Stunningly Restored Datsun 240Z Sold In Charity Auction

I confess, working for 20 years or so in the Nissan UK technical department was, on the whole, a little dull. For much of that time, all we had to excite us were cars like the ever-steady Almera. That is until the Skyline got revamped as the GT-R and the wonderful 350Z made an appearance.

The latter garnered some renewed interest in the classics of old, especially when a 350Z 35th anniversary edition was released in 2005 to commemorate the Datsun 240Z. The 240Z was always a sports car blessed with timeless design; something we can only ever see with the benefit of hindsight of course. It’s because we are beginning to realise that this is indeed a ‘classic’ design, that beautifully restored examples are now appearing – restorers know we will appreciate them.

Recently, a fantastic example of a fully restored Datsun 240Z went up for sale via the excellent Bring a Trailer digital auction site, a site that specialises in collector items, classics and enthusiast vehicles. BaT has a growing army of fans, and as such is surely going to be getting hold of more and more stunning one-off autos. This 1973 Datsun 240Z dates from an original sale on December 8th 1972 – the year that President Nixon made an unprecedented visit to China (and probably wishes he’s stayed there) and the unmanned Russian Luna 20 landed on the Moon. Yes, it’s a long time ago; so to see how wonderful this Datsun looks more than 50 years on is a joy.

The Datsun 240Z was originally sold by Rodgers and Rodgers in California, and the car was soon to end up residing in Arizona, where the weather no doubt played a part in keeping it preserved. Bring a Trailer stepped in and bought the car in 2018 aided by California-based Rob Fuller at Z Car Garage. Rob knew the car intimately, having looked after it for almost 10 years for the previous owner.

Bring a Trailer would go on to restore the car to an original look with some fine upgrades and use it as an event car. The Datsun also received original spec black upholstery and a fresh coat of striking Lime Yellow paint. A set of triple Weber 40 DCOE carbs feed the 2.7-litre engine, which was built by family-owned Rebello Racing in Antioch, California. There have been quite a few further upgrades for the stunning Datsun aside from the engine, including a 5-speed manual gearbox from a 280ZX added along with uprated disc brakes courtesy of Z Car Garage. 16-inch Panasport alloys and a custom exhaust and header complete the feast for the eyes. Recent pre-sale testing showed that the 240Z was achieving 203hp with 190 lb ft of torque.

This Datsun 240Z was fittingly the 100,000th listing from BaT and went on to sell for a cool $124,240 in March 2023 in the Bring a Trailer Piston Foundation charity sale. Piston Foundation is a non-profit charity which aims to give students the know-how and skills to find a career in the car collecting industry. Let’s hope the new owner will love and cherish it as much as it has been loved since 1972.

Images: bringatrailer.com