The Nissan Fairlady Z hit the streets in Japan in 1969 as an alternative to the European sports cars, which had become popular. A year later, it came to the U.S. as the Datsun 240Z since Nissan cars weren’t branded as such in America until the 1980s. With its 2.4-liter inline-6, it sold quite well and eventually morphed into the 260Z and 280Z models. Located in Spring, Texas, this barn/garage find isn’t running, but the body is far from being written off. It’s available here on eBay where the opening bid of $3,500 has yet to be cast.

It’s no wonder the 240Z helped Nissan eventually get a strong hold on the U.S. imported car market. The little cars were attractive, fast, and fun to drive. And, because they were Japanese, the 2,400-cc engines were dependable and modifiable. Output was around 150 hp stock, and the cars were light and nimble, thus popular in rallies. Hitting 125 mph wasn’t out of the question. Most of them, including the seller’s car, were equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission, but the 3-speed automatic was optional for those less adventurous.

Given the assortment of photos, it’s likely the seller found this ’72 240Z tucked away in a garage or barn. The amount of dirt and dust suggests it had been there for a long, long time, parked at 75,000 miles. We’re told the car is original and unmolested, probably just forgotten due to a mechanical issue oh so long ago.

Of course, it does not run, but it seems complete. The body is okay in most places, with the repairable areas identified as a few. The interior may be mostly okay, though it’s full of stuff and hard to sort out. At a minimum, it should make a great parts car if you’re already working on a nicer one. There is no title, likely misplaced decades ago. Would you attempt to bring this once-cool ride back to life?