Wednesday 24th April 2013

Datsun 280ZX: PH Ad Break

So adorably naff it must surely be a spoof. Surely. No?

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When trawling through YouTube for old tat to feature in this slot, we happen upon all sorts of old American car ads. Some, we’ve already featured here – the Chrysler Laser and Cordoba, to name those we’ve gone with so far. And pretty much all of the ones we happen upon are irredeemably cheesy.

Holy wire-frame, Batman...

None quite so much as this, though. And it isn’t even for an American car. That said, it is for a car that many will say became bloated and disfigured thanks to American wants and needs – the Datsun 280ZX.

So much did the 280ZX appeal to American sensibilities, in fact, that it won Motor Trend Magazine’s Import Car Of The Year award in 1979, a fact that Datsun was only to keen to brag about with this fantastic 30 seconds of footage.

And most of that, it has to be said, is taken up by the voiceover guy uttering the phrase ‘The Datsun 280 Zee Ex is... awesoommmme’. Have a look... you’ll see what we mean. It’s the voiceover that makes this ad, actually, but we’re also big fans of the “Look, we do technology” wire-frame diagram at the end and the hilariously perky jingle that closes the ad. That said, it’s not quite as mind-blowingly entertaining as the advert for the 280ZX Black Gold Edition we brought you a couple of years back, that features the same voiceover guy doing the talking while two impossibly 70s characters snap their heads round to the camera and almost indulge in a snog.

 

[dave stew]

Excellent! But I prefer the previous ad with 'tach po rn actor man just about to give 70's perfume ad girl the 'good news'!

[Mogsmex]

awesome

[RINGMEISTER]

"Computerised safety check" Impressive!

[AlfaKev]

The wire frame is of a 120Y Sunny - surely one of the least technologically advanced cars ever!!

Great ad, keep them coming!

[aarondbs]

Excellent, I have to say though that the car itself, minus the voiceover and brilliant ad ending, looks pretty cool in a Huggie Bear way. The white lettered tyres are a thing of beauty.

Just need gold medallion, hairy chest and the look is complete...

[2blackhats]

When's it coming out? I sooo want one!

[urquattro]

aarondbs said:

Excellent, I have to say though that the car itself, minus the voiceover and brilliant ad ending, looks pretty cool in a Huggie Bear way. The white lettered tyres are a thing of beauty.

Just need gold medallion, hairy chest and the look is complete...

Still got the gold medallion, hairy chest long gone through a mixture of old age and chemo, have to make do with an e type as I dont have a decent datsun, the 240Z samuri from long ago.

[infradig]

Awesome and classy, it was terrible miss-casting that Ron Burgandy didn't drive a 280ZX. If ever a car and character were made for each other it's those two.

[mikEsprit]

It is imperative that anyone who watches this ad commits to wasting another 30 seconds of life and watches the earlier black gold ad linked in the article.

It, too, is awesome. Awesomer, in fact.

[cptsideways]

I'm loving the brown interior, a very special shade of BL baby pooh


Mind you my similar aged Soarer is also brown interior but its so dark its almost black (think Guiness Pooh colour)

[Wunderchoc]

Awesoooooommmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeee

(catchphrase of the week for me)

[EdM]

straight out of Petrocelli and btw - does anyone know if Petrocelli ever actually finished building his house..?

[theholygrail]

Have never seen a gear lever held like that before! Bizarre. Hilarious ad though and I'm embarrassed to admit that although I realise the 240/260Zs were better cars I still rather like these things almost as much as I did when they came out!

[CRA2Y]

Had a ZX back in '85, always thought it was a great, fun car. The more popular alternative at the time (same price at two years old) was a Ford Escort with a rubber wing stuck on the back and some lettering saying XR3i - I never understood how anyone was fooled by this into believing it was anything other than an Escort with some flashy bits and 10 extra BHP.

In '85 a two year old 280ZX was around £4500, and an XR2 around £7000 - the ZX had a far better driving position and felt (from a seated position) like something special, with a flashy interior (ok, some bits were clearly seriously naff, like 'printed' stitching).

[rumple]

Are these 280z's as bad as people make out, bloated heavy bags of st, or are they an undiscovered gem?

[EdM]

I'm most probably on my own with the Petrocelli thing....ZX's good cars ..with the first (240z if I am correct)being the best and the 70's cheese...well we all liked(and still like) a bit of 70's cheese, the then marketing(remember the martini ads) and a whole string of quality dirty Harry movies et al...maybe still on my own here but enjoying the car irrespective.....due homage paid to the car and era..

[Twincam16]

Might as well have said "There is NO steering feel!"

[wayn3h]

Almost as good as the Isuzu Gemini advert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-VEMVAB1hc

[LordFlathead]

wayn3h said:

Almost as good as the Isuzu Gemini advert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-VEMVAB1hc

Thats pops up on here from time to time. Quite clever. There is also a clip showing the making of that which is better.

Datsun Monkey said:

Aweeeeesooooommmme

So that's where this originated from. Along with Zed prounouced Zee. All my most hated Americanisms in on ad!

[s m]

EdM said:

straight out of Petrocelli and btw - does anyone know if Petrocelli ever actually finished building his house..?

If he hadn't spent all his spare time fooling around with naked girls on motorbikes, racing E-types and driving that Challenger across the mid-West he might have got on better .......

A friend had one of the 280ZXs back in the late 80s....he was always doing "stuff" to it in his parent's garage. It was a bit of a basket case but nice when it was going