Nissan Fairlady Z432 (1970)
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 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, comes in three models: the popular Z (930,000 yen), equipped with the same basic 1988cc SOHC, six-cylinder, 130ps/6000rpm engine as the Skyline GT; the Z-L (1,080,000 yen), fitted with a 5-speed gearbox and deluxe interior equipment; and the high-performance Z432 (1,850,000), equipped with the same 1989cc DOHC, six-cylinder, 160ps/7000rpm engine as the Skyline GT-R, which is based on the engine of the R380.
For this test, we put the Fairlady Z into practical use on public roads for 900km, took various measurements at Yatabe, and fully tested the handling at racing speeds at Fuji Speedway. The test car was the highest-performance Z432, so named for its four valves, three carburetors, and two camshafts.
The previous Fairlady 2000, which is not only still popular in domestic club races, but is also popular overseas, with 88% of the 13,690 produced in 1968 being exported to the US (production will continue for the time being), was a classic open two-seater that sacrificed everything for performance. In contrast, the new Fairlady Z series replaces the rough four-cylinder with a smooth six-cylinder engine, the vintage-car-style stiff springs with a “civilized” all-wheel independent suspension, and the open top with a weather-resistant two-seat fastback coupe body, making it a grand touring car in the truest sense of the word.
Compared to other domestic sports cars in the 2-liter class, such as the Toyota 2000GT, Mazda Cosmo, and Nissan’s own Skyline 2000GT-R, the Z432 has a very favorable power-to-weight ratio of 6.5kg/ps when unladen (the figures for the 2000GT, Cosmo, and GT-R are 7.6kg/ps, 7.5kg/ps, and 7.0kg/ps, respectively), and should theoretically be the fastest. However, the engine of the test car, with about 4,400km on the odometer, was not properly tuned, and the top speed was only 175.6km/h, and the acceleration performance was generally lower than that of the Fairlady 2000. We will go into this point in more detail later.
The interior of this two-seater GT coupe is luxurious, reminiscent of the Jaguar E-type coupe. The interior layout is well thought out, and the design is in a modest good taste. The driving position is very good, and the bucket seats are generously sized, providing good support for the body and allowing the driver to stretch his or her arms and legs out in an ideal posture. The wooden steering wheel, 5-speed gear lever, and pedals are all well positioned in relation to each other. The pedal surfaces are quite far from the toe board. There is a left foot rest positioned to support the body during cornering.
All the instruments are recessed deep into the crash padding, but their clean design, with white lettering on a black background, makes them easy to read day or night. In sports cars, the dashboard is generally far away, and drivers often drive with their seat belts fastened, which makes frequently used switches difficult to reach unless careful consideration is given to their placement. In this respect, the Fairlady also passes the test. The lever protruding to the left of the steering column has rotary switches for the lights and wipers, and the tip of the lever incorporates a button for the washer. The headlights and hand throttle are located on the console behind the gear lever, where the driver can operate them from a natural driving position.
The rear compartment is a spacious luggage area, and is covered with carpet so fragile items can be stored there. However, since the floor is flat, small items may move around in corners or when braking. It’s good that there are straps in the floor to secure suitcases and such, but they are not long enough for large items. The spare tire is stored under the floor, and the jack and tools are stored behind the seats, under plastic lids (which look a bit cheap). Loading and unloading is done by opening the large tailgate, just like the E-Type and MGB GT. On our test car, the locks on the tailgate and glovebox on the dash were broken and could not be opened.
As mentioned above, the Fairlady Z432 is equipped with the same 160ps/7000rpm DOHC six-cylinder four-valve engine as the Skyline 2000GT-R. As mentioned in the GT-R test (C/G, May 1969), this semi-racing engine is not fickle, and maintained the same performance throughout the 900km of rigorous testing. Even in cold early mornings around 5°C, just a few strokes of the throttle are enough to start the car. If you use the hand throttle for a few minutes to warm up the car at 2500rpm, and then release it, the car will idle steadily at around 800rpm, and you can drive off without hesitation.
Contrary to their smart appearance, each primary control requires a considerable amount of force, so the Fairlady Z is still a man’s car, or at least not a car that a lady in high heels would use for shopping in the city. The cowl is relatively high, so a driver of average build cannot see the area immediately in front of the bonnet. The clutch and brake pedals are heavy to operate, and the steering is extremely heavy at parking speed, so it is obviously not suitable for practical use in crowded city streets.
