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For Sale: A Datsun 260Z Powered By A 400+ HP Corvette LS6 V8

This 1974 Datsun 260Z is now significantly quicker than it was when new, thanks to a slew of modifications including a 400+ bhp Corvette LS6 sending power back through a Tremec T56 6-speed manual transmission to a limited-slip differential.

A full gamut of changes have been made to the car to ensure it can handle the significant power increase, these include new brakes, suspension, chassis modifications, and body modifications.

Fast Facts – A Corvette-Powered Datsun 260Z

The Datsun 260Z was released in 1974, it had a larger 2.6 liter engine compared to the 2.4 liter engine used in the original 240Z.
Apart from the engine, a number of other changes were made to the 260Z. Some of the interior ergonomics were redesigned, the chassis was given longer frame rails for more strength and stiffness, and a rear sway bar was fitted.
The 260Z was originally fitted with the Nissan L26 engine, with a swept capacity of 2,565cc (156.5 cubic inches). In the USA the power output was limited to 139 hp due to emissions requirements, the rest of the world got the 165 hp version.
The car you see here has been given a major set of modifications including a 400+ bhp Corvette V8, uprated suspension and brakes, an LSD, and a zTrix widebody kit.

The Arrival Of The Datsun Z Series

Beginning with the Datsun 240Z in 1969, the Z series of sports cars from Nissan/Datsun are now viewed as among the most important Japanese sports cars in the world from this early formative period.

Thanks to its beautiful styling, affordable asking price, and solid reliability the 240Z became one of the most popular sports cars of its era.

In the 1960s Japanese automobiles were making inroads into the US and European markets, they were generally seen as small, cheap, almost disposable cars by many. It wasn’t until the appearance of halo cars like the Toyota 2000GT, Datsun 240Z, and Mazda Cosmo that the perceptions of the buying public began to shift.

Of those three models, the 240Z was the most practical. Whereas the Toyota 2000GT was expensive and the Mazda Cosmo was powered by an unproven Wankel rotary engine, the Datsun 240Z cost about the same as an MGB GT and it was powered by a rock solid 2.4 liter straight-six.

The styling of the 240Z has long been a point of controversy, some claim it was entirely developed in-house by a team led by Yoshihiko Matsuo, and others claim that it was based on designs by Dr Albrecht Graf von Goertz.

Regardless of who deserves the bulk of the credit, the car is undeniably beautiful. The front end is reminiscent of the Jaguar E-Type and the rear bears some resemblance to the Porsche 911 – these were two of the top sports cars in the world in the late 1960s when the car was being styled.

When it was released in 1974 the 260Z was marketed as being a development of the earlier car – it was all true too, the 260Z has a stronger chassis, an updated interior, and a larger engine.

Under the skin the 240Z was no less impressive, it has independent front and rear suspension, front disc brakes, and a straight-six with a single overhead cam and a crossflow head. The interior of the car was well appointed, and perhaps most importantly the car was very reliable – not fickle like so many exotics can be.

The Datsun 260Z

The Datsun 240Z sold well between 1969 and 1974 when it was replaced with the Datsun 260Z. The 260Z included a number of upgrades, not the least of which was a displacement increase from 2,393cc to 2,565cc.

This displacement change was in part due to federal emissions regulations which forced a reduction in ignition timing and compression ratio, resulting in less power.

As a result, the 260Z (in the USA) actually produced slightly less power than the 240Z. That said, the aftermarket offered a number of modifications to reclaim this lost horsepower and to add plenty more.

This was the car before the rebuild began, the process was extensive and included a full bare metal repay and significant chassis upgrades.

There were a few other changes made between the 240Z and 260Z. The interior ergonomics and styling were revised, and chassis stiffness was improved thanks to longer, stronger frame rails.

The 260Z would be replaced by the 280Z a year later in 1975 in the US market, though it would remain available until 1978 in many global markets. As a result it’s now one of the rarer Z series cars from the era.

