Vehicle Description
1973 Datsun 240Z
OK, so it's nothing like 1934. But that year, Nissan Motors was
formed from the merger of two Japanese car companies: DAT
Automobile Co. and Jitsuyo Automobile Co. But instead of using the
new, Nissan name plate for the front of their cars, they chose to
brand them Datsun - the moniker DAT Automobile Co had been using
since the previous year - which was a variant of Datson, the name
used since the company's first car the year before that, changed
because it sounded too much like a Japanese phrase that means "to
lose money". Come 1984, and with the Datsun brand firmly
established across the world, Nissan decided it was about time it
marketed its cars under the parent brand's name plate. Datsun was
dropped, but it was a pricey decision. Changing signs at the 1,100
Datsun dealerships cost $30 million. Changing the marketing epithet
from "Datsun, We Are Driven!" to "The Name is Nissan" cost $200
million. Then there was another $50 million spent on approved but
redundant Datsun adverts. All in, it was a $500m exercise...
Let's get into the way back machine Peabody, and head to 1973 when
Nissan was Datsun, and the company was killing it with their 240Z,
which happens to be the car up for consignment. We have a complete
history of ownership for this car as well as a concise list of
strengths and weaknesses and inventory of items that come with the
car. I will not bore you with the list of said items however if you
are interested it is available for your perusal. Also, somewhat low
original miles, (56,297), and all I can say is rock and roll!
Exterior
With gaps that remain consistent, we can see the consignor stated
original white as the driven snow paint. It is a fair paint job and
shines nicely but does have a few areas of overspray in the door
jambs leading us to believe there was at minimum some spot in work
performed in the past. The quintessential pony car with Japanese
influence, its long hood, inset head lighting, black contrasting
egg crate grille and long sloping hatchback the side view sells
this car. I can see why it was so wildly popular in its heyday.
Take this design, throw in plenty of reliability and some sporty
performance and we have a winner winner chicken dinner! Black
accenting, chrome bumpers with non stockCalifornia bumper bars, as
well as the aforementioned black grille and the black rear roll pan
give it a sporty yet sophisticated look. Some surface and
beginnings of invasive rust on nearly all of the lowers on this
car, some dents and paint peeling off are pretty typical with a car
of this age. Aluminum slotted wheels are wrapped 185/70R14 rubber
all around. These tires are older, although look good, and the
consignor states that the left front has a slow leak.
Interior
The word original looking crops up with sleek styled high back
bucket seats that have new recovered red vinyl tuck and roll
inserts and smooth red bolsters. Small round air venting is seen on
the bucket lowersof the uprights. A black plastic deep inset
instrument molded dash is original and shows with 3 small cracks.
There is a factory wood rimmed steering wheel, inset round sweep
gauges are in the front of the driver, and within top of center
dash is a trio of deep inset round gauges. Just below is an AC
vent, temp sliders, and factory AM/FM radio. This panel melts into
the center console where the shifter and handbrake reside along
withan open tray storage area in the back. The sides of the console
covering the hump we note triangulated stitched vinyl in red
covering. Behind these seats is a carpeted storage area, ready to
hold nearly anything you can throw in.This carpet as well as
flooring carpeting is very clean. The remainder of the rear cargo
area is covered in a nice black carpet, the headliner is smooth red
vinyl and tight, and door panels are smooth and in good
condition.
Drivetrain
An original unrestored 2.4 Liter Inline 6-cylinder graces the
engine bay. On the side are dual 2-barrel Weber carburetors. Bolted
to the back is a 4-speed manual transmission attached. A 3.70 rear
sums up the drivetrain.
Undercarriage
Road dirt, patina and some surface rust abounds although it is not
seen as invasive. Some oil blowback is noted on the transmission
and rear gear housing.n All around, Macpherson strut independent
suspension is on along with power disc brakes in front and power
drums in back. The single exhaust has a glass pack style
muffler.
Drive-Ability
She fired right up and off to the test track where it ran smoothly,
shifted with ease, and had bias free panic stopping. The handling
is great on this sports car. Noted the windscreen washer sprayer
does not function and the clock is stuck.
A slight bit of TLC could be put into this car to make it
excellent, but it is a mechanically sound runner, and an early
example of the beginnings of the so-called "Japanese Invasion". We
give you the Datsun 1973 240Z. Zat's all folks!
HLS30123756
H-L28E Engine
L-Left Hand Drive
S30-Model Number
123756-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
