1983 Datsun 280ZX

1983 was the final year of production for the Datsun 280ZX, and it was also the last year the Datsun nameplate appeared on this car at all. Starting with the 300ZX that replaced it in 1984, the Z-car wore only the Nissan badge going forward. That makes the 1983 280ZX the end of an era in the most literal sense, the final expression of the Z-car under the name that started it all. This one is finished in Thunder Black, specd as a GL 2+2 with the five speed manual, the leather and digital package, and the T-bar roof with tinted removable glass panels. The T-bar was only available in combination with the GL package, so the presence of one confirms the other. The original window sticker shows an MSRP of $17,774, a significant number for a Japanese sports car in 1983, and it comes with the car today.

Under the hood is the 2.8 liter inline six backed by a five speed manual transmission. The 280ZX was Motor Trends Import Car of the Year when it debuted in 1979 and set a record for Z-car sales in its first year on the market. Nissan deliberately moved the Z-car upmarket with this generation, adding four-wheel independent suspension, rack and pinion steering, and a level of refinement that Car and Driver called a genuine grand tourer. The GL package includes power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, and alloy wheels as standard, rounding out a car that was positioned directly against the Celica Supra and the Porsche 944 in the import performance market.

Inside, the tan leather interior is clean and well appointed with the door card stitching from the 280ZX carrying through the cabin. The digital instrument cluster with audio voice alerts was one of the most technologically advanced features available in any production car in 1983, the kind of detail that made buyers feel like they were sitting in something from the future. It still feels distinctive today.

The 280ZXs place in the Z-car lineage has been quietly reassessed by collectors over the last several years. The first-generation 240Z through 280Z cars have always commanded strong money, and as those prices have moved out of reach for many buyers, the 280ZX has stepped forward as the accessible alternative with genuine pedigree and a well-documented history of reliability. A Thunder Black GL 2+2 with the five speed, the T-bar, the digital package, and the original window sticker from the final year of production is exactly what that reassessment looks like in practice.

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