Wanted - 1970 series one Datsun 240Z | FerrariChat

Wanted 1970 series one Datsun 240Z

Discussion in 'Other Cars' started by LARRYH, May 13, 2018.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    I would like a very nice early 240Z .. the earlier the better. It must be in very good restored condition .. ..
    please PM me if you have. one for sale....thanks
     
    Noel likes this.
  2. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 4, 2008
    33,571
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Rich
    I had a '72 recently, but sold it to do some work on my Jaguar E-Type. I've owned a few, and I love these cars - good luck, well worth the search.

    Check out www.classiczcars.com - they have a good F-Chat like forum if you need help in your search.
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  3. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    thanks I will check it out ... ..
     
  4. Jon Von Bon

    Jon Von Bon Formula 3
    BANNED

    Feb 8, 2015
    1,697
    Toronto / Florida
    Full Name:
    Jeff
    Why in the world would you want one of those when you have a Barchetta ???

    By a 550 coupe, take a few aspirins and call me in the morning....
     
  5. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    I liked them as a kid and still do ...and besides I already have a 550 coupe...
    but the aspirin helped
     
    Dogdish, c7matt, Julia and 7 others like this.
  6. JG333SP

    JG333SP Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2010
    1,871
    N Shore, MA
    Full Name:
    Jim G
    I saw a super sharp one at the Misslewood car show in Beverly MA maybe 3 yrs ago. White, red interior (IIRC) with a deep red racing stripe with 'Datsun' cut out into it-

    Easily the 'cheapest' car there-I figured it was just me but everybody was asking about it-even my kids were into it. It looked flipping great, these cars have aged well. I just tried to google it but not having any luck
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  7. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 4, 2008
    33,571
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Rich
    They are great cars - by 70's standards, they must have been (and were) groundbreaking. I'm very knowledgeable about these cars, Nissan was smart with parts reuse and design- they are reliable, easy to work on, and very capable.

    The Achilles heel is the rust problem. Outside of that, hard to fault these and now they are becoming increasingly rare.
     
  8. JG333SP

    JG333SP Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2010
    1,871
    N Shore, MA
    Full Name:
    Jim G
    One of my first cars in high school (late '80s) was a beat up '79 Datsun 210. It didn't look like much but you could not stop that thing. I'm not sure when the production quality standards started really kicking in with Japanese cars, but I'm thinking it was around the 240z in the early 70's and that's a huge plus for these cars.

    The 510s from the era have also become collectible-no doubt for many of these same reasons.
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  9. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 4, 2008
    33,571
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Rich
    The one thing Nissan did really well was stick with what worked. The L-series engines came from the merger with Prince Motor Company was based off the Mercedes inline engines (Prince Motor had licensed the design from MB to produce Japanese market versions), and was further modified to the point that it was extremely reliable.

    Nissan kept this motor and put the 4 cylinder version in the Datsun 510, and the 6 cylinder version in the 240Z. These engines have full parts interchangeability, which makes them easy to service - a side benefit is they are easy to "hop up" by mix / matching parts. Back in the day, I had a 280Z with a better flowing head from a different car, and it was noticeably quicker.

    As I mentioned, rust is a major - MAJOR - issue. Worse yet, they are unibody cars, and the frame rails tend to rot (among other areas), and if they do, the car is really not worth fixing. You want to find an Arizona or Florida car to minimize that. When I had my 280Z, I was driving home from college one day, and in wet weather the car lost traction and slid into the curb on a street. The rest of the way home, the car was wandering and steering was hard. I found out when I got home that the right side frame rail (which is part of the unibody) cracked in half - essentially, the suspension was the only thing holding the wheel on there.

    More recently, I had a 1972 240Z, which I purchased just before I bought my 1966 E-Type. The 240Z cockpit is roomy, easy to see out of, yet the car is small. Honestly, I would love to get another one, put on a more modern suspension and build out a turbo or a Rebello L-engine and drive the crap out of it. Add a BRE spook (air dam) and some Minilites, and I'd be in Heaven.

