Car News Articles

Remember the Five Man Electrical Band?

No, neither do I, though I had their sole hit, the 1971 song Signs, on a compilation CD in the 1980s.

It was a bit freaky, hippy, happy, clappy. However, those not-quite-rhyming lyrics (”sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind”) did tend to add a supporting chorus to my suspicion that there were just too many bloody panels with instructions on them.

And now there are even more.

Recently, it was time to do some calculations.

I went to a suburban shopping district and counted 19 road signs clustered around the first intersection. These 19 signs were aimed at drivers travelling in my direction (about 15 were aimed at those coming the other way).

I walked another 30 metres or so and found a further 20 signs, plus a set of traffic lights. Then I counted out 16 more signs in the 50 metres after that.

I’m prepared to admit I may have missed one or two but I was scared of being run over by a motorist doing likewise. And I may have even doubled up (how do you judge a three-panel sign if there is some duplication among the messages?).

Still, in broad terms, there were 55 road information messages in about 100 metres. Even when travelling at 40km/h you are left with just nine seconds to read as many of them as you judge necessary.

It’s not like they were the only things to take in. In the same space were copious advertisements and signs plastered on buildings, billboards and bus shelters and even moving ads on cars, trucks and buses.

There were also lines on the road in every direction and speed humps, plus pedestrians and motorists meandering everywhere (only a few of them between phone calls).

In the book Traffic, Tom Vanderbilt relays that the average driver must process 1340 pieces of information every minute. Where I did my research, drivers could probably meet their quota in 30 seconds and have the rest of the minute off.

There is a school of thought suggesting signs persuade drivers that as long as they obey them, they can’t come to harm. In other words, when confronted with signs, drivers follow them rather than interact with the environment. The late Hans Monderman probably came as close to being famous as any Dutch traffic engineer in history. His argument and this is paraphrasing an English summation of what I assume was Dutch was that labelling everything that might be dangerous doesn’t necessarily make anything safer.

The distillation of this idea was to be found in Monderman’s “shared spaces”. Also known as naked roads, these were (and indeed are) areas used by vehicles and pedestrians but stripped of all banners, lights, kerbs, traffic-calming devices, pedestrian crossings and lane markings.

Despite the fears of some, the accident rate in shared spaces tended to be lower than in unshared ones. Drivers and pedestrians became very careful and aware.

In a shared space, people need to make eye contact to work out what others are likely to do. It is much harder to run someone down, barge into a queue or do anything else selfish once you’ve made eye contact with a fellow human being.

In this spirit, it’s said that people in convertibles with the roof down drive more carefully. They are on show and more exposed to the direct judgment of others.

And, as we all know, a driver behind tinted glass tends to behave like whatever the polite and printable word for arsehole is.

Of course, the main problem with instigating any naked roads in this country is simple: how do you fine motorists when you haven’t defined 55 types of wrong every 100 metres?

Are you a fan of shared spaces? Are some traffic signs simply unnecessary? What are your pet peeves?

Tony Davis

Fans will ultimately drive our sport so it was interesting to see what they thought in the poll that was released this week.

The big result for me was the enthusiasm about bringing another manufacturer into the sport. I think the poll just highlights how the world changes and motorsport has to be right on the front foot with these changes. We can’t be stuck in your old ways. We have to keep changing to keep it fresh. However, I’m not so sure about another manufacturer.

I think what it is telling us is that the fans are now starting to support drivers and teams, not just Holden V Ford. The days of red or blue are fading. It will never completely go, but we are starting to convert the fans to supporting people and teams which is better.

It’s the people behind the machinery that make the difference in this sport. Fans realise that V8 Supercars is not just Commodores and Falcons. They are purpose-built race cars. That’s what racing is all about; having a fast piece of machinery and watching guys trying to get that machinery around the track as quick as they can. It’s putting more emphasis on the drivers and teams.

I note that in NASCAR there are four manufacturers, but two are pretty shaky at the moment.

I don’t mind which way our sport goes, just so long as our cars stay the great race cars they are with lots of horsepower and really good brakes and suspension.

Meanwhile, I’m starting to look ahead to the enduro season in our sport and changing my training slightly.

Surprisingly we are in the car for a lot longer in a normal sprint race than in an enduro. However, with the enduros we are in the car three or four times a day, rather than just once. So you really have to convert your mind and body to switching on and off, on and off.

Most athletes do one major training session a day, but for the enduros we have to do several smaller sessions a day to get our bodies primed.

Craig and I are teaming up yet again for the endures, which is great. I’m not absolutely sure yet which car, engineer and mechanics we will use, but for the past couple of years it’s been mine. This year I think we will work with Craig’s race engineer, Jeromy Moore, and drive Craig’s car.

I think Jeromy is up to it. He’s very smart and switched on. He’s had Craig ultra-quick all year and he’s been innovative and pushing us along which is why I’ve had the success I’ve had. So I’ve got no problems jumping into Craig and Jeromy’s car. I know they will do a good job.

Can I just add that I was totally stoked by Valentino Rossi’s 100th win in the MotoGP last weekend following on from his incredible last-lap battle with Jorge Lorenzo the previous weekend.

I’m a big bike and Rossi fan and I’ll be glued to the TV screen on Monday morning when they go round at Laguna Seca in the US.

