At the end of 1969, a Japanese brand introduced a car that literally changed the world of affordable sports cars forever: the Datsun 240Z. Practically overnight, cars such as the MGB, Triumph TR6, the also- new Porsche 914, and every single offering from Alfa Romeo and Fiat were immediately rendered obsolete. Our Pick of the Day is one of those cars, a 1973 Datsun 240Z listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Clearwater, Florida.
Yes, people often cite the introduction of the Mazda Miata as doing the same thing but, unlike the Miata, the 240Z was a modern for the time, a technological tour de force when it was introduced — not a retro throwback to an earlier era. The Z incorporated the latest principles of design and mechanicals to make it a car that punched so above its class that it was almost in its own category of sports car. While none of these advances were new (SOHC inline-six, disc brakes, fully independent suspension), they were features that, until the 240Zs debut, had never been used together in a sports car at the 240Zs price point. It was the very definition of a car batting way above its pay grade. Instead of competing with like-priced cars such as those from MG, Triumph, and Alfa Romeo, it was more in the league with the Jaguar E-Type and Porsche 911T.
Looking at this car, I see a nice driver-level 240Z with no visible evidence of rust in the body or chassis per the many photos provided by the seller. The Brown Metallic flanks all appear to have a nice fit. This 240Z, unlike many other affordable ones, still wears all of its correct badging, with the only non-stock additions being the bump strips on the doors (which many dealers added when new) and a set of period-correct American Racing alloy wheels.
The seats have been recovered in a two tone vinyl material that is not OEM. I can easily get over that as you can swap these with the correct color and material for about $400. I personally would swap these and the non-original carpet set for the correct ones. The rest of the interior is in excellent shape, with the dash, door cards, center console, and steering wheel all correct and in great condition.
Under the hood is the correct Datsun L24 2.4L SOHC inline-six with correct dual Hitachi DAF342 side-draft carburetors. It features a custom exhaust with headers but otherwise looks stock and correct, with the only exception being the color of the air cleaner, which I believe should be painted orange.
The underside is in remarkable condition, as I see no evidence of replacement floors or other issues. The 240Z is well-known for its propensity to rust, and the underside of this one shows none of that anywhere to be seen. This looks like an honest and quite solid example of this sports car icon.
There was a time not so long ago, when you could buy an excellent 240Z for as little as $10,000. I bought the one I owned in the early 2000s for even less than that. Today, concours-quality examples can cost more than $100,000, making this clean 1973 Datsun 240Z appear to be an exceptional value based on its $27,900 asking price. If I were to buy it, I would quickly paint the air cleaner housing, then drive the wheels off it, taking it to events such as ZCON. I cannot think of any other car that has had such an impact in the sports car world for such little money than the 240Z.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
