The prospect of driving a barn find car on the road for the first time can be intimidating. No matter how much due diligence you’ve done, there’s still plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong. The 1982 Datsun 280ZX Turbo shown here is a car I actually had the chance to personally view as it attended one of the more prestigious car gatherings and concours events on the East Coast, the Audrain Concours d’Elegance held in Newport, RI. The Datsun was still covered in dust and while it had the occasional hard start, it did run and drive throughout the weekend. Find it here on craigslist in Smithfield, RI for $5,000.

My colleague and I found this Datsun somewhat incredible to view in person, and I loved that the owner had the gumption to drive it in such a significant event. But to the organizers’ credit, that’s one of the best features of Motor Week hosted by Audrain: they have a robust 30 under 30 class, where younger owners can bring their next-generation classics right onto the same show field that some of the world’s priciest exotics and collector cars gather. In a world of vehicles with fake patina and exaggerated barn find claims, this Datsun left little doubt it had been parked and forgotten for several decades.

The seller reports that this car was slumbering in a family barn after being purchased as a spare vehicle/parts repository for another 280ZX that was running and on the road. For whatever reason, it didn’t get used for anything, really, either as a parts car or a runner. The turbocharged 280ZXs are somewhat hard to come by, and they’re instantly recognizable via the NACA duct in the hood, the slicer-style alloy wheels, and typically, the center tail light panel garnish like this car has with either the “280ZX” or “Turbo” script in the middle. This Datsun retains all of those original details.

While I’m sure the weekend had some nail-biting moments as it related to hoping the car would start with thousands of onlookers walking past, this had to have been a blast for the owner to experience. Whether that experience added any value to this Datsun beyond the achievement itself is doubtful, but hopefully the next owner is local enough that they can attend the show next year with the dust blown off and a thorough detailing performed. The turbocharged 280XC made a respectable 180 horsepower and 203 lb.-ft. of torque, especially in the dark days of the malaise era, so this 5-speed model will still be a hoot to drive once the mechanical bits are given a proper refresh. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the find.