This 240Z is presently owned by Mike Cammerata of Snellville, GA. Mike is competing in vintage races and he is looking for more information about the car. What is foremost on his list is finding the original handmade nose that was on the car when it was raced in the 1971 Macau Grand Prix and locating the original owner, Jack B. Pray.
The
information Mike has places the nose somewhere in Pennsylvania. Jack B.
Pray was a serviceman stationed in Okinawa in 1970. His last known whereabouts
were at Griffiths Air Force Base in Rome, NY.
The following is the history of the car as known so far:
The 1970 240Z, serial no. HLS30-02036, was produced within
the first 90 days of 1970 240Z production. This car was delivered to Jack
B. Pray an Air Force serviceman in Okinawa, April 1970. Shortly thereafter
it was returned to the factory where Datsun Competition converted it to
a Group 4 race car. Special equipment included: factory lowered racing suspension,
FIA brakes, forged pistons, aluminum flywheel, oil cooler, enlarged oil
sump, headers, works rally triple Mikuni carbs, fiberglass doors and rear
hatch with plastic windows and more. The fiberglass pieces and most 
mechanicals are the
same type as used on the factory European RAC rally cars. In addition, a
protoype front body section with elongated nose was fabricated by the factory.
The car was presented wearing #16 and the traditional white and blue racing
colors.
The car was raced by Pray throughout 1970 and 1971 in Asia at such places as Suzuka and the Mt. Fuji circuit. In November of 1971, #16 was entered by Pray in the Macau Grand Prix. He placed first in Class H for GT cars and Sportscars.
In 1972 the car was shipped to the United States where Pray brought on Trans-Am driver Lothar Stahlberg of Utica, NY, to drive the Northeast circuits. Stahlberg drove the car to two wins, one at Lime Rock and one at Watkins Glen, but due to the prototype "long nose" the car was classified in A Sports Racing.
In November 1973 the car was purchased by Don Thompson, ST Racing of Syracuse, NY, who removed the protoype nose and brought the car to SCCA C Production specifications. The car was then raced as #42 at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Pocono, Nelson Ledges, Road America and Thompson by Don on and off until 1976. At Watkins Glen in 1975, Thompson finished second behind Bob Sharp after giving him a good run for his money.
Later in 1975 the car was sold to Jay Britschge. In November of 1976 the car was accepted for entry in the Daytona 24 Hour for Charlie Rainville, but finances came up short. In 1978 the car was sold to Allen Brady who occasionally raced the car for novelty and after that, the car sat up for the next 12 years.
In 1991, Mike Cammerata acquired the car and it has since been restored back to the Macau Grand Prix specifications. #16 is one of the earliest 240Z factory-built race cars still in existance today, and may be the only FIA car.
If you have any information about this car that helps complete its history, please contact us.