1980 Datsun 280ZX 10th Anniversary Model Sells for Record Price

We have been living with this idea that the Japanese cars from the 1980s are some cheap, sporty, fun means of transportation compared to – let’s say – their German counterparts. But it seems that it is long gone. Forget everything you knew about the Datsun models. Some are anything but cheap. And this one right here stands proof.

It has just been sold for nearly a quarter million dollars. Yes, you read that right. Someone paid $231,000 for the 43-year old model at an auction during the Monterey Car Week.

It is not exactly one common Datsun. Having rolled off the assembly line in 1980 as a tribute to the Nissan Z, it is a 10th Anniversary model in rare red and black color combination.

Part of the Mike and Debbie Rogers Collection, it is one of only 3,000 ever made. Of those 3,000, only 500 were painted in red and black, with the other 2,500 going for Black and Gold. In early 1980s, all 1,250 Datsun dealerships in the United States received two cars in Black and Gold, with the top 500 gross sales getting an additional Red and Black example.

It also sports a completely red interior, and it comes with a manual. What more could a collector ask for?

Stored away from the elements, the model was pampered over the years by its first owner, Gerry Lane, from Batton Rouge, Louisiana. Gerry's grandfather had a Datsun dealership. So you can imagine the car got the best of treatments.

The two-seater still wears the 14-inch wheels wrapped in the original P195/70R Goodyear Wingfoot tires, as documented by the warranty brochures included in the sale. And that is explainable since the odometer only shows 28 miles. On its first and last sale (before the auction), it had only driven for 12 miles. The first owner sold it three years ago, in October 2020, for $70,000 at the Barrett Jackson auction.

Since it drove through the factory gate, this Datsun only changed the battery and – for a reason that is beyond us – the radiator.

There is a long equipment list: it has power windows, power driver’s seat, a factory-fitted AM/FM cassette stereo. And there is a long list of awards that this car has taken home in its 43 years. It was voted Most Original Z Car at Colorado Springs ZCON by the Nissan Factory in 2022. And it also got the first place Stock 280ZX at ZCON in 2022.

The Datsun is powered by a 2.8-liter inline-six engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and delivers 135 horsepower. The 280 was the last of the Zs to use the inline-six.

In 1980, when this car was first purchased, its first owner paid $13,990. Most such cars would not sell in excess of $20,000. But if the sellers see the car sold at the auction during the Monterey Car Week, they might review their listings on car sales websites.

The most expensive Datsun ever sold was a 240Z (known last eh Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan). A buyer from Japan paid $1.1 million for the 1970 model.