's had all been called Fairlady, I'm sure of the 1st and 2nd gen Z's (240/260/280 and the 84-89 300's). Was not sure about the 3rd gen or the current car though.
Bret
Yoda
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My brother had a really nice 240Z. That he totally restored over a 10 year period. When he finished it was a real sweet little car. Total engine rebuild with extra performance goodies & upgrades, painted it burn orange and had some cool looking chrome wire wheels. Quite a looker!
But alas he got married and the little woman made him sell the poor thing. I guess she didn’t think three vehicles in a condo with a single car garage made sense with a baby on the way.
Women! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif Go figure.
But alas he got married and the little woman made him sell the poor thing. I guess she didn’t think three vehicles in a condo with a single car garage made sense with a baby on the way.
Women! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif Go figure.
huck6
Jedi Trainee
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"The Datsun 240Z (and some later models) was also called the Fairlady, at least in Japan. Both great cars in their own way (and both helped kill off the British sports car industry)."
To be fair, they had to play by the same rules as the British. I think that the death of British Sports Cars was more the result of mis-management and poor labour relations.
To be fair, they had to play by the same rules as the British. I think that the death of British Sports Cars was more the result of mis-management and poor labour relations.
78Z
Darth Vader
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[ QUOTE ]
I find those 240s very interesting... They seem to sell pretty low, and they're not that common around here.
Plus they're used in a number of vintage races /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
Darcy
[/ QUOTE ]
they are quite nice with a bullet proof engine but they rust so fast it would make a FIAT blush. Shame.
I find those 240s very interesting... They seem to sell pretty low, and they're not that common around here.
Plus they're used in a number of vintage races /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
Darcy
[/ QUOTE ]
they are quite nice with a bullet proof engine but they rust so fast it would make a FIAT blush. Shame.
Banjo
Yoda
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Ya the "z" cars were horrible for rust. the rails under the floorpans would dissapear within a few years. The old Fairladys "311s" aren't as rare as you think. the early ones 62-67 also had a bad rust problem, but they sported a full frame. I'm in the process of getting a project 1600 soon. I'll post some pics when we drag it out of the gold mine.
The 311s didn't kill the british roadster. Datsun stopped making them in 70. layland had 10 more years. now the "Z" cars...
The 311s didn't kill the british roadster. Datsun stopped making them in 70. layland had 10 more years. now the "Z" cars...
TypeRboy
Jedi Warrior
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I've owned 4 Datsun Fairlady's ( SPL311 for the 1.6 liter, SRL311 for the 2 liter..) The 2 liter cars are the bomb! How nice to have a 5 speed.. and nice electricals!
Funny thing about the 2L cars, the transmission is a bit of a weak link, even if it does shift like butter. The first year of the 240Z used a tranny with a seperate bellhousing. The housings don't interchange between the two cars, but the transmissions do. Since the 240z tranny was built very strong for the 6, even thought the Hp rating of 150 was the same for the two cars ( for the Solex Datsun 2000 sport anyway ). The 240 tranny was a great choice for a tranny to beat on in the sports car, but alas was only a 4 speed. Datsun went to an integral trans/bellhousing the next year for the 240, so that supply of strong transmissions dried up..
( I'll bet I pulled my tranny out more than ten times to fix different things, but I drove the cars like some kind of wild animal, so I deserved it..)
Funny thing about the 2L cars, the transmission is a bit of a weak link, even if it does shift like butter. The first year of the 240Z used a tranny with a seperate bellhousing. The housings don't interchange between the two cars, but the transmissions do. Since the 240z tranny was built very strong for the 6, even thought the Hp rating of 150 was the same for the two cars ( for the Solex Datsun 2000 sport anyway ). The 240 tranny was a great choice for a tranny to beat on in the sports car, but alas was only a 4 speed. Datsun went to an integral trans/bellhousing the next year for the 240, so that supply of strong transmissions dried up..
( I'll bet I pulled my tranny out more than ten times to fix different things, but I drove the cars like some kind of wild animal, so I deserved it..)
G
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When I was a kid my mom got the bug for an early Z car, so she went out on her own and found a 240Z. My father was livid, both because she went and found a car on her own without consulting him and bought it and because it was Japanese (my father was still driving a big block Mustang then and a Plymouth wagon). He spent the next 2 years cussing and complaining while he worked on it, but he had to admit, it was a fun little car.
I got the bug for them when I was in school. Junior year of college I ran across a guy in my home town that was selling an 83 280ZX for a song. Two tone slate blue metallic over silver, digital dash, basically loaded except it wasn't a turbo, although it did have the turbo hood. It had some rust, nothing really visible, but I had no idea how bad until a few years later when I was sitting at a bank drive through and pushed in the clutch. The rear seat mounts went right through the floor and I was suddenly looking up through the t-top. My buddy in the passenger seat starting laughing his butt off. Got it home, put in a strip of steel under the carpet to hold up the rear mounts, and promptly sold it to the kid down the street from my parents. Went out and bought a beautiful 87 300ZX turbo, which I dearly loved and drove hard for a few years. That Nissan/Datsun straight 6 was a great motor though, and absolutely bulletproof. A girlfriend of mine in school had an 82 Z, and she had well over 200K on the clock, and it was still tight and ran beautifully. If they could only have built the bodies the same way, I'd probably still own one today.
I got the bug for them when I was in school. Junior year of college I ran across a guy in my home town that was selling an 83 280ZX for a song. Two tone slate blue metallic over silver, digital dash, basically loaded except it wasn't a turbo, although it did have the turbo hood. It had some rust, nothing really visible, but I had no idea how bad until a few years later when I was sitting at a bank drive through and pushed in the clutch. The rear seat mounts went right through the floor and I was suddenly looking up through the t-top. My buddy in the passenger seat starting laughing his butt off. Got it home, put in a strip of steel under the carpet to hold up the rear mounts, and promptly sold it to the kid down the street from my parents. Went out and bought a beautiful 87 300ZX turbo, which I dearly loved and drove hard for a few years. That Nissan/Datsun straight 6 was a great motor though, and absolutely bulletproof. A girlfriend of mine in school had an 82 Z, and she had well over 200K on the clock, and it was still tight and ran beautifully. If they could only have built the bodies the same way, I'd probably still own one today.
Paul Johnson
Jedi Warrior
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Had an SRL311 for a couple of years; a point and squirt car, and great fun. I recall that Car & Driver in 1969 talked about how ugly the car was, but that it didn't matter because the gearbox was so much fun to work.
