First Gen Project: 1973 Datsun 240Z

One of the stronger debates in the project car world is if you should let something like the transmission deter you from pursuing a revival. The automatic vs. manual question is a justifiable concern, especially if the vehicle in question has an enjoyment factor that hinges on whether it has three pedals. The Datsun 240Z is considered a sports car through and through, and those vehicles generally have a stick shift. But in some circles, the Z car is seen as more of a grand tourer, which can make two pedals make sense. Would you rescue this automatic-equipped 1973 Datsun 240Z listed here on eBay?

I have a personal stake in this debate, as I went through it myself a few years ago. There was a vehicle I very much wanted to rescue out of a salvage yard in Western Massachusetts – a 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS, a rare, short-wheelbase truck that Isuzu sent just 800 examples of stateside in its first production run. I initially scoffed at buying it, seeing the automatic gearbox and being convinced it would be miserable to drive without a 5-speed. Eventually, I bought the truck, along with the parts necessary to convert it to a manual, feeling like this was the sensible approach. Instead, I ended up loving it just the way it was, and sold the 5-speed parts. Would this 240Z yield the same experience, with its next owner realizing the automatic suits their purposes just fine?

While we may see it as a sports car, plenty of other drivers saw the 240Z as an ideal cruiser, with a torque-rich inline-six that made either transmission a pleasure to pilot. When you’re talking about a high-strung vehicle with a low-center of gravity and limited torque, the automatic can very much limit your enjoyment. Needing to wring out a MK1 VW GTI or Honda CRX is half the fun in cars like those. However, even an earlier Z car like this one doesn’t have quite the same limitations in terms of how it must be driven to be engaging, which is likely why so many buyers opted for the automatic. This trend continued all the way through the early 90s, when plenty of coupe shoppers opted for the automatic in their Z32 300ZX.

This 240Z has a wonderful patina with some very cool period decals that have miraculously survived. The seller notes it “ran when parked” a few years ago, but it’s not running currently; when new, the L24 was good for around 151 horsepower and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. The color coordination between the valve cover and the exterior suggests someone got a little frisky with a can of spray paint back in the day, so you’ll want to look for areas of rot that may be obscured due to sloppy paint; the rockers have clearly seen better days. The interior looks decent and the seller points out the dash has survived in good shape, which isn’t an easy feat in an old Z car.