Nice original owner '72 survivor on Ebay with no reserve

[24 Ounces]

Original owner Z with its original documents, orig. spare, no rust, untouched with exception of one repaint. Not many of these out there, are there?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619&item=330681188223&viewitem=&category=6187

[Zup]

Saw this too---nice car, increasingly rare to see.

Still can't get a handle on the vertical defrost wires in the hatch glass though.

No mention of glass replacement, yet there it is.

I'm unaware of any 72 that would have had vertical glass wires as original, although I suppose that being sold in Feb. of 72 it could have been "in transition" from the early cars.

Sometimes there are "sins of omission", not a huge deal by itself but it gives reason to pause regarding the veracity of at least this part of the description "All orig glass is in car".

If it is original, it adds a bit of character to this 72 you won't often find.

I'm interested to see the final pricing in the auction for this car. As there is no reserve to cloud what the seller "thinks" the car is worth, it should give a good indication of bidder determined price for a car that is very original, except for paint, with full documentation. The documentation is the real kicker for me.

"Zup"

Jim D.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Zup
additional thoughts

[SteveJ]

Still can't get a handle on the vertical defrost wires in the hatch glass though.

No mention of glass replacement, yet there it is.

I'm unaware of any 72 that would have had vertical glass wires as original, although I suppose that being sold in Feb. of 72 it could have been "in transition" from the early cars.

Some 72s did have the vertical defroster grid. Your supposition is most likely correct.

[26th-Z]

Yes, HLS30-51391 would have been built around October / November 1971 and could very well be a transition car.

[Carl Beck]

I'm unaware of any 72 that would have had vertical glass wires as original, although I suppose that being sold in Feb. of 72 it could have been "in transition" from the early cars.

The 72 240Z's started production in Sept - at HLS30 46000. HLS30 51391 would have an Oct. build date. The horizontal defroster lines started in Jan. 72 production cars at HLS30 62001.

So there were about 16,000 1972 Model Year 240Z's with vertical defroster lines.

Look like a pretty decent Z - in the East it should go for over $10K at least. Most likely will still need another $3K to $5K to really put it in shape for trusted long road trips.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Diseazd]

Nice car......looks original other than overspray on front strut tower nuts. Carl .......good to see you're still around. This car makes me want to place a bid, but I don't want to get as crazy as Jimbo!

[24 Ounces]

Great details on this Z's engine..orig. Nikki fuel pump (but all hose clamps appear to have been replaced with stainless ones...why?), battery hold down, braided vaccum hoses with white/blue cloth tags (my '72 has them too), braided upper rad hose, blue painted oil pressure sening unit, engine lifting ear, possibly even the 40a. alt. The repaint is unfortunate (mine was repainted too, and the 2nd paint needs a repaint). It reached 9 grand in a day!

[Fred Sigarto]

My Z, which I purchased new in June 72 from Terry Tracy, Stang Motors, Elyria Ohio had vertical defrosters

[CW240Z]

My 72 is almost identical to this one, same color, and has the vertical defrosters as well. It's nice to see how much one like this goes for on eBay.

Chase

[24 Ounces]

My Mar '72 Z has the horiz. defroster lines. There were probably 2 suppliers (fuel pump had several). I am relatively new to the Z community (bought mine a year ago), and am surprized by how low these cars sell for. I know all collector cars are a crap shoot (esp in this awesome economy), and also money pits. It seems the highest prices go for very original Zs with documentation, so I have decided to leave my very original Z with documentation alone. Plans for the 2.7 Rebello engine, Eibach lowering springs and struts, and Panasport wheels will probably never happen. I may even leave the weird half vinyl top on mine just because it's been on the car since it was sold new.

[GreenZZZ]

My Mar '72 Z has the horiz. defroster lines.

Same for my Feb '72

[Arne]

I am relatively new to the Z community (bought mine a year ago), and am surprized by how low these cars sell for.

It's been a perennial issue. The 240Z appears regularly on various "buy one while they are still affordable" lists. The funny thing about that is that the collectible car "experts" have been predicting the "discovery" of the 240Z in the USA for at least 15 years now. Still hasn't happened. I figure there are a couple of root causes.

One is that despite the attrition over the years, Nissan built way too many, and for the US market they were virtually all the same. So there is no perceived "rarity" to a 240Z, despite the fact that vast numbers have rusted to crumbs by now. And since there were no real factory options or high performance versions here, there's nothing to set some apart from others. IMO, this is where the artificial inflated value on the low-VIN cars among 240Z enthusiasts comes from. Lacking any other distinctive rare versions or options, the low-VIN cars become the only "collectible" sub-category.

The other issue holding back the 240Z among mainstream US collectors is that they were built in Japan. Despite all that has changed in the world market (both automotive and in general) since the 240Z was new, a large number of US car collectors can't imagine a "collectible" car from Japan. Most are completely blind to the possibility.

Back on topic - This car (despite a few obvious flaws like the aforementioned overspray on the strut towers) is an outstanding starting point to build a really nice #3 weekend driver. With very little work it could be a car that would attract attention where ever it goes, and would show and score well in local and regional import/Japanese/Datsun events.

That said, I would be surprised if the bidding goes much above $10k, $12k at the very most. I'd like to be wrong, but personal experience tells me otherwise.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Arne