However, what was surprising was that the Fairlady Z432 was more flexible and easier to use at low speeds than the Skyline 2000GT-R, which has the same engine. This is probably because, although the engine tuning is exactly the same, the shape of the exhaust pipe is slightly different to match the body (it is quite conceivable that this alone can subtly change the characteristics of such a semi-racing engine), and the weight is 80kg lighter than the GT-R (the gearing is also practically the same). For example, with the GT-R, you have to increase the rotation speed to at least 4000rpm and let the clutch out carefully, otherwise it will struggle to pull away, but with the Z432, if you want to, you can start smoothly from under 2000rpm like a normal passenger car, and you can easily use up to fourth gear while keeping the speed below 60km/h. For example, you can maintain 50km/h smoothly in fourth gear (1800rpm). Looking at the torque curve of this engine, there is a big drop between 2500 and 3000rpm, and this is clearly felt when you actually drive the car. For example, if you let the speed drop to 60km/h in third gear (about 2800rpm), the joints of the driveshaft start shaking and it becomes difficult to drive, but if you shift up to fourth gear (about 2300rpm), it actually becomes smoother, which is a strange feeling.
However, the real power doesn’t arrive until the engine passes 3000rpm, and even after exceeding the redline, the momentum continues to increase, which is a testament to its R380 lineage. However, the torque drops sharply after 6500rpm, so the effective powerband is surprisingly narrow. The most usable rev range is around 3500-6500rpm.
The Z432 is equipped with a Porsche-type servo synchronized 5-speed gearbox shared with the 2000GT-R. The final drive ratio is 4.44, the shortest among the three Fairlady Z models. The rims are 5J x 14 magnesium wheels (the Z and Z-L are steel 4J x 14), and the tires are 6.95H-14-4PR (6.45H-14-4PR on the Z and Z-L). The test car was equipped with Bridgestone Super Speed 5 H.T. Nylon tires. As you can imagine from the combination of the relatively heavy weight (1040kg), relatively high low gear (2.957), and high-speed torque type engine, the acceleration from a standstill feels heavy, and when initially leaving the line, it will only just stay ahead of a lively 1-liter sedan.
The engine of the test car did not perform well at high rpm, and in general, the high-speed performance was far below expectations. The top speed test at Yatabe was recorded on a 1km straight and a 5.5km circuit with two passengers. The Fairlady Z432 covered the straight section in 20.5 seconds, averaging 175.6km/h (the car’s speedometer indicated 194km/h), and the 5.5km lap time was 1 minute, 53.9 seconds, averaging 173.8km/h, which were not good results. The Fairlady 2000 tested by C/G recorded 190.0km/h, while the Skyline 2000GT-R was 179.6km/h, which was significantly lower than the catalog data, but the Fairlady Z fell even shorter. The top speed listed in the catalog (although it is stated to be an estimate) is 210km/h. This was disappointing for us, so we scheduled another test run and returned the car to be serviced. When we went to pick it up, however, we found out that another car magazine had crashed it the day before, and we ended up not getting the car back in time to test it for this month’s issue.
The engine noise level somehow seemed lower than the GT-R, the main source of noise being the hum of the timing chain, which was joined by the mechanical noise of the valve gear when the engine speed rose over 4000rpm in our test car, which had apparently been roughly treated. The exhaust sound was surprisingly tame, not metallic and high-pitched like the GT-R’s.
As mentioned above, the clutch requires a considerable amount of pressure, and the stroke is a little too large. The engagement is as smooth as a passenger car’s, but when it comes to accelerating, the clutch starts to slip considerably. The GT-R test was also spoiled by severe clutch slip, so this may be an inherent issue with the S20 engine. This clutch slip is one of the reasons for the poor 0-400m acceleration time of 16.4 seconds (relative to the 15.8 seconds in the catalog).
The 5-speed gearbox, which is the same as the GT-R’s, is very pleasant, as mentioned in the GT-R test. It operates smoothly, the throws are appropriately short, and the synchro is extremely powerful. As mentioned above, the engine of the test car did not perform at its full potential at high revs, so there was little point in revving above 6500rpm, but if you push it up to 7000rpm, where the yellow zone begins, you can achieve 51, 91, and 132km/h in first, second, and third gears. The top speed in fourth gear was 175km/h, the same as in fifth gear. The fifth gear is an overdrive of 0.852, but it is usable at speeds as low as 60km/h.