The Datsun 260Z Shown Here

The 260Z you see here has been modified extensively, great care has been taken to ensure that the car is better able to handle the almost 300% increase in power over its factory configuration. The Nissan straight-six is long gone, now replaced with a fire breathing Chevrolet LS6 Corvette V8 capable of well over 400 bhp.

This engine has been modified further, with the addition of a performance camshaft and valve train, long-tube exhaust headers, an AEM high-flow fuel pump, an ACT flywheel, and a Mishimoto radiator.

Under the hood you’ll find a Corvette LS6, it’s a 5.7 liter V9 capable of over 400 bhp. Originally the LS6 was fitted to the C5 Corvette, the Cadillac CTS V-Series, and the SSC Ultimate Aero TT in highly modified form.

Power is sent back through a Tremec T56 6-speed manual transmission into a limited-slip differential from a Nissan Q45 with 3.54:1 gearing.

Of course, this major power increase necessitated a number of other changes. The chassis was further strengthened with a set of Bad Dog Parts frame rails, an Apex Engineered tubular front subframe was installed along with Apex Engineered control arms, and the car now has ST Suspension sway bars, and BC Racing coilover suspension on all four corners.

The original brakes were never going to cope, so they’ve been replaced with Wilwood calipers on uprated rotors front and back, with a Wilwood brake master cylinder.

The car has been finished with a zTrix 280YZ widebody kit, and it’s now being offered for sale out of Watchung, New Jersey.

If you’d like to read more about the car or place a bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer

The post For Sale: A Datsun 260Z Powered By A 400+ HP Corvette LS6 V8 appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/datsun-260z-ls6-v8/
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A Rare Tommykaira ZZ: The Japanese Sports Car Made Famous By Gran Turismo

This is the Tommykaira ZZ, it’s an unusual sports car that became a legend in 1999 due to its inclusion in the wildly popular racing game Gran Turismo 2 for the Sony PlayStation.

When the real life production version of the Tommykaira ZZ was released in 1995 it appeared in a number of automotive magazines, but it wouldn’t become famous outside of its native Japan until it developed a reputation as the giant killer of Gran Turismo 2.

Fast Facts – Tommykaira ZZ

The Tommykaira ZZ was developed by Japanese specialist tuning company Tommykaira in the early 1990s, it was built in Britain, and released in 1995.
Tommykaira was founded by Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira in Kyoto, Japan in 1986, and the company takes its name from their surnames.
Early on, Tommykaira made a name for themselves building highly tuned cars from Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, and Nissan. The Tommykaira ZZ was the company’s first 100% in-house developed car.
Over 200 examples of the Tommykaira ZZ would be built, the rights would then be bought by Breckland Technology Ltd in the UK who released their own versions of the car.

Tommykaira – Japan’s Biggest Little Tuning Company

Tommykaira was founded in 1986 in Minami-ku, Kyoto, Japan by Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira – the company took its name by combining the surnames of its two founders, Tomita + Kaira.

Above Video: This clip from the British TV series Top Gear from 1996 includes a section on the Tommykaira ZZ, as well as some footage of Tommykaira co-founder Kikuo Kaira explaining his reasoning behind creating the car.

The first car tuned by Tommykaira was a Mercedes-Benz 190E which they renamed the “Tommykaira M19.” Much like European automotive tuning and modification companies like Ruf, Alpina, and Gemballa, Tommykaira renames and rebrands the cars that they modify, selling them under their own name.

Focus would soon shift from European to Japanese cars, the company built new higher performance versions of the Nissan Skyline R31, the Subaru Impreza, the Nissan March, Subaru Legacy, and a number of others. All were rebranded as Tommykaira vehicles and given new model names.

In 1991 Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira began drafting the plans for what would be their most ambitious project yet – a full production car that was 100% developed by Tommykaira.

