I might have had bad luck with one the last time I laid hands on it, but if you are lucky enough to have a first-gen Datsun Z-car in your possession, treasure it. If there was ever proof that a Japanese car company was striving to be loved in every market they entered, the S30 chassis was it: sporty and cute, nimble and quick, and with some fine-tuning an absolute beast. The interior was, for 1970, as good as it got, with full instrumentation, great legroom, and a useable luggage area behind the seats. 151 horsepower wasn’t anything to be ashamed of in a car that weighed in at half a ton lighter than most of the musclecars of the day. And just to make sure it was loved, it was actually fuel efficient by the day’s standards, which meant that the car was perfectly timed when OPEC decided to use oil as part of a political game in a couple of years. They are good.
Problem is, they are also old and just like the last one I had my hands on, have been thrashed, used up, and in many cases are battling rampant tinworm disease. If you see one nice and complete, you are seeing the end product of a restoration most likely. Now imagine finding one that is perfect. Not “that’s a really nice one”, but perfect. 350 miles on the clock. Untouched since 1976. A layer of dust thick enough to protect the paint from the sun with. What would you do?
Well, I would hope that you would be kind enough to give the poor thing a bath…