A pleasant surprise was that the fuel economy was generally very good. Putting aside city driving, the fuel economy was surprisingly good when cruising in the suburbs and on the highway. For example, when driving on the Tomei Expressway from Matsuda to Gotemba at exactly 100km/h (about 3300rpm in fifth gear), the fuel consumption was 12.6km/l, when driving from Gotemba to Fuji Speedway on the vacant National Route 246 at the legal speed, the fuel consumption was 9.2km/l, and when doing about ten laps of the Fuji Speedway left-hand course, the unexpected result of 5.5km/l was obtained. The good cruising fuel economy is obviously due to the overdrive fifth gear. Looking at the constant speed fuel consumption data, for example, at 120km/h, fourth gear is 8.9km/l, while fifth gear is 9.8km/l, and at 160km/h, th fuel consumption is 5.9km/l and 7.6km/l respectively, which clearly shows the economical fifth gear performance.
The brakes on the Z432 are, in short, perfectly matched to the high performance of this car. The combination of 6" front disc brakes and rear Alfin drums provides a steady and stable braking effect even at high speeds. The pedal pressure is not light, but it is appropriate, and there is no noticeable servo lag. However, in a 0-100-0 fade test (ten repetitions of 0.5g braking from 100km/h), the pedal pressure increased from 12kg on the first stop to 20kg on the fifth stop, and to 34kg on the tenth stop. From around the eighth stop, the braking effect became unstable. This was clearly a case of fade, but it recovered after a few minutes of normal driving. One good thing is that there is very little nose dive during braking (as opposed to the pronounced lifting of the nose during hard acceleration).
The new Fairlady Z series has many absolute advantages over the previous Fairlady 2000, but maneuverability is perhaps the most important of them all. The front suspension uses MacPherson struts, while the rear suspension is independent with struts and wishbone-type transverse links. The rear suspension is unique to the Z, with the transverse link pins parallel to the body, and wide spacing between the bushings, which means there is zero change in toe angle and little change in camber angle. The Z432 has wider tires than the other Z models, with 6.95H-14 tires on 5J x 14 magnesium wheels, and the steering is rack and pinion, with a sharp 2.5 turns from lock to lock.
Handling is excellent by any standard. The test car was fitted with Bridgestone Super Speed 5 bias-ply tires, and by simply increasing the tire pressure to 2.5kg/2.5kg, the car was able to run smoothly around Fuji Speedway at nearly racing speeds. The steering balance is always just right, with a very slight understeer that continues up to the limit, and when the limit is reached, the tail gradually slides out, which is an ideal condition. The way it slides out is really exquisite, and it doesn’t slide suddenly like the Skyline 2000GT/GT-R. It feels like the balance of the front and rear cornering power is extremely good. Also, because it is powerful, it is possible to slide the tail using the throttle up to third gear. In such cases, the responsive steering is a great help in making quick corrections, but the trade-off is that the steering force is always heavy and the kickback is strong. Body roll is so slight that it is almost unnoticeable, at least to the driver.
The directional stability when going straight is very good, and it is possible to let go of the wheel even at top speed. However, this is only the case when there is no wind, as the car is quite affected by crosswinds. This is probably due to the shape of the body.
The ride is quite soft compared to the Fairlady 2000, but still quite hard by general standards. The Bridgestone Super Speed 5 tires are as hard as 6-ply tires even at 1.8kg/1.8kg air pressure, and they bash away at small irregularities in the road surface. However, on good road surfaces such as highways, the car offers a flat, smooth, and extremely comfortable ride, and coupled with the supportive seats, it doesn’t tire you out even on long drives. It also has good traction on rough roads, assisted by the appropriate suspension stroke and ample road clearance, but the powerful dampers (especially at the rear) jolt you up strongly from below. The body seems to have a high level of rigidity overall, but the cowl vibrated on very rough roads. Road noise and gear noise from the differential fixed to the body are well eliminated. The suspension has plenty of compliance, so even if you install radial tires (175HR-14s are optional), noise and road shock will not be a problem.
Unfortunately, we were not able to fully experience the Z432’s capabilities during this test because the engine was not in perfect condition, but we were deeply impressed by its excellent handling. A race-spec car that has been made 110kg lighter (by changing the windows to acrylic and the hood to FRP, etc.) and has stiffer suspension (front spring constant raised from 1.8kg/mm to 5.5kg/mm, rear from 2.1kg/mm to 5.6kg/mm) should be released soon, and we would like to conduct a full test if possible.