Future Classic Z Car?

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Everyone remembers the Datsun 240Z, the Japanese E-Type with, these day, Japanese E-Type prices to match.  Fifteen years ago a really nice 240Z could be bought for under $20k and we all thought they were outrageously expensive then. Well try buying one now. So does this bode well for the 240z’s younger, slightly overweight brother?

It can be difficult to predict what cars are going to be sought after collectibles of the future but we can try. The original Z car was pitched against the MGBGT sports car that was quite popular in America at the time. The Datsun was a success due to being faster, better looking, more reliable and cheaper than the MG. In fact the 240Z was more powerful than the far more expensive Porsche 911 at the time. So it seems the 240Z was always destined for classic status. So how does the 300ZX stack up?

In its day the 300ZX was competing favourably with much more exotic European and American machinery and proved to be quite popular. Sure, the 300ZX is pretty porky for a sports car but then again, lots of cars got fat in the 80s and 90s. This longer 2+2 model with normally aspirated V6 is probably not the most desirable model from the range - that accolade goes to the twin turbo coupe with its giant killing 300hp. But this car at least has the manual transmission that will always be more popular with sports car enthusiasts. All in all, the 300ZX probably has the attributes to become a future classic but there’s one big test it has to pass.

I’ve heard it said that a good indicator of whether a car will become a future classic is if you thought it looked cool as a kid you’ll probably think it looks cool as an adult. So you’d have to ask a child of the early 90s whether the 300ZX was wall poster material. If the answer is yes then that kid will likely want to buy one when he’s 45.

The auction for this Nissan is this Wednesday (16^th Mar) at Turners North Shore. With an estimate of $3800 - $4800 it could be worth a punt. More details here.