Vintage Z-cars are a conundrum to me. There are seemingly always good projects for sale, but enthusiasts still tend to go nuts over the early model 240s, even if that particular vehicle isn’t original or has issues of the mechanical sort. Similarly, parts cars with good chrome bits and sidedraft carbs also fetch good money, but most buyers kick rocks at buying someone else’s carcass; they want to find the car themselves for maximum profitability. The best position to be in is that of this seller of a 1973 240Z here on eBay, which needs mechanical sorting and has a non-original respray – yet it’s still commanding a $10K bid at the moment.

I say this with some amount of subjective opinions worked in, as the seller of a batch of Z-car projects as part of the large Georgia collection we’ve listed as a Barn Finds Exclusive. Most potential buyers look at the cars as a treasure trove of parts, but want to pay under fair market value so they can part the cars out themselves. Others cite the need for it to be an early production 240Z to be considered desirable, as those cars are considered the purist design with 150 b.h.p. on tap – an increase over the later 260Z, which took a hit in horsepower due to a lower compression ratio.

Still, unlike Porsche 356s and BMW 2002Tii’s, there’s a limit to a Z-car enthusiast’s appetite for a project. eBay shows plenty of rusty carcasses languishing with no bids, while projects that are already fairly close to road-going – like this car – get buyers hungry. This car is repainted in blue with the original red/orange paint still visible in the engine bay, and the seller notes a tick coming from the engine that remains undiagnosed. To me, ticks are usually signs of sticking lifters, which isn’t uncommon for a car that’s been sitting like this one has.

I guess the simple answer to my earlier question is to find a 240Z with as much of its original components still in place and throw it on eBay. I feel like the day is coming, however, when 240Zs in any configuration are going to be out of reach for the average enthusiast. Will the 260Z have its day, especially given it could be had with the prettier chrome bumpers that made the original Z such a striking design? If you were hoping for a 356 project but don’t have six-figures to throw at a carcass, you might be considering a 911SC from the early 80s – and I suspect the same trend will someday affect Nissan’s marquee sports car.