1980 Datsun 280ZX

“ A true classic from Japan, restored in the past and now quite usable. ”
Today just 50 are thought to roadworthy in the UK.

Background
Datsun’s 280ZX arrived in the UK at a pivotal time for parent company Nissan. Nissan had acquired Datsun back in 1930 yet had been loathed to ditch the well-known Datsun brand in some overseas markets. The 280ZX arrived in British showrooms as the first car to wear both Nissan and Datsun badges complete with a truly punchy £9,999 list price. As such the car represented the advanced party for the Nissan brand in Europe and also a sizeable chunk of Great British change. A Ford Capri 3.0S of the period was roughly half the price.

Interesting, then, given these potential headwinds that Nissan chose to significantly tinker with the Z-car recipe established by the 240Z (S30) of 1969 and ably carried forward by the 260Z that followed it. These were out and out sports car royalty and responsible for opening European eyes to the potential of a Japanese car as an alternative to a BMW or even a sporting Jaguar. The 280ZX was cut from different, more relaxed and comfy cloth, however.

The 280ZX retained the torquey, smooth L-series straight six engines from the S30 but not too much else. This was a softer, more refined car aimed squarely at older GT car admirers rather than the overtly sports car loving relative youngsters. As such a large proportion of UK examples were 2+2 cars (a two-seater only was available) with a fairly slushy 3-speed automatic transmission. A combination of these factors seemed to ensure that the 280ZX was always a left-field choice in the UK with only a few hundred thought to have been officially imported by Nissan for their UK dealers. The passage of time, however, has been kind to the 280ZX. Only a small fraction of those official UK cars remain in existence today and with a nice 260Z likely to set you back £30K plus its bigger, younger brother has finally come of age.

Overview
Those in the 280ZX know will prize a couple of factors above all else when hunting out these automotive equivalents of hens’ teeth. An original UK supplied car with the very much rarer and more engaging five speed manual gearbox. As luck would have it this nice example of breed offers precisely that. That’s a great start. Whilst not too much is known about the early life of this Datsun we can deduce a few key milestones from the available paperwork trail.

Registered in the UK in May 1980 it is believed, if DVLA records are to be trusted, that this 280ZX started life as a brown example. Very 1980! Two colour changes have been registered since then. The first to white with the current red livery being noted by DVLA in 2021. Judging by an earlier MoT hard copy dating from 1993, however, the red livery dates at least from that period.

We know that the car was acquired by current owner, Wayne, in April 2022 and that just a touch over 1,000 miles have been covered since it’s MoT test in 2018.

Estimate: £6,000 - £10,000

View Current Bid Price HERE