Datsun 160Z
Anybody who grew up in the late 1970’s and the 1980’s will remember this incredibly unique Datsun 160Z Sports Coupe that was designed, built and assembled exclusively here in South Africa at the Datsun (now Nissan) manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria. It was directly related to the popular Datsun 140Z (we’ll write about that next month), and to this day is very much in demand at motoring shows and by Datsun/Nissan enthusiasts looking to own one of these iconic vehicles.
Some VERY Impressive Datsun Specs!
First announced by Datsun South Africa in early July 1978 and an extension of the Datsun 140Z range, the 160Z Sports Coupe was designed and built with a racing cars heart and handling capabilities. It had an upgraded engine that put out 71 kW of power and 140 Nm of torque, as well as a high performance camshaft with twin Hitachi sidedraught carburettors that were based on the impressive British SU type carburettor of the time. Additionally, the 160Z Sports Coupe came standard with MacPherson strut front suspension with increased calliper and disc size brakes. Even the rear springs and shock absorbers were enhanced, which eliminated the issue of axle-tramp* that was found in many sports vehicles of the time. The canary yellow colour scheme that was standard for the 160Z was based on that of the American 280Z Zap Car, and included red, orange and yellow inlaid black decals. As with the 140Z, the outside body design of the 160Z also included front and rear spoilers, however the front spoiler differed substantially in both look and composition (it was made of fibreglass) to that found in the 140Z.
Did You Know? The aluminium alloy wheels which were standard on the Datsun 160Z Sports Coupe were designed by Eddie Keizan of Tiger Wheels fame!
Limited Production Unlimited Demand
In 1977 Nissan-Datsun South Africa produced 120 160Z Sports Coupe’s, all of which retailed at R5,595.00. This at the time made it a luxury vehicle and was the top of the Datsun range throughout its entire production run. A final batch of 121 160Z’s was manufactured in 1979, which were ultimately selling for R6,530.00 by the time the last models were leaving the Datsun Showroom Floors during the early 1980’s.
*Axle-tramp is a form of wheel hop that occurs in a car when a sudden torque load on the suspension causes the driven wheels to violently shake.
Image source: Wikipedia
Tags: Datsun
