Nissan Fairlady 240ZG (1972)
Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: March 1972
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)
Summary: The Z’s displacement has been enlarged to 2.4 liters, and compared to the 2-liter model, acceleration has improved significantly, and flexibility has increased. If you use fifth gear frequently, the fuel economy is impressive. In other respects, it is the same as the existing model. The disadvantage of being prone to clutch slip remains.
Road testing the Fairlady 240ZG
Since the Fairlady Z debuted in December 1969, C/G has tested various models from time to time. We began with a full test of the DOHC 2-liter 160ps Z432 at Yatabe (C/G, February 1970), then we drove the race-spec 240Z (the SCCN team car Z432R equipped with a SOHC 2.4-liter engine tuned to 200+ps) at FISCO (C/G, June 1971). More recently, when the domestic 240Z was officially released, we tested the automatic model, which we had never tried before (C/G, January 1972). We had returned to Yatabe to test the 240ZG with a five-speed gearbox for last month’s issue, but misfortune struck when the valve gear failed, and we had to abandon the test. So, early in the new year, we tried again with another 240ZG.
The 240Z series has three models, each with variations in the interior and exterior: The standard 240Z (1.15 million yen), the Z-L (1.35 million yen), which adds car stereo, reclining seats, headlight covers and other accessories; and the top-of-the-line ZG (1.5 million yen). The ZG comes with an FRP nose cowling and urethane front bumper, which extend the nose by 200mm for improved aerodynamics. It also has FRP over-fenders to accommodate wider tires, and comes standard with 175HR-14 radials. The ZG’s catalog top speed is listed as 210km/h, 5km/h faster than the other 240Zs.
The car we tested was this long-nose 240ZG. Let’s start with the power performance. In terms of top speed, the 240ZG was a bit disappointing. The average speed on the 1km straight at Yatabe was far below the catalog data (as is the case with the majority of domestically produced cars) at 192.5km/h, while the average speed on the 5.5km circuit was only 189.6km/h. The Yatabe oval course is not completely flat, with a slight downhill in one section of approximately 200m, and here we briefly reached 198km/h, the highest observed maximum (the car’s unusually accurate speedometer showed exactly 200km/h, and the tachometer showed about 5800rpm). Still, the 240ZG did mark the fastest top speed of any Japanese-made car we have tested; the previous fastest record was the old Fairlady 2000 (SOHC four-cylinder) at 190.0kmh, followed by the Capella Rotary Coupe GS at 187.5km/h.
For better or worse, the 240Z’s character is defined by its large, heavy, mildly tuned engine, which was designed for use in family sedans. Although it is a SOHC, it does not have a crossflow head, and it is by no means a type that thrives on high revolutions. When foreign magazines describe the 240Z as a modernized Big Healey, they are certainly not incorrect. With its large, slightly sleepy 3-liter six-cylinder engine, the Big Healey was renowned for its toughness; the British still miss the Healey 3000, which made its name in races and rallies for many years before finally disappearing last year, and will find a sense of affinity with it in the 240Z. The 240Z’s power peak is 150ps/5600rpm, and it starts to struggle a little over 6000rpm. The rev counter optimistically places the yellow zone at 6500-7000rpm, but this is unrealistic; anything over 6500rpm should be considered the red zone. However, this seven-bearing engine is very smooth from its 650rpm idle to over 6000rpm (except for a slight vibration period around 5000rpm).
The engine is equipped with two large SU carburetors with a diameter of 46mm, and cold starts are easy. If you pull the choke lever, which is located on the console, it starts consistently on the first try and warms up very quickly. The choke has a long stroke and can be adjusted finely, which is convenient. The last two 240Zs we tested (automatic and manual) both had a lot of stiff initial resistance in the throttle pedal, which we criticized for making it difficult to start off smoothly, but in this test car, the pedal operated completely smoothly.
