Known as the Fairlady Z in Japan, the Datsun 240Z (and its successors) became a popular alternative to British sports cars. Powered by a 2.4-liter 6-banger, the 240Z helped put Nissan on the map in the U.S. from 1970 to 1973 before it morphed into the 260Z and (later) the 280Z. The seller has a pair of nearly identical projects from 1971 and 1972, and they will be sold as a pair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bidding on the duo stands at $4,550 without cracking the seller’s reserve here on eBay.
English sports cars are notorious for constantly needing attention, which Nissan was able to capitalize on with the more reliable little Zs. And they were more powerful by way of having two extra cylinders than most of the British competition (putting out 150 hp). A 4-speed manual transmission was standard, though less-adventureous buyers could opt for an automatic. The 240Z came equipped with disc brakes up front.
The seller was planning to restore this similar pair, but says his mechanics gave him/her the runaround for two years. So, the decision has been made to cut any losses and let someone else have their crack at the cars. Either restore both or use one as a donor to the other (your choice).
One is more complete than the other, and Mother Nature has been busy on the bodies of both vehicles. One started out with lime green paint, but faded red adorns the pair now. You’ll get titles for both cars should you take the plunge.
The 240Z was the only Datsun I really wanted back in the day…in fact by ’72 they were so desirable…a used one was going more than their original price. This pair offered look be a great project for a Z fan to complete…good luck on the sale.
Give one a Fairlady body kit, and the other a 250 GTO re-skin!
Both look like they should be restored and not parted out. However, they both need to be completely stripped soda-blasted to see what is really behind the paint. The shock towers look okay in both cases. No under-carriage pix and the rear shocks/struts can be rust nightmares. The rockers don’t look too bad, but detailed inspection, i.e., remove the doorstep plates and carpet, would be a good idea. If you can do your own body work and interior trimout, they would be very desirable cars. Skills, time, and cash required. Both for under $10K would be worth it. If you have to ship them, you’re looking at another at least $3-5K in the US. Too many projects hanging fire to take them on, but tempting for sure. Always loved them and wish I could have afforded on back when. These were $3600 and I bought a new 72 Corolla 1600 coupe (2TC engine, 4spd) for $1800 ($200/mo for 2 years and put 170K on it).
If you remember,dealers sold this for over list price
back then,& there was a (sometimes long) waiting list
for them.
I have spent a lot of time driving and working on one of these. A set of Bilstein struts, wider wheels/tires and an upgraded steering shaft coupler and the improvements make a huge difference. Very fun car to drive and blast around corners. The rear brake set up (including the parking brake) is very prone to corrosion/rust. Also keep the valves adjusted. And the cooling system clean. Heard of head gasket issues from others. So checked the head torque on ours at every valve adjustment. (Exhaust valves tend to get too tight) The boss drove his to over 300,000 miles with no issues. And drove it hard! If not so far away and would be on the back Burner for quite some time. I would be interested in taking these on. Restore one and perform the Scarab brand kit on the other. (SBC transplant)
I purchased a ’70 from a dealer while serving at Fort Gordon, GA. Had blast in it crossing the country returning home. With my wife’s and my heavy foot the “Z” performed better at speeds over 65 and much higher. Like many people I regret letting it go when I didn’t have too.
I owned a ’72 240 for 4 years. It was my primary car and I used it year ’round. We lived in the Syracuse (the salt city) area and I put many miles on it. Great car, lots of adventures but fender flares did not tolerate salt.
I was working tons of hours for about a 6 month stretch. I was driving home late one night. (I really should not have been driving) And I came up behind a 240Z at a traffic light. I all of a sudden realized that there was no driver! I shook my head and rubbed my eyes and I think I even slapped myself to make sure I was actually awake. And sure enough, no driver. I’m trying to make sense of this when I noticed the badge on the back of the car said Fairlady Z. I instantly looked at the righthand seat. And sure enough there was the driver! I had to laugh at myself in my half awake stupor. Luckily, I only had a couple of miles to go to get to my bed.
Back in 70 our office manager bought one. It was cutebut not a real car. Haha i had a 67 r/t with some extra power. He said he would race me home. The first mile was straight, i left him. The next 8 miles were twisty curvy. He was all over my rear bumper.had me slipping and howling thru the curves. I beat him by 5 feet. Next time i gave him a 15 second head start. I caught him just at the curves. He beat me by a minute. I learned respect for these cars that day and have enjoyed them thru the years.
Get one running as it sounds like one might not be too far from that condition. And road worthy of course.
Then restore or whatever the other, race car anyone?