Vehicle Description
1976 Datsun 280Z
The Datsun 240Z had changed the sports car game overnight on its
arrival in 1970, offering a remarkable combination of handling,
refinement and head-turning good looks at a price that was within
reach of the average enthusiast. From the beginning, it made life
difficult for its competitors, routinely finishing first in the
inevitable comparison tests. Road & Track pitted a 240Z against a
Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, an MG MGB/GT, an Opel GT and a Triumph GT6,
and concluded that the Datsun was "not only the best car in the
group, but the best buy." It was a massive hit in the U.S., its
most important market, thanks to Yutaka Katayama's deep
understanding of American desires.
For consignment, a passion project for our consigner's father whom
had got the car in the late 1980's and stripped it down to the
frame for a full restoration. The result is a stunner both in
performance and looks thanks to starting with a rust free car that
remains that way today. For performance,all I'll say is it's a
Japanese rocket ship and then some, for looks it shines like a 10
carat emerald. And it has the retro look that took over America in
the early and mid 1970's, and to this day is still a great looker
and a real cooker.
Exterior
Island Turquoise Fusion is the paint and it was applied several
years ago and still holds its own. Just a few stress cracks, but it
holds its shine and has no rust. Black neoprene has taken over the
bumpers but it adds a nice contrast to the car's Island Turquoise.
Deep inset headlights reside on either corner and these flank a
long hood as it rolls back to the front glass. All of the glass is
tinted and has black surrounding trimmings. The rockers are also
trimmed in black and also remain rust free. Door gaps and body
panels are nice and straight and well minded. A gracefully sloping
rear hatchback has a big black rear spoiler which looks just great
on the side view. The rear roll pan is vertical with the essential
Datsun tail lighting setup which reminded the same throughout all
the iterations. Another black bumper below and a large 3-inch
exhaust pipe peeks out from the drivers side rear. 16-inch multi
bolted polished Etoile wheels have 225/50Zr16 rubber around them.
Boogitty Boogitty Boogitty Baby. A full restoration has made this
car avoid the dreaded "tinworm" which was very common with these
70's Japanese cars.
Interior
As I throw the sleek doors open I see black canted vertical tuck
and roll panels in vinyl covering the insides of the doors. A thin
but effective arm rest is on as well as a window crank. The
actuator to open the door is surprisingly down in the low center.
Slipping inside, I sit in high back buckets with their sleek
styling just like the doors. These are in black vinyl and are all
smooth with the inserts and bolsters. There is a sleek center
console running through these buckets and it cozies to the dash
where it rises with a few panels canting some buttons and toggles,
a Pioneer aftermarket AM/FM/CD player, AC & heat sliders, air vents
and on top a horizontal courtesy light. Just above in the actual
dash top are nicely molded inset of a trio of round gauges for
boost, temp/oil, and volts and fuel. In front of the driver are two
large round deep inset sweep gauges. Mounted on top of the
extendable Michelin man-esque steering column is a fuel pressure
gauge and a rally steering wheel which appears factory. The back of
the car is pure storage with some torn and worn black carpeting and
no back seat. Carpeting upfront is slightly faded but mostly in
good condition. The headliner is in good flat, not torn
condition.
Drivetrain
As we open the long hood at first glance you would assume the 280Z
I-6 cylinder 2.8 liter engine with EFi. Well you would be correct,
however upon closer inspection yell notice its turbocharged has MSD
high voltage ignition along with high flow fuel injectors and a
performance camshaft. It has an aftermarket aluminum head and a
F5SR30A 5-speed manual transmission which is courtesy a truck for
taking on the heavy duty pounding that turbo would put to it. On
the back is a 3.54 geared rear axle.
Undercarriage
Rust free with some light patina and a heavy black rust proofing
coating from the restoration job. Independent Macpherson strut
suspension is all around and power Wilwood disc brakes grace the
corners, which you will definitely need to bring you down from the
high speed. A glasspack style exhaust is noted underneath as
well.
Drive-Ability
After a bit of a warmup I was off in a flash on the test track
where this is like a bolt of lightning. It accelerated endlessly
and wanted to relieve those back tires of their traction from the
pavement. It handles nicely and has fab brakes which are courtesy
of Wilwood as previously stated. The consigner states the car may
have up to 600 HP and after my test drive I believe it, The
tachometer does not register RPM's and the turn signals do not
work. All else is just great including the icy cold AC.
A rebuild with power in mind, holding lots of upgrades and a turbo
to make it go even faster. The car still looks original and great
on the outside and inside, and there is absolutely no fooling
around on the point A to point B exercise with it. As stated in my
notes for my partner in crime and crack decoder, "The Car Goes Like
Hell" Need I say more?
HLS30282593
H-L28E Engine
L-LHD
S30-Model Number
282593-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.