On paper, the torque peak is surprisingly high at 4800rpm. In reality, however, the large absolute value of torque gives strong and smooth acceleration over a very wide range. For example, in third gear, acceleration from 20 to 120km/h takes almost exactly 7 seconds for each 40km/h increment, and in fourth gear, the same increments take around 9 seconds each. Incidentally, at 20km/h in fourth gear, the engine is effectively idling at around 700rpm, but when you step on the gas, there is only a momentary hesitation, and the smooth acceleration that begins from around 1000rpm feels almost eerie. For fast driving, however, you need to pull at least 4000rpm in each gear.
Ultimate acceleration is indeed fast. The recorded 0-400m time was 15.5 seconds, beating the catalog time (15.8 seconds), and marking the best time among the cars C/G has tested to date (the previous record was 15.8 seconds, set by the old Fairlady 2000). We have never officially timed the 2-liter Fairlady Z, so it cannot be directly compared, but the 240ZG’s time was 0.9 seconds faster than that of the DOHC Z432 (which was unfortunately was not performing well at the top end in our test). For 0-160km/h, the times were 24.1 seconds for the 240ZG, 26.8 seconds for the Z432, and 23.4 seconds for the old Fairlady, an interesting result showing that the small, light, rough-and-ready Fairlady 2000 still holds the record.
The Porsche-synchro 5-speed gearbox is one of the main attractions of the 240Z. If there is a drawback, it is that the lever throws are rather long, but the synchromesh is extremely strong and operation is not heavy. Some staff members complained that the spring pushing the lever towards the 3-4 plane was too strong. Regardless, the gear ratios are close to ideal. In first, second, and third gears, the car can reach speeds of 69, 111, and 153km/h if you pull the engine to 7000rpm, and in direct fourth gear the car can reach a top speed of 191km/h (6600rpm). Some gear whine is audible at all times, and the propeller shaft does not seem to be perfectly balanced, as vibration is transmitted to the body at high speeds. The mechanical noise of the engine itself is low, and high-speed cruising using fourth and fifth gears is one of the 240Z’s strongest suits.
We found that fuel economy in high-speed cruising is surprisingly good if you use fifth gear frequently. Driving from FISCO to the C/G office in the city center, mostly on the highway and at a gentle pace, resulted in a commendable 8.5km/l. The economic advantage of fifth gear is also clear from the constant-speed fuel economy data. Even at a relatively low speed of 60km/h, we achieved 14.1km/l in fifth gear compared to 13.1km/l in fourth. At 100km/h the difference was 11.5km/l in fifth and 10.6km/l in fourth, and at 160km/h the difference was 7.1km/l and 6.3km/l. As these figures show, with absolute torque like the 240Z’s, it is possible to achieve surprisingly good fuel economy in practical driving by frequently using high gears. Regular grade fuel is specified, and there was no pinking even at low speeds, although for some reason the phenomenon of dieseling was severe. Incidentally, this condition remained the same even when we replaced the standard spark plugs, NGK BP6Es, with BP8Es. The fuel tank holds 60 liters, ensuring a cruising range of over 400km.
The 222mm front disc/228mm diameter rear drum brakes have a moderately powerful servo and a good feeling of effectiveness at all speeds. There is remarkably little nose dive during sudden braking; on the other hand, the rear end squats during acceleration. In the 0-100-0 fade test, the initial pedal force of 16kg increased slightly to 19kg on the eighth stop and 23kg on the tenth, maintaining good stability throughout, so the brakes can be described as adequately fade-resistant. The handbrake, conveniently located behind the gear lever, is easy to operate and extremely powerful.
Even at speeds approaching the maximum, directional stability is excellent, and the car travels straight as an arrow with just a light grip on the steering wheel. This would be improved even further with the addition of a front spoiler and ducktail. Due to the large front wheel load (53%/47%) and the wide contact patch of the 175HR-14 radials (our car was equipped with Bridgestone RD150s), the steering always has a firm, reassuring weight, which contributes to the powerful GT car feel and is quite appealing. As is typical of rack-and-pinion steering, the response is quite quick (2.8 turns lock to lock, minimum turning radius 4.9m) and it conveys a good sense of the road surface. On rough surfaces, the kickback is almost too strong, making driving gloves a “must.” The steering wheel is a moderate size, but a softer, thicker, leather-wrapped rim would be preferable to the current wood type.