The Tommykaira ZZ

The development of the Tommykaira ZZ took place in the early 1990s in relative secrecy, production would take place not in Japan, but in Norfolk, England.

This is how the Tommykaira ZZ appeared in the game Gran Turismo, it’s now been featured in almost every version of the game since Gran Turismo 2.

The Tommykaira ZZ was designed from the get go to be an exceedingly lightweight sports car with a mid-engined layout, seating for two, and scalpel-sharp handling.

The chassis is an aluminum monocoque with tubular steel subframes, it has double wishbones at all four corners along with disc brakes, and it’s powered by the Nissan SR20DE engine with tuning by Tommykaira.

The SR20DE is an inline-four cylinder engine with double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. It had been released in 1989 and it was used in over 15 production vehicles from Nissan including the 180SX, 200SX SE-R, Bluebird, Liberty, NX2000, Pulsar, and Silvia.

With further development work by Tommykaira the power level of the SR20DE was increased from 145 bhp up to 178 bhp. Though this may not seem like a face-melting power figure it’s important to remember that the ZZ has a curb weight of just 650 kgs (1,433 lbs). A later ZZ-S version of the car was offered with 197 bhp.

This car is the only Tommykaira ZZ SE-R that was ever made. It’s powered by a 270 bhp version of the SR20DE engine, and it has significantly upgraded aerodynamics, brakes, suspension, and roll over protection.

Initially a roofless version was offered, the option for a bolt-on roof was offered on later models. Production is said to have ceased in 1999-2000. More than one potential reason is given for this, it may have been the skyrocketing yen or changing Japanese impact safety laws, but the end result was that the car left production.

British company Breckland Technology Ltd bought the tooling and rights to the car, then founded the Leading Edge Sportscar Company to put it into production. They offered both the 190RT and 240RT versions and it’s noted that 257 examples were built in total.

The Tommykaira ZZ SE-R

All but six of the Tommykaira ZZs were imported into Japan for local use, one was used for crash testing, another was sent to the United States, one was raced in the 750 Clubs Roadsports, another was used as a development car by Breckland Technology, one is in original condition in private ownership, the final car was the ZZ SE-R (Special Equipment – Race).

The ZZ SE-R is the quickest of all the ZZs that were made, it’s powered by a highly tuned 270 bhp SR20DE with a billet crankshaft, Jenvy throttle bodies, and an Emerald MD3K ECU.

One look at the interior is all you need to tell you this is a full race car, the already minimalist ZZ interior is stripped back even further and there’s a full race-spec roll cage for safety.

This engine was built by Graham Dale Jones of IES Racing Engines, the same man who built the engines for the Nissan Primeras that won both British and European Touring Car Championships during the mid-to-late 1990s.

With 270 bhp and a curb weight akin to an empty beer can, the performance capabilities of the ZZ SE-R are more than enough to embarrass supercars at your local track day. And the only people who’ll know what the car actually is will be console gamers from 1999.

The ZZ SE-R is now being offered for sale out of the UK, the asking price is £45,000 which works out to approximately $53,300 USD.

If you’d like to read more about it including a full spec sheet, or if you’d like to enquire about buying it you can visit the listing here on Car & Classic.

Images courtesy of Car & Classic

The post A Rare Tommykaira ZZ: The Japanese Sports Car Made Famous By Gran Turismo appeared first on Silodrome.

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For Sale: A Lancia Stratos HF “Road Racer”

This Lancia Stratos HF is one of very few that was raced on track in the United States in period, with entries in the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, as well as at Talladega, Road America, and Road Atlanta.

The Stratos was one of the most famous racing cars of its time, it won the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976, as well as the 1974 Targa Florio and the 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1979 Monte Carlo Rally.

