RE: Jay Leno designs new 240Z

RE: Jay Leno designs new 240Z

Tuesday 2nd October 2012

Jay Leno designs new 240Z

OK, he doesn't really, but we get a hint of what Nissan might have in store



You don't need an especially sensitive setting on your PRometer to get the needle trembling at a contrived visit by Jay Leno to Nissan's design studio to talk about how a 21st century reinvention of the 240Z might look. With Nissan - sorry, Neeeee-sahn - looking forward to its forthcoming 80th anniversary a 'new' 240Z would be a nice birthday present. Getting Leno to speculate about how it might look with some over-familiar and occasionally cringeworthy banter with Nissan's design team isn't a bad way to start the ball rolling, and so it goes here.

'Design me a new 240Z in 10 minutes...'
'Design me a new 240Z in 10 minutes...'
To be fair, Leno's long perfected double-denimed, gen-u-ine car guy schtick just about carries it all off and the opportunity to share his drive in a mint, historic fleet 240Z is pretty nifty.

Though suitably appreciative of the opportunity it's not hard to fault his view that the earlier, unadorned white car is more attractive and, once he gets over the 'gee shucks' showbiz thing he gets a bit more hard-headed about what makes the Zee tick as a design. No sign of the Black Gold version of the later 280 we enjoyed as a Time For Tea? a little while back on the design wall though. Shame!

Is Nissan really working on a new-age Zee though? And if it is would it be something more potent or simply a replacement for the current 370? With the GT-R doing its supercar troubling thing and the Z's heritage as a more everyday, affordable sports car you'd have to hope for the latter but it looks like we'll find out in 2014...


Watch Leno's visit here:

 







   
Author
Discussion

Prancing Hippo

Original Poster:

229 posts

147 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
I heard one of the originals in an underground car park a few months ago. Sounded as great as it looked!

rustymx5

230 posts

160 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
I like Leno, he always comes across as a nice, down to earth car guy. His website is full of brilliant car videos too, well worth a look.

MoBeanz

135 posts

169 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
I'm guessing it would look like the 370Z.

Carnnoisseur

531 posts

153 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Leno is the ultimate PHer - just with the funds to back up literally any desired purchase also. Great position to be in, although I'd imaging that being that spoilt for choice could sometimes prove frustrating........

DanDR

3 posts

141 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Carnnoisseur said:
Leno is the ultimate PHer - just with the funds to back up literally any desired purchase also. Great position to be in, although I'd imaging that being that spoilt for choice could sometimes prove frustrating........
I think if thats your main worry about buying cars you've done alright. I wouldn't say no to having that problem.

swisschris

28 posts

215 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Although I like the look and sound of the 370Z (and the 350 before it), I could never hope to run one here in Europe where petrol and insurance costs on cars with such big capacity engines are just too high, I would be very tempted by a "240Z" with a smaller turbo engine. Like a toyota GT86 but with 240Z looks and the 1.6 turbo 4 from the Juke. A reborn 200SX if you will, but with better styling.

NigelCayless

200 posts

154 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
swisschris said:
Although I like the look and sound of the 370Z (and the 350 before it), I could never hope to run one here in Europe where petrol and insurance costs on cars with such big capacity engines are just too high, I would be very tempted by a "240Z" with a smaller turbo engine. Like a toyota GT86 but with 240Z looks and the 1.6 turbo 4 from the Juke. A reborn 200SX if you will, but with better styling.
Insurance isn't as bad as you might think on a 370z. I pay about £500 fully comp

MrGeoff

645 posts

171 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
NigelCayless said:
Insurance isn't as bad as you might think on a 370z. I pay about £500 fully comp
And I pay a tad more, being 26, it's not bad. Tax is the killer though in all honesty.

Gizmoish

18,150 posts

208 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
If anything the next one needs to downsize from the 370Z. They went up a grade trying to compete with the Cayman and - in sales terms at least - it hasn't worked. So they need to go back down a touch in price, but especially weight, and build something to compete with the GT86.

T1berious

2,236 posts

154 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Alas, this is such a sign of the times but I have to agree, 370 is a big bruiser and just about everyone else is going forced induction, lighter and focusing more on handling rather than cc's.

Petrol prices (in the EU anyway) will probably hit sales so hard it won't be feasible to continue with it.