The handling of a high-performance car like the 240ZG can only be fully tested on a circuit. We attempted this on FISCO’s left-handed course, and found that, by simply increasing the standard tire pressure of 2.0kg/2.0kg to 2.5kg/2.5kg, the 240ZG could be lapped completely safely. Cornering is very stable, and the chassis maintains a slight understeer up to high cornering speeds. The Bridgestone RD150 tires do not have especially high adhesion on dry surfaces, but for radials, they offer high lateral rigidity and hold up well to side forces. In high-speed bends, however, the 240ZG does not have enough power to slide the tail using the throttle, which can actually make the car more difficult to drive. We have also driven the Z432 and the race-spec 240Z on this course, and strangely enough, the race car had the strongest understeer of any version we have driven. On the other hand, its greater power made it easier to control with the throttle, and we felt that it was the easiest to drive despite the much higher speeds. The Z432 we tested ran on Bridgestone Super Speed 5 bias-ply tires instead of radial tires, and these allowed for more progressive sliding, making that car easier to control as well. The Z432’s suspension was also stiffer than the 240ZG’s, making it better suited to this type of driving. As a result, the lap times were slowest for the 240ZG, with the Z432 being 1 second faster and the race-spec 240Z being fully 16 seconds faster.
The suspension has plenty of wheel travel, but largely due to the stiff gas-filled dampers, it is not as smooth as one would expect from an all-independent layout when driving over rough roads at city speeds, and it is not perfect at isolating road noise or vibrations. As speed increases, however, the ride becomes more comfortable, with larger undulations being absorbed by the suspension, and no tendency towards float or pitch.
Much of the appeal of the Fairlady as a GT is its extremely comfortable interior environment for two people. The large, supportive high-back seats have an exceptionally wide range of adjustment fore and aft, and when moved all the way back, even our tester who is 178cm tall found that his feet could not reach the pedals. For drivers of average build, the seating position is actually too low, and it is difficult to gauge the position of the left front fender, at least at first. In this ZG, in particular, you must always keep in mind that the nose extends some 30cm beyond what you can see in front of you. In this respect, it is similar to the E-Type, but the Fairlady seats the driver even deeper inside the car, making the body feel even larger. For many drivers, raising the seat slightly by inserting the 2cm spacers (provided) will likely make the car easier to drive.
The various controls are very well placed and easy to use. The pedals are particularly well-positioned, being perfect for heel-and-toeing, and the footrest for the left foot is a great help for supporting the body when cornering. The combination stalk control on the left side of the steering column allows the lights, wipers, and washers to be operated by the fingertips, a design we would like to see adopted in other cars. All of these operations can be done while wearing the three-point seat belt, making driving at night or in adverse conditions much safer. However, the standard headlights with plastic covers are nowhere near bright enough to keep up with the speed of this car. We would highly recommend replacing them with more powerful iodine lamps.
The tailgate opens wide and easily on hydraulic struts, similar to that of the E-Type, allowing easy loading and unloading of the huge luggage compartment behind the seats. The cargo area can hold an incredible amount of luggage for a long-distance trip for two people; we were able to fit our fifth wheel speedometer for testing inside, so you could probably fit a folding bicycle in with ease too.
So, is the 240Z, which is 220,000 to 350,000 yen more expensive than the 2-liter Z, plus the additional tax you have to pay for a “3-number” car, worth its price? In terms of performance, the 400cc difference certainly makes itself felt, especially in terms of acceleration, and it is true that it is much easier to drive because of the extra power. However, if easy driving is what one is looking for in a car of this type, the automatic 240Z is more suitable. On the other hand, if one plans to use it as a true GT car, and is already willing to spend 1.5 million yen to buy the 240ZG, we would stretch a little further and buy the Z432.
Postscript: Story Photos
