Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: April 1969
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Summary: A “classical” two-seat sports car, uncivilized and exhilarating. Rugged 2-liter four-cylinder engine is powerful but rough. Excellent 5-speed gearbox. Brakes are strong but require heavy pedal effort, with excellent fade resistance. Outstanding handling, but requires good road surfaces to show its best. Hardtop offers excellent weather protection. Noise levels are high, ride is extremely hard.

Publication: Auto Sport
Format: Auto Sport Impression
Date: January 1970
Author: Takatoshi Teranishi, Auto Sport Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Takatoshi Teranishi Takes on Suzuka in the Fairlady Z432!

The Fairlady, the “champion of GT racing,” has undergone its first model change in seven years. How will the hard-edged Z432 version of the new Fairlady respond on city streets and at Suzuka Circuit? The man at the wheel is “Tiger” Takatoshi Teranishi.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: February 1970
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Summary: A practical two-seater GT with a DOHC six-cylinder engine based on the R380. More flexible at slower speeds than the GT-R, extremely economical when using fifth gear. Very good handling even on bias-ply tires, good support from bucket seats, excellent heater and ventilation, high price.

Road testing the Fairlady Z432

The Fairlady Z, announced in December 1969, is available in three versions. There is the standard Fairlady Z (930,000 yen), powered by the same 1998cc SOHC, six-cylinder 130ps/6000rpm engine as the Skyline GT; the Z-L (1,080,000 yen), which adds the Custom Kit (a 5-speed gearbox and deluxe equipment); and the high-performance Z432 (1,850,000 yen), fitted with the same 160ps/7000rpm DOHC six-cylinder engine as the Skyline 2000GT-R (itself derived from the R380).

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: January 1970
Author (Roundtable): Hajime Mizutsu, Osamu Hirao, Kazumi Yotsumoto, Kenji Higuchi, Kuniyuki Tanabe, Yuji Sakakibara, Yasuhei Oguchi, Kunitaka Furitani, Masahide Sano, Taizo Tateishi, Atsushi Watari, Hiroshi Okazaki, Minoru Onda, Mineo Yamamoto, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Toshihide Hirata, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

With America in Mind

Magazine: First, please tell us about the aim of development for this car.

Mizutsu: The planning for this car dates back to the year before the current Bluebird was announced, the same year the R380 achieved its victory at the Japanese Grand Prix. In that sense, the technical foundations for the Fairlady Z were already in place: the Bluebird’s suspension on the one hand, and the R380’s engine on the other. The project was conceived on that basis.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Dynamic Test Drive
Date: January 1970
Author: Shintaro Taki

The Fairlady Z432: Reflecting on My Arch-Rival “380”

Let me give it to you straight.

Starting this month, Motor Fan has decided to feature my road tests. I suppose I should begin with a word of greeting, but I doubt most readers are looking for formulaic pleasantries. Since this is the first installment, I’d rather take the opportunity to lay out the way I think about cars.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: “Bubble Index” Road Test
Date: August 1971
Authors: Osamu Mochizuki, Katsuzo Kageyama, Shigeki Asaoka, Yasuhei Oguchi, Reiko Ikuuchi, Kensuke Ishizu

The “Popular Edition” of the Safari-Winning Car

The test car this time is the “Z-L,” the popular version of the Nissan Fairlady 240Z that achieved overall victory in the Safari Rally. In a country like Japan, where sports cars have traditionally struggled to gain a foothold, this celebrated nameplate has already built a history spanning twelve years. Just where does the appeal of this “famous marque” lie? Here, we take a closer look.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: March 1972
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Summary: The Z enlarged to 2.4 liters. Acceleration is markedly improved over the two-liter model, while flexibility has increased further. Fuel economy is impressive when fifth gear is used frequently. In other respects, it is unchanged from the earlier model, including the tendency for the clutch to slip too easily.

Road testing the Fairlady 240ZG

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Test Drive Report
Date: July 1972
Author: Jun Narue

Fairlady 240Z European Specification: A Chassis We’d Like to Have Here at Home

The Fairlady 240Z has become enormously popular in the United States, but there is also a European-market 240Z with suspension and chassis settings quite different from the American version. What is it like to drive?

A Three-Car 240Z Convoy

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: November 1972
Authors (Roundtable): Hajime Mizutsu, Yasuhei Oguchi, Osamu Hirao, Michio Takei, Atsushi Watari, Hiroshi Okazaki, Yasuo Ishikawa, Hiroshi Hoshijima, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Kunitaka Furutani, Masahide Sano, Katsuzo Kageyama, Taizo Tateishi, Takeshi Toba, Minoru Onda, Fusaki Inosaki, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Leader of the Mass-Produced Sports Cars

Magazine: First, could you give us an overview of the Fairlady ZG?

Mizutsu: Let me begin with the background behind the introduction of the Fairlady 240Z.

Publication: Auto Sport
Format: Group Test
Date: August 1973
Author: Auto Sport Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Now in its fourth installment, the editorial test drive series has finally escalated into the 2-liter class. At the enthusiastic request of the test team–apparently still unaware of how unrefined their driving skills actually are–the two cars selected this time are the Skyline GT-R and the Fairlady Z.