Unlike anything else previously shipped to the US…

It was the first generation of the legendary Z cars – 240Z, 260Z and 280Z – produced between 1969 and 1978. The 240Z itself was built between 1969 and 1973 and included four series.

Although already established in America as makers of economy cars and compact pick-ups, Nissan Motors Ltd of Japan – under the US guise of `Datsun’ to sound less Japanese - knew they needed an ‘image car’ to crack the US market.

In the late 1960s, designers started on a plan for a personal GT car, lifting aspects from other sports cars and putting them together in an affordable package. The E-type Jaguar and Ferrari Daytona were obvious influences.

Although he left before the 240Z project began, Albrecht Graf von Goertz, a German-born design consultant to Nissan in the early 1960’s, implemented modern design techniques during his tenure – including the use of clay models - that enabled the Japanese marque to become a successful performance car producer. He is credited as being indirectly responsible for the success of the 240Z.

The 240Z didn’t just look the part. It was built with performance in mind using four-wheel independent suspension – MacPherson struts in the front and Chapman struts in the rear - and front disc brakes.

It also had quick acceleration, superior handling and a firm sporty ride, comparable to substantially more expensive cars like the Porsche 911.

On October 22 1969, president of Nissan Motors Ltd Yutaka Katayama, introduced the 1970 Series 1 Datsun 240Z to America. Instantly popular, 45,000 units were sold over the first two years - and through to Series IV, a further 50,000 in 1972 and 40,000 in 1973 were snapped up before the release of the 260Z in 1974.

Design and manufacturing changes

From 1969 to 1973 the Datsun 240Z took on several design and manufacturing changes across its four-series run.

Series I had a chrome “240” badge on the B-pillar quarter panel and two vents below the glass molding in the rear hatch. A three speed transmission was introduced in September 1970. By 1971 the vents were gone and the chrome badges were restyled with a white “Z”.

Series II saw several minor changes to things like seat belt latches, sun visors and the tilt mechanism on the front seats. There were also small upgrades to the oil pressure guage and speedometer.

Series III in 1972 got new hubcaps, a new rear end, a redesigned centre console, a new four speed transmission and a seat belt warning buzzer and warning light. Other upgrades included automatic seat belt retractors.

Series IV received dash layout alterations, the headlight buckets changed from fibreglass to steel and intermittent windscreen wipers became standard eqipment.

Racing history

Datsun’s 240Z was very successful in SCCA racing in the 1970’s, notably when it was driven under Peter Brock’s Brock Racing Enterprises – the American, not the Aussie - in 1970 and 1971 by John Morton, John McComb and Dan Parkinson.

From 1970 to 1973 the 240Z also enjoyed success in the International Rally circuit, where it competed in the East African Safari Rally, the Monte Carlo Rally and the Southern Cross Rally, among others.

Drivetrain

Datsun’s 240Z is powered by a 2.4 litre L24 inline six cylinder SOHC engine with twin SU carburettors. It puts out 113kW at 5600rpm and 198Nm at 4400rpm. There is the option of a four or five speed manual transmission and a three speed automatic for cars produced after September 1970. The 240Z will get to a top speed of 201km/h via a 0-100km/h time of eight seconds. Typical fuel consumption is around 11 litres/100km.

Dimensions and weight

Wheelbase: 2302.8mm

Length: 4135.1mm

Width: 1628.1mm

Weight: 1068kg

In 1998 - to keep the Z car flame lit - Nissan bought up several 240Z’s, fully restored them and sold them at dealerships for $24,000.

These days

Today the 240Z is fondly remembered as a hugely successful 1970s sports car and one still sort after by enthusiasts looking for an affordable restoration project or - if they can find one in good order - a great looking cheap sports car.

The most common modification for the 240Z is the replacement of the normally aspirated engine with the turbo from the 280ZX due to the relative ease of the swap – it requires no changes to the transmission or mountings.

V8 conversions are also popular due to the unusually large engine bay. And — not surprisingly — many clubs and forums exist for the iconic Datsun 240Z.

Ducati presented at the Laguna Seca circuit a new version of their middleweight supersport model. The 848 Nicky Hayden Edition was unveiled by the Ducati Star itself and it will be produced in a limited number of 100 units and sold only in the USA.

What sets this bike apart from the standard model is the special Hayden paintjob and the pilot’s autograph on the gas tank, but also the $14,495 price tag (only $500 more than what you would pay for the regular version).

Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Porsche

Spy Shots: Next-gen Porsche 911 sporting double-bubble roof

by Damon Lavrinc on Jul 3rd 2009 at 7:44PM

2011 Porsche 911 - Click above for a high-res image gallery of spy shots

With every iteration of the 911, Porsche makes incremental improvements to its iconic sports car and naturally, the next generation will be no exception.

This latest 911 prototype was caught at the Nurburgring sporting 997 sheetmetal, but it’s what’s on top and out back that deserves note. A double-bubble roof panel has been fitted, while underneath the rear camouflage is a sizeable wing and additional ducting. Look closely and you’ll see a small sill at the base of the rear windscreen that’s assumed to be feeding the rear-mounted flat-six – likely necessary keep the boxer cool while Porsche engineers figure out how the new contoured roof affects aerodynamics. If previous reports are to be believed, we can expect the next 911 to debut sometime in 2010, but we wouldn’t rule out an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Porsche 911 with double-bubble roof

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