Datsun 240z
Where to begin on this one. I guess, with saying the obvious “what a car”!
Matt the owner, may just have completed the perfect build to pay homage to one of the great cars, which paved the way for the Nissan Z.
When Matt asked me to shoot his 240z, I immediately knew the perfect location, the historic streets of the Lace Market in Nottingham City Centre. With its mix of old buildings towering over narrow streets, colourful graffiti and at 7am, was relatively quiet, I arrived early to walk around and take in the surroundings.
And then, the quiet of morning was gone. I was hit with the sound of the 240z’s L24 2.4 straight 6 which literally gave me shivers. It isn’t an overly loud car, its just makes a beautiful noise out of its Z Story exhaust. I managed to take the above shot of Matt turning the corner and it was the first time my camera, and I, saw this thing in person. Having followed his build on his instagram (check out Matt’s account here), and being sent pictures along the way, experiencing this car in the flesh was amazing.
I helped Matt navigate a ramp up to the graffiti location I found without any hiccups (his front lip being 1” cm away from disaster) and got to it.
One thing I noticed- as nice as the Lime Green paint is, its one hard colour to photograph even with using Lee Filter polarisers. Changing from green to yellow and back again as a result of the harsh and changing light conditions, it was a tough one- but I still love the look and grading achieved from this shoot. A retro, fun feel for a car which is a real head turner.
After the shoot we hopped in our cars and had a Mcdonald’s breakfast joined by Mark from Barnfield Customs. We chatted cars, bikes and plans for the future. I then jumped in my Land Rover and drove up to Chesterfield for a shoot for JWS Motorworks. It was a busy and long day of shooting, but ended up with a BBQ at Ice 4x4 as I was dropping off my Landy for a new gear box and some other bits; shock, the trains were all cancelled so I stayed the night after many a beer. I woke up with what may only be described as a hangover, but started editing these shots of the Datsun right away when I got home, it was all I could think of that morning on the train.
Here’s the spec list of the car with links to the companies involved in the build:
Car: Datsun 240z
Year: 1972
Engine: L24 2.4 strait six with Weber DCOE 40 Carbs, gas flowed head and Schneider Stage 3 camshaft.
Exhaust: Z Story headers and exhaust.
Suspension: Techno Toy Tuning Adjustable Coilovers, front and rear lower control arms, outer tie rods and tension control rods.
Wheels: RS Watanabe Eight Spoke R Type 15” x 10.5” ET -32.
Misc: Mishimoto Rad, NGK Spark Plug leads, Cusco front and rear strut braces, Skillard Centre Console and sill protectors.
