We all have a bunch of this stuff and will be adding daily. If you have some that you want to share with others, let us know.
This ad juxaposes the 280ZX with the Nissan race car of the era. Race bred the Z car is born to run "out of the box" was the idea! Of course it helps to have the Z shod with Goodyears!
Here is a line of Datsuns that are some of my favorites. This gallery of gems was the ad that was the first "Dream Garage". See anything you like? They could have at least picked a less shabby neighborhood. I mean, look the buildings are old and need painting, at least! Seriously, they evidently were doing well with the advertising budget at this point in time.
This Datsun 280ZX Turbo ad was used during the "Awesome" period. It is also one of the those "Z Launch" ads propelling this 280ZX Turbo skyward.
Did you know that Z Cars were on Stamps? Yes, there were several that were circulated. Although you can not become rich in owning one, they are still cool.....!
This is a famous sales lay out that was used to showcase the 240Z curves, especially at cruising speed. It also shows the interior, and engine bay nicely. Yes interior colors were "in" then with mostly everyone disliking basic black. Now everyone wants black and dislikes color, esecially the "tan" variety. This brochure is a great collector, and is shown on a coffee table, where a number of all great Z discussions take place.
Every Z Car is special in one way or another, but for the 1977 model Datsun/Nissan was faced with how to make it more "special". This "ZAP" paint scheme was one of the ways. With its yellow paint and accompanying striping it said "ZAP" to the causal onlooker. This is one of the ads that started launching Z Cars into the air, as they started getting heavier and slower. For Z enthusiasts, a version or two are always seen at a well represented Z Car Show. In 1978 Datsun/Nissan came out with the famous "Black Beauty" paint and equipment package.
The Datsun 520 pickup of the '68 to '72 period was a real little workhorse. It had the same 1600 cc engine as the 510, had decent carrying capacity especially in the long bed version. This ad attempts to capture a segment of the small truck market strongly emerging out the "gas crisis" and stronger emission requirement period. The 520 is a fun little truck and a number of us have been lucky enough to own one, or two, or three along the way.
Forever linked in my mind, the 510 and the 240Z are intertwined and a part of each other. Almost every engine component of the 240Z owes its existance to the 510. The 240Z L24 2400cc engine is a direct copy of the 1600cc L16 510 engine. Every piston, every rod, the engine block, the bore size, and every nut and bolt are interchangeable. The L4 4 cylinder block was expanded to the L6 six cylinder block. Without the 510 there would be no Z Car. This ad, very basic, non flashy, almost amateurish, was representative of the beginning stages in Datsun ads. Datsun gave exclusive rights to advertisement development to John Parker's firm. They grew together as Datsuns populariy and Nissan USA expanded into the car market. The 510 and the 240Z put Nissan USA in the hunt, as a top ten automobile manufacturer. A 510 and 240Z were the ideal combination, along with a 520 pickup for everyone's garage. Of course, let's not forget the 1500, 1600, and 2000 roasters, then there are the 210, F10, 1200, ...
"1971 Trans-Am Champion Racer", Successful in racing the #46 BRE 510 is a legend. This capitalized on the racing aspect of the car to keep the attention in the car market. Racing always as played a big role in promoting the automobile especially the "sports car". Race/win on Sunday", then sell on Monday through the rest of the week, was always a viable stragety used by automobile manfacturers.
This little guy allowed one to own a bit of that dream one could see and touch on a daily basis. Upkeep was a bit less than its bigger brother. Models, posters, t-shirts, hats and a variety of other collectibles are always a off shoot of the market. This little "dream" in a box is a Advent 510 BRE.
The Datsun 510 is almost as popular today and it was when it transversed the highways and byways across America. A poor man's "BMW" as it was called, did quite well in racing, and was a great little family sedan with lots of room for passengers, with a decent trunk. It also came in a station wagon style. The ads got better as the ad budget got bigger.Strong in popularity today and still as formidable at the track as it was then, we have a number of nice examples in the club.
This 280ZX ad one is trully "Awesome", you can almost feel the power of the car, black on black, nice. Oh No, Where did the Datsun 280ZX go? What is this Nissan thing? So much was spent on the Datsun to create name recognization, yet the switch did not help that very much. So now it is Nissan "We are driven".
"Join a Minority Group" was an ad campaign that attempted to reflect the attitude of the era. The minority group were folks that actually had a Z Car during this period, as most did not. Waiting lists were long, even into and through the third year of production. A real minority group would certainly be the owners of this red "beauty," paint code 110, still highly sought after today. You can almost feel the emotional response this ad and car provided at the time, even after all these years. Some ads are timeless as is the 240Z Car.
Datsun Roadster, the SPL-310, paved the way for the Z Car. The Datsun Roadster series were famous in racing and fun to drive, often called the Japanese MGB, Nissan made engines for the British before coming out with this car. We have several nice examples in the club. Basic ad in black and white announcing, "we have arrived". Nissan was building toward taking a chunk out of the sports car market.
So where are the women? This ad answers that question.
"Awesome", what else can you say besides "We are driven!" This was the during the early stages of the ad campaigns for the cool awesome ads, and it is still a Datsun before name change switch to Nissan. This little number had the Black Pearl Metallic Paint. Well it worked in 1978, why not again?
Stay tuned, check back often, as there are more to come.....