Arun_D

2,302 posts

194 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Always loved the look of the 240Z. I also have a bit of thing for the Toyota 2000GT, the one on the Toyota stand at the Festvial Of Speed this year was beautiful cloud9

Twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
I suspect that whatever they come up with will be aimed squarely at the GT86 and BRZ. The 370Z hasn't sold anything like as well as the 350 and the trend is for lighter, more efficient ways of going just as fast.

It needs a fuel-efficient engine, maybe a 2-litre, with an optional turbocharger (as I suspect the GT86 may sprout at some point). Still RWD, and with a price tag no higher than £25k in its most basic form.

GhostDriver

878 posts

191 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
The 240z was the first sports car I ever had a ride in. My cousin had one when I was about 5. I have a very vivid memory of the whole experience, and they still look amazing after all these years.

Pity the twonk sold it a 5 years later for a TR7!

dingocooke

670 posts

219 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Now then now then PH (and Jay Leno); its a DATSUN 240Z; there was no 'Nissan' back then when the 240Z was new.
We all lusted after a Datsun 240Z; 'Japanese E type' as the press coined it; and quite right too; lusty straight 6 that rotted as fast if not faster than the Jag!!!
Great looking car, very 'interesting' handling and brakes!!

y2blade

56,029 posts

214 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
rustymx5 said:
I like Leno, he always comes across as a nice, down to earth car guy. His website is full of brilliant car videos too, well worth a look.
I agree, I have a lot of time for him.
He's a true Enthusiast. into bikes, cars, stationary engines, planes..anything with an engine/motor, even Electric stuff.




Edited by y2blade on Tuesday 2nd October 15:27

Twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
dingocooke said:
Now then now then PH (and Jay Leno); its a DATSUN 240Z; there was no 'Nissan' back then when the 240Z was new.
We all lusted after a Datsun 240Z; 'Japanese E type' as the press coined it; and quite right too; lusty straight 6 that rotted as fast if not faster than the Jag!!!
Great looking car, very 'interesting' handling and brakes!!
Ahem - Nissan was Datsun's parent company. Started off as a Thirties car company called DAT, which produced a car called the Datsun. The company was later bought up by Nissan, which existed as a big industrial concern, and they operated Datsun as an export marque. They also bought up another Japanese domestic firm - Prince - in 1966, which gave them the Prince Skyline, rebadged as a Nissan.

NigelCayless

200 posts

154 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
MrGeoff said:
And I pay a tad more, being 26, it's not bad. Tax is the killer though in all honesty.
True

aka_kerrly

12,415 posts

209 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Surely I am not the only person who thinks that Nissan want a BRZ/GT-86 competitor so a "new" 240Z with styling inspired by the original whilst utilising modern engines/running gear is just what is needed.

splodge s4

1,519 posts

236 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
y2blade said:
I agree, I have a lot of time for him.
He's a true Enthusiast. into bikes, cars, stationary engines, planes..anything with an engine/motor, even Electric stuff.
Edited by y2blade on Tuesday 2nd October 15:27
At Goodwood FOS a few years ago, me & wifey stood near the house just looking around wondering what to look at next, a few feet away stood this gray haired slightly plump bloke, like us, just looking around wondering what to look at next. I thought he looked familar, may be I sorted a mortgage for him a few years ago, maybe I saw him at a PH meet sometime ago, I was going to say hi but then we wandered off in the other direction leaving this chap on his own...

Later I saw him being interviewed! I really regret not saying Hi, lesson learnt, if your ever at Goodwood & you think someone looks like someone famous its because they are biggrin


Chicane-UK

3,861 posts

184 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
y2blade said:
I agree, I have a lot of time for him.
He's a true Enthusiast. into bikes, cars, stationary engines, planes..anything with an engine/motor, even Electric stuff.

Edited by y2blade on Tuesday 2nd October 15:27
Another +1 for this. Would love to see a PistonHeads feature with him - somehow get Harris out there to meet him and check out some of his most awesome cars? His website is WELL worth a read as there's some really fun stuff on there and it's great to see truely rare / unusual stuff out on the road - he subscribes to the Chris Evans philosophy of using the cars and letting other people see / appreciate them out on the road rather than locking them up and mollycoddling them!