Hemmings Find of the Day – 1980 Datsun 280ZX 10th Anniversary Edition

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Datsun 240Z’s debut in America, the Japanese automaker released a limited-edition 280ZX variant for the 1980 model year. Just 3,000 examples were produced, including 2,500 in gold and black and 500 in red and black. All came with a tinted glass t-top roof, and each came fully loaded with options like gold or black alloy wheels, headlamp washers, leather seating, surround sound audio and automatic climate control. Anniversary Edition models also received special badging, as well as a commemorative dash plaque with the order number of the car’s build. This 60,000 mile “garage find” 10th Anniversary Edition 280ZX, for sale on Hemmings.com, is said to wear its original paint and is described as damage and rust free. It’s a five-speed version, too, so its next owner will need to walk a fine line between enjoying the car and preserving its pristine condition. From the seller’s description:

… an absolutely exceptional barn-fresh (garage really!) find of this original southern California owner’s rare and numbered 10th Anniversary Edition 1980 280ZX 2.8L Fuel Injected 6 cylinder OHC Coupe (#510 of only 3,000 built) with its original and unique ‘Black & Gold’ color paint with unique ’10th Anniversary’ graphics and emblems and black out moldings and glass surrounds, Limited Edition Plaque, original 65K miles, 5 speed manual overdrive transmission, T-Bar Roof with sunshade windshield, air conditioning with auto temperature feature, leather 6-way power seat with lumbar adjust, AM/FM stereo/cassette with power antenna, alloy wheels with color inserts, power assisted 4 wheel disc brakes, power steering, power windows, cruise control and in the highly desirable rare 2 seat coupe body-style!

This is a beautiful stock example with it’s original engine and with all of it’s original factory specifications and options intact including original ‘Black & Gold’ color paint and tan leather interior! Always primarily serviced at either Nissan dealerships or ‘Z’ specialists since new, the car has a razor straight body with very nice paint and no history of any accidents. The car has obviously always been garaged and the floor boards and trunk area are all completely original and solid and there has been no history of any rust anywhere. The car has it’s original factory tan leather interior which is also in remarkably good and original condition throughout. The engine is extremely strong and the transmission shifts smoothly through all the gears, a simply lovely car to drive.

Price

$22,500

Location

Santa Monica, California

Availability

Available

Find more Datsuns for sale on Hemmings.com.

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Chryslers at Carlisle calls for a cadre of C-bodies to celebrate

1970 Chrysler 300. Image courtesy OldCarBrochures.com.

Ahoy, matey! Lash the lanyard! Swab the decks! Port to quarters! Hard astern, more sailing gibberish, and full ahead! Captains of the Chrysler C-boats – make that C-bodies – have received summonses to navigate their land yachts to next year’s Chryslers at Carlisle, which has scheduled a celebration of the full-size Mopars.

Perhaps the only platform to be shared across four Chrysler divisions, the C-body designation officially debuted in 1965, though the basic architecture – a unit-body with a front subframe carrying torsion bars – dated back to the 1957 Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth lineups. It also proved rather adaptable, stretching in wheelbase from 119 inches to 127 inches and underpinning everything from Plymouths to Imperials. Plymouth and Dodge reserved the platform for its more exclusive cars – Fury, VIP, and Monaco among them – while Chrysler’s lineup consisted almost entirely of C-bodies during this time and Imperial only adopted it after retiring the D-body in 1967.

“They had a smooth ride but, thanks to their torsion bar suspensions, handled better than most, if not all, other large cars,” Eugene Calderaro wrote for Allpar. That’s despite the big-block V-8s that resided under the hood of many a Chrysler C-body – a lotta 383s, but also a smattering of 413s and 440s.

Major redesigns came in 1969 with the so-called fuselage styling and again in 1974 with the brougham era. While the former – with their loop bumpers, hideaway headlamps, and various sleek rooflines – sold well at a time when buyers were just beginning to look for comfort and luxury, the latter generation with its more anonymous styling and dated chassis couldn’t compete very well at a time of increasing gas prices and decreasing demand for large cars. The C-body thus made it through the 1977 model year before the M- and R-bodies took over the C-body’s more famous nameplates.

These days, enthusiasm for the C-bodies lives on through forums such as For C-Bodies Only and C-Body Dry Dock as well as through events like Chryslers at Carlisle corralling of C-bodies for next year’s event. The 2016 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals will take place July 15-17. For more information, visit CarlisleEvents.com.

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New Massachusetts track plans busy second season

Photo courtesy Palmer Motorsport Park.

Traditionally, the town of Palmer in central Massachusetts has been associated with large-scale powered transportation; it calls itself “One town, seven railroads.” The definition of powering through Palmer is bound to change, however. A new track-day locale, Palmer Motorsports Park, completed its initial season of action recently, and is primed for both driving schools and racing events in 2016.

At its centerpoint is the dramatic Whiskey Hill Raceway, whittled from mountain granite, which stretches to 2.3 miles per lap with 15 corners. That presents a challenge in its own right. What makes it even more enticing to a serious driver or motorcyclist is that the track boasts more than 18 stories of elevation change, every lap. So you better be on your game if you take on this place. Palmer Motorsport Park opened for business in May, and hosted a variety of track days during its initial season. There’s more coming.

