1974 Datsun 260Z – Today’s Racecar Tempter

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 19.04.2018

While Targa Tassie rages on this week, this rally-ready Z is a tempting turnkey package

The S30 Datsun Z was one of the original affordable sportscars, its dynamic swooping roofline was a stark departure from boxy 510 and power from its rorty L-series inline-six outperformed many cars of the time costing upwards of twice the price.

The US was the Z’s biggest export market, where it was cemented in SCCA competition around the country, and on the world stage, it won the unforgiving East African Safari twice.

While the original 240z may be the most celebrated, and the succeeding 280z added innovations such as fuel injection, the 260z has long been the middle-child of the lineage in the eyes of appraisers and collectors.

Given it was only in production for 18 months, from mid-1973 to the end of 1974, the 260z is often regarded as an incremental model update, most notably receiving a larger 2.6lt engine over the initial 240z’s 2.4lt unit.

240zs in good nick frequently fetch upwards of $60,000 however the later 260z continue to lag some ways behind, with restored examples asking around $40,000. For anyone willing to put in some work, a rough yet running example may be around $20,000; furthermore if you’re willing to put in the hard yards of a full resto, a project-in-waiting could be yours with change for $10,000.

This 260Z however, is not your usual original restoration, but boasts a thorough build sheet.

With a Cams certified roll cage, completely reworked suspension, fresh L28 motor with triple 40mm Webers and much more; this car offers a turnkey package ready for anyone looking to get into the competitive motorsport this car was bred from.

The car is listed at $43,000 and you check out the full listing here.

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