The Datsun 240Z is a great little sports car that was vulnerable to two main problems, and this 1971 model has managed to avoid both of those issues. That means that it is not only rust-free but that the original interior is in very nice condition. This one is as clean as they come and is looking for a new owner who would love to own a classic Japanese sports car. It is located in Van Nuys, California, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the 240Z has reached $15,400, and the reserve has now been met.

The 240Z is finished in Silver Metallic, and its condition looks to be very promising. It appears that the car has spent its life in California, and this will no doubt have helped it to remain rust-free. Until recently, its ownership from had gone backward and forwards between two siblings, meaning that it had essentially been owned by the same family since new. The paint has a nice shine to it, and the body appears to be free from any noticeable dings or dents. The trim and chrome appear to be really nice, while it is refreshing to see that it still wears its original hubcaps. More often than not, 240Z owners from this era would treat their vehicle to aftermarket wheels, and this worked better on some cars than on others. One addition is the front spoiler. I actually don’t mind this that much, but if the next owner wishes to maintain vehicle originality, then removing this would be a simple task that could be achieved in little more than a few minutes.

Apart from rust issues. the biggest bug-bear for the 240Z was the ability of interior plastic trim to “biodegrade” at a great rate of knots. It isn’t unusual to see an unrestored 240Z with a cracked dash cap, shredded seat covers, and crumbling plastic. One of the weakest areas was the quilted plastic on either side of the transmission tunnel, and since that is no longer in production, it was enough to cause more than a few restorers to experience heartburn. That isn’t a problem with this particular car, because the black interior trim looks to be extremely nice. The dash cap looks really good, and if I bought the vehicle, I would probably invest in a cover in a bid to try to keep it that way. The upholstery on the seats and door trims looks really good, while the headliner appears to be flawless. The 240Z has been fitted with a radio/8-track player in place of the original radio, but given the fact that the dash hasn’t been cut to install this, swapping an original radio back in shouldn’t be a problem. The rear cargo area looks really nice, and when you put all of this together, this is an interior that needs nothing.

Datsun didn’t develop a 240Z-specific engine, but they did take their standard 2,393cc L24 engine and give it a few tweaks. This included the fitment of a pair of Hitachi carburetors. The result was an engine that produced a pretty reasonable 151hp. This power finds its way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission, while 4-wheel independent suspension blessed the 240Z with wonderful handling. Now, 151hp isn’t a lot of power, but with the vehicle only weighing in at 2,350lbs, it was enough to propel it through the ¼ mile in 16.5 seconds. The other thing about the L24 engine is that even though it was designed for more “pedestrian” applications, it was a tough little unit. With a seven-bearing crank, double valve springs, and a dual-row roller timing chain, it is an engine that can easily be spun to 7,000rpm with complete confidence. In fact, in competition form with little more than an upgrade to the carburetors and camshaft, 9,000rpm was not out of the question. Looking around the engine bay, there are two things that jump out at me. The first is the brace that is fitted between the strut towers. If this 240Z was fitted with larger wheels and tires, or if it was seeing some competition work, then that could potentially be a necessity. For regular road use, it isn’t really warranted, and I would probably remove it. The other issue, and this is far more pressing, is the fitting of aftermarket air cleaners in place of the factory-original item. The first thing to note is the fact that without the original air cleaner, the oil breather from the cam cover has had to have a filter added, rather than a hose that sucks the fumes back into the engine to be burned. The other problem is that neither of the air cleaners appears to have an element in them. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be that keen on driving around in a classic car with the potential for grit and dust to be ingested into the engine. Changing that would be a priority. I suspect that the air cleaners probably became a necessity when the brace was added, as the original unit would not have cleared it. Otherwise, the owner states that the 240Z drives nicely and that it will sit on 80mph on the open road quite easily. He says that the engine is strong, while the clutch and transmission work smoothly.

For a collector, this 1971 Datsun 240Z ticks a lot of the right boxes. It is essentially original and unmolested, while it also remains rust-free. Finding one that possesses these attributes, and that also has a nice interior is always a real bonus. However, finding one that fits those criteria for under $20,000 is virtually impossible. In those cases, you are very likely to be talking about values of $25,000 as a starting point, while anything up to $40,000 is not beyond the realm of possibility. This one would appear to need very little to return it to 100% original form, and with values continuing to climb steadily, it is a car that would be worth closer inspection if a Japanese classic sits high on your wish-list.