    Something like this car (I know this person from ClassicZCars.com - he has a beautiful collection of Z's):

    Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
    anunakki, Wade, JG333SP and 2 others like this.
  10. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    That Z looks great .. I remember when they first out nissan could not build them fast enough for the US .. I am aware of the rust issue pretty much all the old japanese cars had that issue. I saw a beautiful 240z at auction a few years ago it was a one owner very nice car I did not bid on it but have wished i did ever since ....
    They were a great car for the time.
     
    rdefabri and JG333SP like this.
  11. msdesignltd

    msdesignltd F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 17, 2003
    17,763
    NYC. / E. Hampton
    Full Name:
    Michael
    The 240Z was japans answer to Britains TR6..They were Rivals...But it was found that the Z was a superior car..This Marked the death of Triumph as a car company.
    The GT headlight arrangement was stolen from ferrari.
    Lovely Nostalgic cars...The successor to the Fairlady.
     
    LARRYH and Boomhauer like this.
  12. andrew911

    andrew911 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 8, 2003
    2,887
    Northern NJ
    I have a bunch of old car magazines from the 60's and early 70's. What is clear to me is when this car came out it blew away the competition in its class. There were cars like the 914, Triumph or alfa in the same price class, and on the comparison tables of some of these articles this car is in a whole other league- off memory here (I don't have the magazine in front of me here at work and am too lazy to search then net), the other cars were 0-60 in say 11-12+ seconds except TR6 which was around mid 10's and then the 240 was in the 8's for example. The car is good looking and seemed like it was a clean sheet fresh design vs. all the older design cars it was competiting with, again in the same price class.

    In 2018 I might prefer a fully restored vintage alfa to a fully restored vintage 240Z, but if one was in the market for a sports car in 1970 this was so far ahead of the competition in terms of handling, interior design, reliablity and acceleration. I wasn't yet alive back then, but reading the period reviews, I'd imagine this car was as transformative as the 1990 Lexus LS400 was to the high end sedan segment (the LS400 was let's say 90% as good as a 560SEL, 740i, Audi, Caddy, but in some cases 40+% cheaper to buy, the car was laser focused on being reliable for the long haul, and the dealerships went out of their way for customer service- totally upended that segment).

    I cheated and searched quickly- here is an intro article and a comparison test that is different than the one I'm thinking of but you get the point on the 240z being a generation ahead of the MG, Triumph, etc:

    https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a10273163/first-drive-datsun-240z/

    http://datsunforum.com/road-track-july-1971-comparison-test-240z/
     
    Texas Forever and LARRYH like this.
  13. Bthesixthree

    Bthesixthree Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Dec 18, 2013
    332
    CA
    Full Name:
    B
    Any interest in an extremely rare, and clean '71 240? It is one of the 37 Prototype 240's that Nissan deemed worthy of restoration. Less than 35,000 original miles. The 37 were built to increase awareness about the "Z" brand after the Z32's production ended in the U.S. in '96. Any interest?
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  14. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    Yes ....i remember that program i was wondering what ever happened with that Ihad a 1991 300zx turbo , and sold it in 96 which was about the time this program came out...
    See my pm.
     
    Bthesixthree likes this.
  15. Bthesixthree

    Bthesixthree Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Dec 18, 2013
    332
    CA
    Full Name:
    B
    Yes, the TT Z32's were and still are great cars. I had one. People would come up to me quite often wondering what kind of car it was. haha
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  16. efg2014

    efg2014 Formula Junior

    Sep 14, 2014
    611
    Northern California
    I still have my z32 Twin-turbo, white with black leather. I also own an F430 which has made me realize how much bang for the bug the TT gives you. Just last weekend, I had a young guy about 20 waving form the passenger side of a pickup. As I blased past, he had a big smile on his face and gave a tumbs up. I refer to my Z as the poor man's super car. The 1st time I saw one was 1990 in a parking lot(black TT) with some old guy(about 40yr old) driving it that memory is etched in my brain. Never letting go of my twin-turbo.

