1973 Datsun 240Z Coupe

Datsun-Nissan was certainly inspired by the Jaguar E-Type when it made the decision to introduce a new sports car to the American market. The Datsun 1600 and 2000 roadsters had been met with moderate success in the United States market, paving the way for Datsun to build a competitor to the best of the British roadsters. In comparison to the MGB, Datsun had the upper hand, thanks to its five-speed gearbox and 135 horsepower overhead cam engine.

When the Fairlady known simply as the Roadster in North America was due for replacement, Datsun decided to create a design aimed specifically at the North American market. The result was an E-Type inspired two-seater body designed in-house by Yoshihiko Matsuo at the Nissan sports car design studio.

Powering the new sports car was a 2.4-liter, overhead cam inline six-cylinder engine. It was given front disc brakes and a four-wheel independent suspension setup. Thanks to the efforts of Yutaka Katayama, who was responsible for marketing the Z in the North American market, the 240Z developed a cult following.

1937 was the final model year for the 240Z production. This particular example was purchased on March 31st of 1973 by Douglas and Kathleen Freeland of Canoga Park, California. It was purchased off the show floor at Westland Datsun in nearby Woodland Hills. The couple ordered the car with bumper over riders, slotted aluminum wheels, black body-side 'Z' stripes, Blue Coral wax and underseal for a final sticker price of $5,110.50.

In 1998, this car was put on jack stands to perform some mechanical work, but never got around to finishing the work. It would remain on the jacks for the next 17 years.

In January of 2015, Joe McMurrey of Longview, Texas, purchased the car from the Freelands. At the time, the odometer showed 81,558 miles. Recently, Mr. McMurrey commissioned a professional repaint in original code-918 orange. The black interior remains original, except for a new carpet which was installed many years ago. It is powered by its original matching-numbers 2.4-liter inline-6 engine mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2016