240Z Project Car: An Introduction

For the longest while I was a Mustang guy and then a Supra guy. Worked on a few projects for other people, with my first project car of my own being an 89 MKIII Supra with a twin turbo 1JZ conversion.  At some point I'll reminisce about that car and make a post. Back to the story - during my Supra days, I met up with a guy who had a 2JZ in a 510 wagon, and from that day forward, I have been enamored with Datsuns.  I attended Canby, Oregon's awesome summer Datsun show, and knew right away I needed a 240Z.

Life didn't permit me getting one, but through some car-guy-osmosis my best friend who wasn't living in an apartment caught the bug, and bought a '73 from somewhere up north of Seattle for $500.  More on that car at another time.  Fast forward a few years, and I'm finally at a place professionally, personally, and financially to get my own Z.  Spent months browsing Craigslist and eBay for listings, most everything found within 300 miles of Charlotte was a total rust bucket or an already completed project way out of my price range, and far away from what I wanted.

I wanted to build something from the ground up. Not a concourse grade restoration, but a long term project to tinker on, to be able to use what I'd spent years learning how to do and to keep it for myself. To really embrace the joys and journey of building your own car.  Oh, and because I'd been on HybridZ lurking for about 6 years already.

I finally found this car on Craiglist, in Virgina - the ad said it was a mostly rust free car that had been a family toy for generations. It had a restoration started years earlier, but never finished due to illness.  The seller seemed like a nice guy, provided lots of pictures and background info, and the price was right. So what the heck - got a couple buddies and a trailer and went on a little adventure.

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Lotec C1000

 I've been a fan of the Lotec Mercedes C1000 since forever. It's just so friggin outrageous. Well, spent some time with it after the RK Motors Collector Car Action:

No one off supercar is complete without stick on weatherstripping

Seriously wide sills

The car did not sell during the action, but there was some after auction chatter....

Every car guy or gal has at one point in their mechanical driven lives entertained the thought of what they would do with an unlimited budget. Would you buy that HEMI Cuda you’ve always dreamed about or maybe a ’69 Camaro ZL1. Well in 1990, a business man from the United Arab Emirates with extremely deep pockets decided to go another route, instead of purchasing a historic or fast production car, he had another dream – To own the world’s fastest street vehicle.

The gentleman contracted Mercedes Benz to build his dream car. Mercedes and the company Lotec designed, fabricated, and tested a brand new never seen before supercar. $3.5 Million dollars later, the businessman had his dream ride. The Lotec Mercedes-Benz C1000, which Lotec and Mercedes claim is capable of 268mph! To put this in perspective, the almighty Bugatti Veyron SS is limited to 257, but has the ability to push it to 267mph. Nearly 20 years old the Lotec Mercedes Benz C1000 still stands at the top.

The C1000 name stands for its Carbon fiber body and the 1000 horsepower that it creates from its massive power plant. Built to push into the near 300mph range, the group at Lotec spared no expense when constructing the body. Aerodynamically the body is absolutely incredible, every piece flows into the next flawlessly. The body looks like it was designed to take flight more so than driving on the highway. The production of the carbon fiber body may have been extensive, but the result was a Supercar whose total curb weight was only 2381lbs.

Look under the back of the massive rear spoiler and you’ll find 5.6L Mercedes-Benz V8 that has been equipped with twin Garrett turbos that help generate the 1000hp. The sound that comes out of the dual exhaust is absolutely breathtaking. A Hewland 6-speed transmission is responsible for transferring all that power to the ground.

Inside the C1000 is all business, the supercar’s doors open vertically and reveal a bright red and black carbon fiber interior. Two bucket racing style seats are equipped with 3-point harnesses to protect the driver and passenger at break-neck speeds. Inside you will find air conditioning, adjustable pedals, adjustable steering column, and believe it or not a luggage compartment.

The C1000 is arguably one of the rarest supercars in the world. It has a breathtaking look, serious power under its carbon fiber shell, and one of the greatest stories to go along with it. Don’t miss your chance to own this 1 of 1 amazingly rare supercar. Sold on a bill of sale.

RK's Listing

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Panoz Esperante

Panoz is one of those small car companies that either no one has heard of, or people that have heard of it aren't sure if they're still around or not. You can sleep soundly however, because the folks from Georgia happen to mostly know what they're doing.

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The Decade Ferrari Went Blind

I’m not a fan of contemporary Ferrari design.  I think it’s too modern, too Chris Bangle-esque.  They don’t really make sense, not like their cars that were designed in the 90s.

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