    For me the 240Z and the 300ZX Twin-turbo are the most iconic Zs every made.
     
    SeaNile, LARRYH and Bthesixthree like this.
  17. Bthesixthree

    Bthesixthree Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Dec 18, 2013
    332
    CA
    Full Name:
    B
    For sure, they are so cool, especially the front end with the headlamps. Just came upon a '99 Diablo SV and it's neat to see the Z32's headlamp housings on those late Diablo's.

    Enjoy your TT!
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  18. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    I agree ... I test drove the 1990 Nissan 300zx Twin turbo which was the first year and fell immediately in love with it I had the dealer locate a new black 1991 and drove it for several years .. this car was the best bang for the buck on the market ... It was the first widely available new muscle car ... and great build quality .. funny thing is I kept it till one day I was driving with the t-top off and nailed it figuring I would have a quick blast well that was 1996 and I all of a sudden a Gush of dirt came was blown in my face .... I did not see the 1996 VIPER GTS that was next to me and BLEW by me like I was sitting still..... well holly crap I had to pull over and clean my shorts .... needless to say a few weeks later I replaced it with a new 1997 viper GTS .. which I still have wish I had kept my 300Zx .. also
     
    Bthesixthree likes this.
  19. Bthesixthree

    Bthesixthree Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Dec 18, 2013
    332
    CA
    Full Name:
    B

    Bahahaa. Great story. Although, a moderate tune and upgraded turbo's on a TT Z would yield Viper crushing power!
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  20. slownrusty

    slownrusty Formula Junior

    Oct 1, 2014
    391
    Houston
    Full Name:
    Slow Rusty
    I owned every generation Z over the years and one of my favs is the Fairlady Roadster that came before the 240Z, here is my car which I sadly sold a few years ago.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
    LARRYH and Bthesixthree like this.
  21. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 4, 2008
    33,571
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Rich
    The Z32 is a future classic - design is amazing and mostly bulletproof. While it didn't bring back the spirit of the original 240Z, it was a leap forward compared to the previous gen 300ZX and the ZX line in general.

    Interesting enough, I think the FD Mazda RX-7 (talked about in a different thread in Silver) evoked the spirit of the original 240Z - light, peppy, good value for the money. Recently walked past a Subaru BRZ, and the first thought in my head was "240Z". Wish they made more cars like that now :(
     
    LARRYH, cnpapa24 and Bthesixthree like this.
  22. Bthesixthree

    Bthesixthree Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Dec 18, 2013
    332
    CA
    Full Name:
    B
    Yes, good analogy. Those BRZ's, while i don't exactly yearn for one, are supposedly one of the best balanced and handling modern cars for under $30k. Great for aspiring race-car drivers or trackday play at a reasonable price.
     
  23. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 4, 2008
    33,571
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Rich
    Where is it? Do you own it? This is one of the Pierre'Z refreshes?

    I don't think they necessarily command a premium, but they are very interesting...have pics?

    Here's my last 240Z - sold this probably 10 years ago (time flies). I really miss it:
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
    LARRYH likes this.
  24. Bthesixthree

    Bthesixthree Formula Junior
    BANNED

    Dec 18, 2013
    332
    CA
    Full Name:
    B

    Nice red one! Yes, it is one of Perrot's cars that was dubbed a "prototype" that the Nissan North America Execs approved the build of the 34 "Heritage" cars based on this one. It shows really well. My friend has a current pending deal on this one at $35k.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
    LARRYH, Face76 and rdefabri like this.
  25. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,142
    virginia usa
    Brent it really is a nice car ... just not crazy about the color change. and interior being wrong etc....but it is growing on me it was restored in 92 vs 97 like the orig.. 37 which maybe doesn't matter....
     

Share This Page