It’s the first such rental track to be constructed in Massachusetts. “We’re thrilled with the reviews we’ve been getting from the car clubs that christened the track, and it seems that word is spreading quickly,” said the facility’s owner, Fred Ferguson. The track is open to public visitors, as each race or driving club determines whether its event is going to be open to the public. Private or member events are restricted to Palmer Motorsport Park club members and their guests. The track is supported by driving and enthusiast clubs ranging from New England to Pennsylvania and the Washington, D.C., area, including the Porsche Club of America, One Lap of America and the BMW Car Club of America. It’s also available for high school driver training, product testing and use by emergency services.

Expansion plans are already underway. The operators anticipate building the facility’s first paddock/garage building in the spring, and later proposals call for additional construction, including specialty housing.

Palmer Motorsport Park is located off Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike, about 70 miles due west of Boston. The track’s about seven miles from the turnpike interchange. The 2016 schedule and membership information is still being formulated. To learn all about going fast on Whiskey Hill, visit PalmerMotorsportPark.com.

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Recommended Reading: Porsche Turbo

Scans taken from Porsche Turbo.

Say the words Porsche and turbo, and most enthusiasts will conjure up images of the 911-based Porsche 930, or its racing equivalents, the Porsche 934 and 935. The history of forced-induction Porsches goes back far earlier than this, as author Randy Leffingwell details in Porsche Turbo, his latest effort for Motorbooks.

Cutaway drawing of the Porsche 917-10.

When the Commission Sportive International changed the rules of the World Championship of Makes for the 1972 season, reducing maximum displacement to 3.0-liters, Porsche found itself at a distinct disadvantage. The Stuttgart automaker had sunk a tremendous effort into developing the Porsche 917's Type 912 engine, which itself had grown in displacement over the years from 4.5-liters to 5.0-liters. Not willing to start again, Porsche instead turned its attention to the (almost) anything-goes North American Can-Am series, dominated by American V-8s.

The Porsche 935.

In early going, Porsche found itself at a distinct horsepower disadvantage, and Porsche engineer Valentin Schäffer was given the directive to address this. His first effort was a 180-degree 16-cylinder engine, based upon the Type 912 with an additional pair of cylinders grafted to each end. Though the resulting effort produced 760 horsepower, it proved to be heavy and incapable of generating higher output numbers. Adding more cylinders was clearly not the answer, so Ferdinand Piëch directed the engineer to explore turbocharging as an option.

The Porsche 930, initially sold here as the Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera.

The result is racing history. By the time the 917 racing program wound down in 1973, the twin-turbo 917/30 was producing as much as 1,400 horsepower in testing, which translated to a consistent 1,200 horsepower in racing trim. Porsche's philosophy has always been to adapt lessons learned in racing to its street cars, and in 1975 forced induction found its way into the company's flagship 911.

As with other books penned by Leffingwell, Porsche Turbo is well-researched and beautifully illustrated, with factory photos, engineering drawings and cutaways helping to tell the story of Porsche's forced-induction development. The 256-page hardcover book covers racing cars, street cars, and prototypes, from the early 1970s to the present day, and is a must-own for fans of Stuttgart's highest-strung thoroughbreds.

from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1NDww6K

Recommended Reading: Porsche Turbo

Scans taken from Porsche Turbo.

Say the words Porsche and turbo, and most enthusiasts will conjure up images of the 911-based Porsche 930, or its racing equivalents, the Porsche 934 and 935. The history of forced-induction Porsches goes back far earlier than this, as author Randy Leffingwell details in Porsche Turbo, his latest effort for Motorbooks.

Cutaway drawing of the Porsche 917-10.

When the Commission Sportive International changed the rules of the World Championship of Makes for the 1972 season, reducing maximum displacement to 3.0-liters, Porsche found itself at a distinct disadvantage. The Stuttgart automaker had sunk a tremendous effort into developing the Porsche 917’s Type 912 engine, which itself had grown in displacement over the years from 4.5-liters to 5.0-liters. Not willing to start again, Porsche instead turned its attention to the (almost) anything-goes North American Can-Am series, dominated by American V-8s.

The Porsche 935.

In early going, Porsche found itself at a distinct horsepower disadvantage, and Porsche engineer Valentin Schäffer was given the directive to address this. His first effort was a 180-degree 16-cylinder engine, based upon the Type 912 with an additional pair of cylinders grafted to each end. Though the resulting effort produced 760 horsepower, it proved to be heavy and incapable of generating higher output numbers. Adding more cylinders was clearly not the answer, so Ferdinand Piëch directed the engineer to explore turbocharging as an option.

The Porsche 930, initially sold here as the Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera.

The result is racing history. By the time the 917 racing program wound down in 1973, the twin-turbo 917/30 was producing as much as 1,400 horsepower in testing, which translated to a consistent 1,200 horsepower in racing trim. Porsche’s philosophy has always been to adapt lessons learned in racing to its street cars, and in 1975 forced induction found its way into the company’s flagship 911.

As with other books penned by Leffingwell, Porsche Turbo is well-researched and beautifully illustrated, with factory photos, engineering drawings and cutaways helping to tell the story of Porsche’s forced-induction development. The 256-page hardcover book covers racing cars, street cars, and prototypes, from the early 1970s to the present day, and is a must-own for fans of Stuttgart’s highest-strung thoroughbreds.

from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1NDww6K

Second world war memorial mausoleum nears completion at Polish massacre site

Polish architect and sculptor Mirosław Nizio has unveiled the first photographs of a mausoleum he is building to commemorate the victims of Polish village massacres during the second world war (+ slideshow). (more…)

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Second world war memorial mausoleum nears completion at Polish massacre site

Polish architect and sculptor Mirosław Nizio has unveiled the first photographs of a mausoleum he is building to commemorate the victims of Polish village massacres during the second world war (+ slideshow). (more…)

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