I came across this pair of six cylinder powered Japanese GT cars the other day. Styling is definitely curvy 70s on the Datsun with all straight lines on the 80s Supra. Which do you prefer?
CC Outtake: Japanese Six Cylinder Tourers
– Posted on March 28, 2013
DATSUN, DATSUN, DATSUN!
Not just any 6-cylinder, but classic and now increasingly rare Straight 6!
No contest. Supra!
My vote is Datsun Z – love it – except for those rims.
Definitely the Supra for me.
My first car was a 1983 280ZX. I have driven both and while the Supra is the better handler, I’ll take the 280 on pure sexiness. Lovely cars.
Supra for me.
From beginning to end, I’ve never seen a Datsun Z-car I really liked the styling of.
I quite like the 350’s and 370’s, but agree on the old ones. No matter the condition or color, they just look… odd. Celica for me.
The Supra was just so different and interesting looking, there’s no way the Datsun could compete. The Supra borrowed absolutely no styling cues from anybody (not even from the Supra it replaced) and was all the better for it. The look was very Japanese in the best sense of that characterization. I loved the front grille underbite, the unusual use of black color-blocking on the bumpers, the hatch and elsewhere and the huge wheel/tire set-up with the fender flares. It all worked so incredibly well.
And that sunshade/spoiler of an appendage was just so wonderful and crazy!
I prefer the Supra too, today, but I wouldn’t agree that it took “no styling cues from anybody” … what about the gen2 Lotus Elite or even the Mitsubishi Starion, which came out around the same time?
Unequivocally Supra.
If it had been the original Z car, then I might have had to ponder a bit…
Make mine a Supra, please.
I’ll take the Supra, especially one in the dark red color. One of a few Toyotas that are actually interesting it was just an all around great car. Decent performace (for its time), a sikly smooth inline 6, great handling, fun styling (including the interior) and Toyota reliability make it a winner.
I have stupendously strong opinions about this.
Datsun looks better (no matter how exaggerated). Supra drives better. End of story.
I like the Datsun. Poor man’s BMW.
I6, V6..Meh..I’ll take mine in a H6.
Can’t pick a loser. Just give me one that runs of either type.I have enough stuff that doesn’t.
I wouldn’t kick any Z-car out of my garage (if I had one), but this generation has always been my favorite Supra and I’ve only grown to like it more and more over time.
Both are great finds but I’ll take the Supra any day. By the time Datsun got to the 280 model they had become a bloated caricature of the classic original 240Z.
I’m curious, which of these two machines commands the higher resale value today?
Datsun.
I always preferred the ZX’s sleek, flowing lines over the Toyota’s blockiness.
Not only that, the old Z cars, even the broughamed-out 280ZX, have much stronger aftermarket support. Several companies make all new parts for these old Z’s, and even the dealers can get stuff for them.
A co-worker of mine couldn’t even find a shifter bushing for his ’86 Supra.
Supra for me too