Does the Honda Fit imply the other vehicles are unfit?
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Ah! The old 24 ounce Datsun. The best for morning coffee.
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That said, my dad nearly died in a a crash in a late-70s Datsun.
If you are going to the expense and effort to “resto-mod” your old Z, instead of putting an older newer motor in it, why not go the SBC route. Lots of kits for that. Or even better, an LS motor. Someone at my work has a SBC Z. You don’t realize how small these are until it’s parked next to a modern car.
If you want to keep the inline vibe going, drop in an inline BMW 3 liter turbo. It’s good enough for the Toyota Supra…
And I’m not complaining about enhanced federal regulations for crash safety — my chief complaint was purely about aesthetics. Automakers eventually figured these problems out, at least.
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I’m not a big fan of that. I had a Jetta for years, it was a fine small sedan. Then when I went to shop for a new car I found they’d embiggened it, and it was really an intermediate-size model now. I got used to a small car, and I don’t need to tote a lot of people/goods (although the Jetta had a nice sizeable trunk), so I wasn’t good with that.
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What’s funny is that they then eventually introduce an again-small car. Like the Corolla/Tercel and the Civic eventually got to medium-car size, so they come out with the Yaris and Fit. They could have just left them the same size and saved themselves the trouble. People are strange.
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Always loved this ad.
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I had an early-80s BMW 318i (E30) and it was just so perfect in terms of size and weight and simplicity. Lots of clear views out the windows, too. Today’s 3-series seems as large as the 5-series was back when I had my 318.
A good friend of mine had a 240Z, and it was a blast to drive.
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The older BMW M30 naturally aspirated in-line six would be a great swap. Those engines are super easy to work on, bulletproof, parts are everywhere, and they are very modest sensors-wise. Newer engines are very difficult to swap because of the miles of wiring, myriad sensors, and fussy computers to deal with. We ran an endurance race car for ten years with this engine, and I really gained immense respect for it.
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I’ve always wanted a 240z. Not as much as I want a Toyota 2000GT, but at least a Z is achievable. I wouldn’t put a BMW 6 or a Chevy lump in a restomod though. Too much power, wrong origins. Maybe Toyota’s 2 litre six from a Lexus with a little boost.
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Meh. Once you’re swapping anyway, I say the weirder the better. Purists need not apply at that point. 
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True, true. I’m inordinately fond of that overbuilt little six tho, despite some of its shortcomings.
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IIRC, back around the millennium Nissan bought up a load (300? 500 maybe?) 0f 240Zs and restored them back to factory condition before releasing them back on the US market.
It was some kind of publicity stunt to stir up interest in the forthcoming 350Z.
Does anyone else remember that?
Or is it another one of false memories?
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It’s not a false memory!
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It’ll be very interesting to see how that GM electric crate motor pans out. A small, light car like this or a first-gen RX-7 with a 200 HP electric motor would be insane.
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The 240z was one of the prettiest cars ever built. The subsequent versions of this generation had bling-y chrome accents that ruined its lines.
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The sheet metal on these 70’s Zeds was thin and failing after only 10 years. Uprated power would require a new beefier subframe. A V8 would have been cool, but electric is the future.
I don’t miss my 240 at all. I don’t even look wistfully at other Zeds. My 81 GTi (in 85) was way more fun and got fewer tickets. Subsequently I learned about smiles per hour and it’s so much less stressful.
That is a handsome car. A real Fair Lady.
Nowadays my fave old Datsun is a 510. They have disappeared from the roads and command huge prices though.
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Regarding the embiggening over time of one’s favorite car, it might be a manufacturer’s way of leveraging brand loyalty. That is, if your first car was a Civic, when it’s time to buy a new car some years later, you might be inclined to look first at the latest Civic, but also desiring more room and creature comforts. If the newest Civic is larger and more luxurious—SOLD. Then, as others have mentioned, the maker adds a new, smaller car to the line up, creating a brand loyalty conveyor belt.
