Was the 280Z the last great Z car? Or was it great at all? In the beginning, Datsun tried very hard to read the room when it introduced the 240Z, engaging in a long development period geared toward meticulous attention to customer satisfaction. After that, it’s as if corporate attention wandered, and the car didn’t so much evolve – rather, it paddled in place. The 260 was encumbered by a horsepower deduction; adding insult to injury, the car was 200 lbs heavier. Tellingly, the 260 was made for only one year. The 280 represented a course correction: the engine gained displacement, fuel injection, and – consequently – horsepower. The stats were enough to satisfy buyers looking for a sporty experience at a reasonable price, but this was no 240. For one thing, it was portly by now, at just shy of 2800 lbs. The 280 did outsell the 240 by about 50,000 units, but we can attribute at least a portion of that good fortune to increasing awareness of Datsun in the US marketplace. The good news in all of this is pricing: if you pine for an early-ish Z car, the 280 is much less expensive than a comparable 240. Project 240s are going to breach five figures. But here on eBay is a one-family-owned 280Z with an asking price of $9000 or best offer. The car is located in Gloucester, Virginia.
This engine is Datsun’s SOHC in-line six, now at 2.8 liters and equipped with Bosch fuel injection, and paired with a five-speed manual (new in ’77). The five-speed was a needed upgrade, making the most of the engine’s 170 hp. The odometer reads 104k, but none of those miles were racked up recently: the car has been sitting ‘for a few years’. The seller notes that the car will run, but it shouldn’t be driven until the fuel system is cleaned out and the brakes are serviced. The car is accompanied by service records since new, as well as handwritten logs of mileage and fuel use.
The interior will need work, including a new dashpad, seals, and minor repairs and cleaning. But the seller reports that the floors, trunk area, and battery cage are free of rust. The cargo area has managed to escape water damage – a minor miracle since I think this car has spent time outside….
The paint is worn, surface rust is affecting the hatch, and the rear bumper has lost much of its rubber. Speaking of bumpers – purists knock the 280’s ‘park bench’ bumpers for ruining the car’s looks and adding weight – but you couldn’t sell a car in the US in the mid-’70s without these awful things. Eventually, nostalgia erases distaste, and we’re willing to put up with what we formerly viewed as flaws. That, and the ever-rising prices of 240s – helps explain why the market for this less-loved model has strengthened in the past few years.
Ended. That was fast
I want to add that it ended – but no one bought it.
So, we may see it again for another round, but at a lower price.
Looks like somebody got themselves a decent project. In regards to the bumpers on these later Z’s, is it possible to retrofit early ’70s bumpers to them? I disagree that nostalgia makes the cow-catchers better.
It appears to have been sold for $10K. BTW, the 1967 Austin Healey 3000 project car that I said would sell for $15-20K sold for $12,100 in Atlanta. At the same time, Gullwing Motors in Queens, NY is selling a similar project for $27,500.
The Healey was a deal.
“Was the 280Z the last great Z car?”
Yes. Until the BRZ… : )
“Was the 280Z the last great Z car?”
Great? The 240Z was a great car. Not sure if any of them since qualify as great. I enjoy my 370Z.
That’s a tubby rig. Not a sports car but maybe more a GT? With all due respect
Bub, I am not even sure what a “tubby rig” is. Or if you are suggesting that a 370Z is in fact one. I am simply saying I enjoy my car. and worry very little which category others might think it falls into. (My best friend likes to get me going by referring to it simply as a “Datsun”.)
Just saying the 370 is more of a GT platform. Room for four plus power to haul butt and run accessories. It’s about a thousand pounds on the wrong side of sports car but you can do a lot more with them than I can do with my little Beezer Bomb. I call them Datsuns affectionately. Good luck.
Bub, do stop by sometime and show me where those other two passengers will sit in my Z.
I believe there are “dimples” in the body of the 240’s that the allow the smaller rear bumper to fit. Those dimples are not present on the 280’s. I guess with some body work that could be remedied.
I owned this car’s twin. It too was equipped with the 5-speed transmission. Mine had a 5-speed emblem on the left side of the hatch; I noticed this one doesn’t have one. I drove it until 1983, then sold it and bought a new red 1983 280ZX. Both were great cars.
I had factory 78 280Z base model, fuel-injected 4spd. Last year for that gen. 79 made little longer, slightly wider in back, for 2+2 version, (which I didn’t care for).
But, I also had an 83 280ZX 5spd w/folding rear seats, and t-tops. That car had many modernized “improvements” (ie: power assisted rack/pinion, sport suspension/wheels) and was still a fun ride, but the original earlier models were still the purest driving experience, IMO.