31K Miles Series I 240Z Up for Auction on BaT - Over $100k on First Day!

[lonetreesteve]

This award winning car is registered as a 1971 240Z; however, it's VIN is HLS30-08540, built in 8/70, making it a 1970 model year car. 

Here's the link: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-160/

[ZCarFever]

I’m guessing It will go over 300,000$

[lonetreesteve]

1 hour ago, ZCarFever said:

I’m guessing It will go over 300,000$

You never know. It will be interesting to see what this beauty sells for! 

[7tooZ]

I wonder if there are cars trading outside of BAT in these price ranges ($100K +) or is it a small group of high end collectors bidding up each other’s cars. Do anyone of you know of recent sales outside of BAT close to these prices?

[grannyknot]

Oh how I wish I had never sold my March/70 240Z now. 

The car has only been up for one day and already the BaT egos are in full swing.  Beautiful car, love the original paint.

[Captain Obvious]

Are we sure that is original paint?

[SteveJ]

56 minutes ago, 7tooZ said:

I wonder if there are cars trading outside of BAT in these price ranges ($100K +) or is it a small group of high end collectors bidding up each other’s cars. Do anyone of you know of recent sales outside of BAT close to these prices?

Both, but I think they are different groups. I'm not sure how high the private trades are going, though.

[26th-Z]

Boy, it sure is in rough shape for only 31,000 miles.

[DC871F]

I'm in my 40's, and had my first Z Car when I was 16, and then many other Z's followed including about 4-5 240z's. With that said, I'm not really pleased with whats happening to these cars. I also have had many Oval window Beetles and still have one, and the same thing is happening with those cars as well. Zero reason for a 1957 Beetle to sell for $50,000.

I cant see why these cars are becoming unhinged with value. I still drive these cars everyday, go to the store, take trips, leave them in hotel parking lots, etc. I not sure you will be able to do this if this kind of thing continues. Can you insure one of these for 6 figures? You would probably get laughed at by the insurance agent.

Other than the early VIN cars, these cars are not rare by any stretch of the imagination. So why the hubub?

Edited October 11, 2020 by DC871F

[Captain Obvious]

9 hours ago, 26th-Z said:

Boy, it sure is in rough shape for only 31,000 miles.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm wondering if everyone is in agreement that it's original paint. It's certainly a beautiful car and I'm no expert on what should/could be painted, but I see stuff that makes me wonder.

[motorman7]

13 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Are we sure that is original paint?

I'm a bit skeptical on original paint due to the texture of the orange peel.  Seems to be too many lumps /divots per square foot.  The paint texture appears to be much different that the $300K car or my original paint '70.  Also wonder why the heater is bypassed...leaky core?  This car is no where near the $300K car which in my opinion is the best looking Z I have ever seen, and I have been to a lot of Z shows.

I actually saw this car several years ago at the San Marino motor show.  My thoughts were that it would just take a few fixes to make it a really awesome car.  Just wonder why it was never done, still not done.

[Captain Obvious]

Well I got no dog in this fight, but I really don't think that's original paint. There's just too many flags all over the place. In the auction, they never say it has original paint. They do, however, say the following:

"The seller reports that a scratch on the right fender and paint chips on the right door were blended in. More than 45 paint-meter readings provided in the photo gallery below show thicker measurements in the aforementioned areas."

So what does that mean exactly? To me, that means "We took paint thickness measurements from all over the car and everything looks about the same thickness with the exception of the right side door and fender. Seller reports that those areas were sprayed to fix some issues."

I don't think that means the rest of the car is original... All that means is that the rest of the car is CONSISTENT.  Like maybe the whole car was sprayed at least once some time in the past, but then the right side was done again? Makes me wonder what the paint thickness would be on a confirmed original paint survivor. Would it be half the thickness they got all over that car?

I saw the heater core looped too and I'm guessing the heater core is leaky.

[siteunseen]

It looks like #110 paint to me. Maybe is has been repainted?

From zcarguide.com

Until Aug. 1971 (replaced by 110 red)

905

Monte Carlo Red

 

From zhome's color chart. 905 Monte Carlo.

Edited October 12, 2020 by siteunseen

[SpeedRoo]

Great to see such a nice original 1970 240Z. My car is less than 300 chassis later and also built in 8/70. Going to use this one as a reference as I slowly restore my car.

Question for the experts out there, should I return mine to original or keep all the BRE/Interpart/Mulholland upgrades fitted by the first owner, including original American Racing 14" Libre wheels. It came with BRE front and rear spoilers, Interpart/Mulholland suspension upgrade including sway bars, adjustable camber bushings, compression rod bearing, steering coupler, BRE exhaust header. All the bits were on the car when I got it, it had been sitting in storage since the early 1980s but I have it up and running/driving now.

[jfa.series1]

Just to aggravate another thread topic of past, I note the steering wheel is red/brown and not blond! 😉

[Patcon]

6 hours ago, SpeedRoo said:

Great to see such a nice original 1970 240Z. My car is less than 300 chassis later and also built in 8/70. Going to use this one as a reference as I slowly restore my car.

Question for the experts out there, should I return mine to original or keep all the BRE/Interpart/Mulholland upgrades fitted by the first owner, including original American Racing 14" Libre wheels. It came with BRE front and rear spoilers, Interpart/Mulholland suspension upgrade including sway bars, adjustable camber bushings, compression rod bearing, steering coupler, BRE exhaust header. All the bits were on the car when I got it, it had been sitting in storage since the early 1980s but I have it up and running/driving now.

keep all the upgrades!!