Fast Facts – A Lancia Stratos HF “Road Racer”

The Lancia Stratos was designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, it was unveiled in 1971 at the Turin Motor Show. It would go on to become one of the most famous examples of “wedge” styling in automotive history.
The production Stratos was based on the design of the Stratos Zero concept car that was first shown to the world at the 1970 Turin Motor Show. It would later feature in the 1988 Michael Jackson film “Moonwalker.”
The Stratos is said to have been the first car ever developed from a blank slate for World Rally Championship competition. It’s an uncompromising design with a wide windscreen and low nose giving excellent forward visibility, a mid-mounted Ferrari Dino V6, and razor-sharp handling.
The car you see here was bought by Oklahoma privateer Anatoly Arutunoff, he prepared it for track-based racing (rather than rally) and competed in some of the most important events in North America in the 1970s and into the 1980s.

Buying The Stratos

When Oklahoma entrepreneur and dealership owner Anatoly Arutunoff first saw the Lancia Stratos HF he began devising a plan to buy one and take it racing. Whereas the Stratos would become most famous for its rallying exploits, Arutunoff wanted to take on the Porsches in the under 2.5 liter class on the asphalt circuits of North America.

The Stratos is remembered today as one of the most memorable “wedge” designs of the 1970s, it was penned by the great Marcello Gandini at Bertone.

“I thought it was a neat-looking car,” Arutunoff recalled in a recent conversation. “It looked like it had a possibility of beating the Porsches in the under-2.5 liter class.”

Lancia was less than enthusiastic about this idea, and despite what Arutunoff describes as “factory un-support” for his plan, he went ahead with it and bought this Stratos from the factory showroom in Italy in late 1976.

Remarkably he drove the car from Turin in Northern Italy to the port of Cherbourg in Western France where he crossed the English Channel by car ferry. Once in England he loaded the car onto the Queen Elizabeth 2 for shipment to the United States.

The car arrived some time later in Boston, Arutunoff then drove the car through the bitter winter conditions of the north eastern United States heading west until he reached his home in Tulsa – a distance of 1,564 miles.

Preparing The Stratos

Once the car had covered its lengthy intercontinental jaunt from Italy to Oklahoma the modifications could begin.

The Lancia Stratos HF is powered by the 2.4 liter Ferrari Dino V6, an engine that was developed by Ferrari but manufactured by Fiat and used in both the Ferrari Dino and Fiat Dinos.

The “basket handle” spoiler atop the car had to be removed to meet IMSA aero regulations however after contacting Lancia about the potential implications of this they were told it was a purely cosmetic feature.

Wider basketweave wheels were added with similarly wide rubber, this necessitated winder fenders to keep them covered, most noticeable at the rear of the car. A lower chin spoiler was also added, and the interior was stripped of everything not essential for racing.

Once preparations were complete the car was affectionately nicknamed “The Duck” due to its bright yellow livery.

Racing The Stratos

The Stratos was raced extensively from 1977 onwards with entries into a slew of major North American races. Its first race was the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1977, making it the first and only Stratos to ever contest the event.

Later entries would include appearances at Sebring, Watkins Glen, and returns to Daytona, plus races at Road America, Road Atlanta, and the legendary Talladega. Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan served as co-driver in this car at Daytona and Sebring in 1979.

The interior of the car has been largely stripped out for weight saving, a driver’s seat remains of course along with the dashboard, and the car has a roll cage for safety.

The Lancia’s final race in period was at the Budweiser Grand Prix of Miami in February 1984.

Buying The Stratos

Since its competition life came to an end the car has been kept in largely original, “as raced” condition. It was acquired by its current owner in 1986 and they note that it would require recommissioning before any racing is attempted.

The car would be a very welcome entrant at a wide range of vintage races worldwide thanks to its extensive use in major races in period.

It’s accompanied by a research file and a selection of parts, including a set of OEM wheels, wiring harness, exhaust components, and fuel tanks removed during the Lancia’s racecar conversion, as well as body panels and panel molds.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can visit the listing here on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to roll across the auction block with them in August in Monterey, California.