Your classic: Datsun 280Z

| 9 Oct 2024

There’s an old saying about never going back.

In a sense it’s true, but with cars we can relive some of our youth – even if it means doing so with a bit more weight, less hair and a slightly more measured approach to how we drive.

In the early ’80s I earned my degree from the school of auto hard knocks.

Bad cars and poor maintenance resulted in a series of duds that ended up junked or sold on.

A stop on the Datsun 280Z road trip to explore California’s giant redwood trees

Eventually, I found my ‘roadmate’ in a 1973 Datsun 240Z that was reliable, quick and sleek.

I drove it more than 50,000 miles and it never let me down, but after three years I moved on to a 1976 Porsche 911S.

I quickly embraced the marque and over the ensuing decades I bought, sold and drove the wheels off a dozen 911s up to my current neunelfer pair, a 1996 993 turbo and a 1985 Carrera 3.2.

I rarely looked back or even thought about my former cars, with one exception: the Z.

When occasionally I saw one, I recalled my ’73 and the many road trips with my girlfriend.

By today’s standards, Datsun 240Zs are primitive and underpowered, but 40 years ago they were sexy imports with kerb appeal and performance to match.

The Datsun 280Z parked outside In-N-Out Burger, which provided nourishment on the trip back to Seattle

At the height of the 2020 COVID shutdown, my attention turned to the online auction sites.

Datsun Zs had become a staple on Bring a Trailer, often nut-and-bolt rebuilds or low-mileage time capsules.

Six-figure sums occurred weekly for a car that sold new for $3500.

Eventually boredom, fond memories and curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to add a Z to my small collection.

Would it be a rotisserie-restored early-series car that could exceed $100,000? A DiY-restored ‘driver’ for $30-50k? Or a more robust 280Z with fuel injection and the optional five-speed ’box?

After a fair amount of research, chats with owners and test drives, I settled on a 280.

The Datsun 280Z’s bumpers were swapped for early-style chrome items

I wanted a car I’d use, and injection made sense for its lower running costs and more modern technology.

The ideal car then came up for sale in Fresno, California.

It was a professionally rebuilt ’77 in metallic blue, with a five-speed ’box, injection, a new interior and uprated suspension, brakes and wheels, plus a large stack of receipts from Z Car Garage in San Jose.

It also had a stroked 3.1-litre motor built by Hasselgren Engineering of Berkeley, dyno’d at 170bhp, to enable it to at least keep up with a modern SUV.

I originally intended to have the car shipped to Seattle, but after thinking back to those early road trips, I convinced my 12-year-old son, Andrew, that we’d have fun touring California, and the Oregon and Washington coasts, in our new acquisition.

In this Datsun 280Z, Greg and son Andrew embarked on a 1200-mile road trip from Fresno to Seattle

The route was c1200 miles and, after explaining to Andrew what a ‘Datsun’ was, we agreed on two things: we’d take the scenic Highway 101, and lunches would be at In-N-Out Burger.

We flew to Fresno and, after a short test drive, we were off.

The air-con blew cold, which was a big relief, and with noticeably more grunt than a 2.8, the acceleration was similar to my 207bhp US-spec Carrera 3.2. The five-speed was tight, the steering crisp, and the overall feel told me we would have some spirited driving ahead of us.

Day one took us 300 miles north on I-5 to Redding, but day two was more exciting as we made our way to Highway 299, a mountain road that snakes west to the Pacific with hairpins, fast straights, scenery and a decent number of passing lanes.

We made it to the coast in a bit under three hours and from there drove north on 101, stopping for a stroll through the Lady Bird Johnson Grove of giant redwoods. We then turned north along the Oregon coast.

Traffic was light and we revelled in the vistas of rugged beaches, breaking waves, jagged islands and steep cliffs, but fires closed the road 10 miles north of Florence and we were forced to sidetrack east to I-5 for the rest of the run to Seattle.

The Datsun 280Z handled the final 300 freeway miles with minimal fuss. A great trip, a great kid and a wonderful car. Ah, the memories!

Want to star in our ‘Your classic’ section of the magazine and online? Get in touch