Datsun 260Z | Noticed

Wowzers! I do know the previous “How a lot?” routine accounts for at the least 98 per cent of the feedback on PH, however even I’m becoming a member of on this time. This Datsun 260Z is sort of £100,000, and the advert says it needs to be 50 per cent extra, but it surely’s within the sale. There’s just one phrase for that, and I’m afraid it’s nonetheless wowzers! However the ‘particular’ value doesn’t preclude the automotive from being a bit particular, although, and the Datsun 260Z is a particular factor, isn’t it? It was a automotive designed to inject the Datsun model with a bit of pleasure, and it did.

In case you’re a brand new producer, which so far as the western world was involved Datsun was again within the ’60s, you’ll at all times promote some automobiles in the event you’re punting out primary, low-cost, dependable fodder to punters worn down by the unreliability of stuff constructed by the complacent, old-guard manufacturers. And Datsun was promoting automobiles within the US earlier than the Z got here alongside. It had marketed the Datsun 1000 and 1200, however had solely offered 1,500 examples in a decade. Newer, extra thrilling automobiles got here alongside, however what Datsun actually wanted was a halo mannequin to seize some headlines. It wanted a hairy-chested sports activities automotive.

This being America, to be a profitable sports activities automotive that appealed to the capacity-mad yanks, it needed to have an engine that was larger than the typical American’s lawnmower. That’s what the 240Z acquired: a 2.4-litre straight six. This wasn’t going to tempt the diehard V8 mob out of their Mustangs, however there was loads of proof from Porsche, Triumph, Jaguar et al that you possibly can nonetheless promote large with a six.

This was no techno marvel, although. Together with large engines the opposite factor People like is one-plus-one-equals-two mechanicals. Simplicity, in different phrases. It’s all very nicely having novelties like mechanical gas injection to boast about within the gross sales brochure, and it will be high quality in the event you’re in a conurbation with foremost sellers round each nook who know how you can set it up.

In case you’re within the sticks it is a totally different matter. The sticks within the US means you possibly can be many, many miles from a franchise seller, so that you’ll have to depend on Previous Billybob’s Auto Store in your on a regular basis upkeep. And if Previous Billybob opens the hood to see a load of sophisticated pipes and injectors he might need a coronary heart assault, or, worse nonetheless, inform the village elders, and so they’ll flip up and burn you on the stake.

Triumph discovered this with its TR6. The sellers in America mentioned no to its blasphemous Lucas mechanical gas injection, so all TR6s offered there ran with good-ol’ carbs. The identical was true of the 240Z, which used a few Hitachi carbs, which seemed suspiciously like SUs, to spit gas into its fairly meat-and-two-veg alloy head mounted to an iron block. It labored, too. With its good-looking, European styling, which had echoes of the unique Ferrari Daytona, and impartial MacPherson strut suspension all spherical, the 240Z was a stable hit. It was launched in 1969, and by 1972 Datsun was punting out round 50,000 per 12 months within the US.

With the Datsun title now firmly established in American patrons’ minds, and never only for non-nonsense reliability but in addition desirability, the corporate was on the highway to success. Federal emissions laws had been strangling efficiency, although, so Datsun elevated the capability of the engine to 2.6-litres, creating the 260Z in 1974. Even so, with its pathetically low compression ratio the facility had dropped from the unique 240Z’s 151hp to round 140hp. Outdoors the US, although, issues had been somewhat brighter. With out such draconian emissions laws to fulfill, the 260Z added a modest energy improve to 162hp, whereas largely retaining the good-looking exterior model and traditional sports activities automotive inside of the unique. The 280 ZX was nonetheless a manner off, but. 

No matter you say in regards to the value of this one – and I don’t doubt you’ll say a lot – it does look completely gorgeous. The color is described as Grand Prix Purple, but it surely seems to be like burnt orange to me and that’s very of the time, too. And the paintwork seems to be pristine, together with the gleaming, four-spoke alloy wheels. It has a Webasto roof as nicely, which takes the battle to the TR6 by including a component of open-air thrills to automotive that was solely ever a hard-top coupé. It’s additionally reported to have coated simply 34k, comes with its unique instrument roll and jack, plus an in depth historical past file with its gross sales bill, handbooks, gross sales literature and 34 tax discs. So it is value a ‘wowzers’ in different respects, too – not only for the value.

Engine: 2,565cc, straight six, naturally aspirated
Transmission: five-speed handbook, rear-wheel drive
Energy (hp): 162 @ 5,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 157lb ft @ 4,400rpm
CO2: N/A
MPG: N/A
Recorded mileage: 34,000
Yr registered: 1978
Value new: N/A
Yours for: £97,500