Michael SatterfieldWe stopped in to visit the Datsun 240Z Rally Cars at the Nissan Heritage Center in Japan; for more from our visit to Japan, CLICK HERE.
In the early 70s, Nissan wanted to make a splash in the international sports car world with its new Datsun 240Z; while famous road racing teams like BRE were becoming a force in SCCA racing, much of the world saw Rally as the ultimate test of a car’s endurance, so from 1970-1973 Nissan backed factory rally teams in some of the most grueling and prestigious races in the world.
Rally had been dominated by European cars like the Volkswagen Beetle, Peugeot 404, Mini Cooper, and Ford Escort for over 20 years. However, Nissan and their Datsun 240Z Rally Cars would be the first Japanese manufacturer to challenge the old guard and win.
Nissan’s first overall win was at the Safari Rally in 1970, with the Datsun 1600 SSS Rally car driven by Edgar Herrmann and Hans Schüller. They repeated their success in 1971 in a Datsun 240Z rally car. Nissan would be the first manufacturer to win back-to-back victories in Overall Victory, Class Victory, Team Victory, and Manufacturers’ Championship at the Safari Rally. In 1972, Mitsubishi won with their new Lancer 1600 GSR, but Shekhar Mehta and Lofty Drews brought home the win again for Nissan in 1973 in a Datsun 240Z rally car.
While East Africa is hot, dusty, and wild, Monte Carlo is a completely different kind of rally; teams start from nine different European cities for the first stage, headed to Monte Carlo. From there, the stages take the teams from the coast of the Mediterranean into the hills of the French countryside. The final stage is a 12-hour overnight race through the icy roads of the Alps. The ice and darkness make it one of the most difficult stages in the world of rally racing.
The first year Nissan finished 2nd in class and fifth overall, in 1972 Nissan saw a podium with a third overall finish, and in 1973 the team finished ninth overall. It wouldn’t be until 1990 that a Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 would bring an overall win at the Monte Carlo Rally home to a Japanese manufacturer.
The Southern Cross Rally ran from 1966 to 1980 and was held in New South Wales. Australia was an important export market for Nissan, and the factory had been supporting motorsports since the mid-50s, so it was no surprise that the Datsun 240Z rally campaigned Down Under. The rally started in Hyde Park, Sydney, and followed the coastline towards Port Macquarie. The bulk of the stages were at night, with just two daylight stages; the total distance of the race in 1972 was just under 2,000 miles. Dan White has an amazing album of period photos, including lots of great shots of the Datsun 240Z. You have to check out HERE.
While the Nissan 240Z never won the Southern Cross overall, in 1971, Datsuns took fifth and sixth overall, and in 1972, the team took first in class and second overall. 1973, the best a Datsun 240Z rally could muster was an eighth place overall. Nissan later dominated the Southern Cross from 1977-198,0, winning overall victories with the Datsun 710 and Stanza rally cars.
Today, many of the original rally cars are kept in the Nissan Heritage Collection at the Zama Operation Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The collection can be visited most days between 10 AM and 12 PM and 2 PM and 4 PM, and there are only 40 visitors at a time. You must make an appointment to tour the collection.
Enjoy more photos from our visit to the Nissan Heritage Collection to see the Datsun 240Z Rally Cars below:
Historic Photos Courtesy of Nissan Heritage Archives