[inline6]

Predictions on closing bid?  It is interesting to see these cars make their way out into the light after storage for many years.  With the high number (relative) of series I cars that were made, I am sure there are more still hunkered down in storage.

[Patcon]

No idea!!

Amazing some of the numbers these cars have brought this year

[26th-Z]

I'm fairly negative on this car and just don't see the comparative value with a few cars I have seen on BaT lately.  The speedometer is my tip-off.  I simply don't believe this car has 31,000 original miles.  I'm guessing that the speedometer has been replaced or the odometer set back.  Picture 110.  Why would the face plate on the speedometer shift like that on a car with only 31,000 miles?  And did you read about why the heater is blocked off?  Because the previous owner didn't want excessive heat in the cabin?

I smell a rat.

[Zed Head]

Seems like the guys writing the BAT words weren't sure about the 31,000 miles either.  They say "shows" 31k, not has.  

Interesting though, the service records indicate not many miles at all from 1981, the 30,000 plus is all pre-storage.  I pulled a few dates and mileages from the receipts.  Too bad there's not more before 1979.  30,000 miles in 8 years is 3,750 / year.  Weekend cruiser numbers. 15,000 / year is daily driver numbers and gets 120,000 total.  So those 79 odometer numbers could be rollover numbers.  Are the numbers all wonky, the rollover clue?

July 28 1979 30,191

July 16 1981 30,395 

July 17 2017 30625
August 1 2017 30626

Haven't seen an unrolled odometer so can't judge.  Wear on other parts would be a sign also.  Gears, throttle linkage, stuff like that.

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by Zed Head

[7tooZ]

28 minutes ago, 26th-Z said:

I'm fairly negative on this car and just don't see the comparative value with a few cars I have seen on BaT lately.  The speedometer is my tip-off.  I simply don't believe this car has 31,000 original miles.  I'm guessing that the speedometer has been replaced or the odometer set back.  Picture 110.  Why would the face plate on the speedometer shift like that on a car with only 31,000 miles?  And did you read about why the heater is blocked off?  Because the previous owner didn't want excessive heat in the cabin?

I smell a rat.

I too have issues with not just this car, but what I feel is a group of “Big time Collectors” making comments and bids that establish a valve of of their cars. I started wondering about this car when 100k happened. Right away one of them comes to his rescue about how he is a big time collector and a smart investor. REALLY what smart, informed collector throws out that bid on day one.???????    Will that bidder be there at the end or just establishing a value. 

[Zed Head]

Are these guys in on it?  Love a good mystery.

https://fiva.org/en/awards/fiva-awards/#:~:text=The FIVA preservation award recognises,under the patronage of UNESCO.

[Zed Head]

The typical wear parts really don't show much wear.  Unless the original owner took really long trips.

 

[inline6]

Something I find odd is the plating on most of the parts in the engine compartment looks like it is silver?  I would think the parts should look more like the green car that sold for $310k.  When compared to that car, lots of things are... different:

• Front bumper rubber strips installed without care to keep the embedded fastener from torquing/twisting the rubber so it is not straight
• tape lines on the back edge of the driver side door and front edge of driver side quarter panel?
• tail light trim panels and license light painted black? 
• rear bumper rubber dry rotted and cracked?
• rear license light cover distorted from heat (usually an indication of lots of use as heat from the bulbs distorts the plastic over time)
• "adjusted" driver side door latch receiver (pic 152)
• wear on brake and clutch pedal pads (pics 159 and 160)
• no pics of driver or passenger floor jute - most of it appears to be missing
• shift knob looks like a replacement nos item instead of the original ones.  Compare with the $310k car.  Why was that replaced?
• rear hatch main rubber seal - dry rotted
• rear hatch jute missing/condition of pieces that remain
• silver spray painted rear hatch latch
• careless damage to air filter cover by banging against brake master cylinder bleed screw during removal
• not original air filter cover bolts
• condition of original(?) cloth weave heater supply and return hoses
• condition of plating on hard lines 
• driver seat upholstery distortion/seams starting to come apart (seat on passenger side)
• lack of blue paint on block...
• missing original Nichira center resonator and pipe
• Nichira rear muffler looks like a possible nos replacement?

Engine compartment really doesn't compare well with the high mark green car.  

I think the car is nice, but it doesn't look like a 30k mile car to me.  Maybe it is, but spent a lot of years on a carport where it wasn't as protected by the elements as in a garage?

[grannyknot]

1 hour ago, 26th-Z said:

And did you read about why the heater is blocked off?  Because the previous owner didn't want excessive heat in the cabin?

I've done the same thing on my car during the summer,  the engine coolant when at full temp will transfer that heat to the heater core and that radiates into the cab. Although I would not be surprised if the heater valve leaked as well.

27 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Seems like the guys writing the BAT words weren't sure about the 31,000 miles either.  They say "shows" 31k, not has.

BaT always says "shows" unless the seller has rock solid documentation of the mileage.

That pristine drivers seat says 31,000 miles.

I'm not saying the car is this or that but with the price going higher and higher it is just a matter of time before cars that have been doctored start showing up.