Someone’s got themselves a real time capsule here in their driveway: a pristine Datsun 280ZX 2+2, with the obligatory rear window louvers!
I’ve written all I can about these over the years, so you all are going to have to provide the color commentary.
What this car proves beyond a shadow of a doubt is that humans are highly prone to fads. In the seventies, they were willing to have their little kids ride in the back of this. Today it’s the back seat of an SUV or pickup. Of course those are infinitely more practical. Is there hope for humanity?
To me, the 280ZX is about the 80s more than the 70s, which I associate with the 240-260-280Z. The ZX was pretty good for the horrid auto-malaise era that was the early 80s, but I never warmed to these as I had the earlier ones.
The ill proportions of the 2plus2 remind me of a panoramic photo gone wrong. Still, these were nice cars in their way.
I once drove a 2-seater of this generation. My sister had purchased it in 1991 not knowing about the severe rust underneath. A local bodyman swapped in the floorplan out of a parts car and painted the body white (from black) all for $1500.
I remember the smooth, powerful straight-six and the firm, planted feeling on the road.
Granted I don’t have children, maybe I would be different if I did. However I was born in 1985 and by 1995 I was the oldest of three brothers. We never had a minivan, SUV or station wagon. My mom drove an 84 Ford Escort, 85 Mustang GT and at the end of the 1990’s my dad’s 1973 Beetle. So it always makes me laugh when someone has one child and has to go out and buy a stubby station wagon with a little bit of ground clearance (otherwise known as a “crossover” 😂
For perspective for the non-kid crowd (not judging here), imagine holding on to a 30-pound dog if you happen to have one that’s squirming and needs lifting into the back seat and then strapping in to a seat using a mini-5-point-harness. Try doing it into the back seat of a coupe and then try it with something slightly taller so you barely have to bend your back and with its own door. Then imagine doing it several times a day for the next few years as you get older with the first few years of it having the seat facing backward, i.e. you’re doing it sort of blind in the coupe. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but sometimes you pick your battles.
The back seat of a 280ZX 2+2 isn’t even good for making babies, let alone driving them around…
I finally understand why the minivan, SUV, and CUV became so popular. When I was growing up in the late 70’s and 80’s there was no serious enforcement of child seat and seatbelt laws. As a kid my dad drove nothing but 2 door hardtops and we would just hop in the back and go on a drive, sometimes even standing and holding on to the backs of the front seats. My mom and dad never had to worry about stretching and contorting to strap us down in baby or booster seats!
It’s a nice vehicle, but compared to the original 240Z the proportions are totally wrong,it looks like a photo that has been photoshopped. The doors are too long-I’m sure to aid access to the back seat and that really ruins its appearance for me.
I miss louvers. For something that was a fad, they were actually practical. The only downside I remember was that they made the window a pain to clean.
I actually saw a (highly modified) 370Z with rear window louvers last winter. I remember thinking when I saw it that I had no idea they still made those.
I was never all too fond of the 2+2 proportions either. I’d love to see a Shooting Brake treatment done on one of these. IMO the 2+2 takes it about halfway there anyway, so Nissan should have just revised the roofline a bit more and made something at least remotely practical.
Curiosity got the best of me, and it turns out it’s been done. At least once.
Man, you are right – Nissan missed the boat on that one! Beautiful!
I like that version, but I find it appears like a late 60s / early 70s interpretation of an estate version. I aimed for more of a late 70s/ 80s interpretation below.
For MTN’s comment above, you and I were thinking the same thing. I started on this Photoshop below, earlier this morning, before you posted. See what you think.
The 280ZX is easily one of the most British-looking modern Japanese sports cars. I believe a long roof estate version, if ever introduced, would perhaps have been the most attractive variant.
I’ve taken a few moments to create a suggested Photoshopped version. I think it looks more attractive. I’ve extended the wheelbase slightly. The track in the rear seemed narrow, so I also widened the rear track. The rear tires and wheels appear too tucked under the wheel arches in the production car. I’ve cleaned up and narrowed the B pillar. And removed the rear haunches that lower to the rear. I find that a weak design element. Keeping the coke bottle styling going straight to the rear gives the rear side more visual strength.
I do think generally, Datsun could have done a much cleaner job with the rear side profile. The louver looks so bad. 🙂
That looks great. Centering the rear wheel inside the opening seems to do so much for perspective. These changes really give it a lower sleeker overall look. Now I’m getting almost a Harold and Maude vibe from it. I should just stop now.
Thanks! You know, I think Datsun may have known the profile of the 280ZX wasn’t the most flattering angle, as the vast majority of ad pics were low angle frontal shots, that emphasized their drop nose, and long hood. I really like that estate wagon look as well. The Chev Vega Kammback is another one of those cars that would have looked wonderful in a sports version with a long hood. I made this Photoshop a couple months ago.
Dang — I just saw a 280ZX earlier this week, but I couldn’t get me camera out quick enough to get a picture of it.
And regarding having little kids ride in the back of cars like this, I can relate. In 1975, when I was 2 and my sister was 7, my father bought a VW Scirocco. Granted we did have another car as well, but using the Scirocco as a family car didn’t seem odd to me at all at the time.
Back in the day my only car was a ’78 Scirocco, and I was in a carpool with 2 others who lived in my apartment complex (they later married)…and all 3 of us had import 2 door cars used to carpool. Besides the Scirocco, the lady had a ’79 Datsun 310 Coupe, and her husband-to-be had a ’78 Ford Fiesta.
The Scirocco wasn’t very big in the back seat, but we were all younger and more spritely getting in and out of vehicles.
Only real reason we carpooled was to get better parking spot…we lived less than 5 miles from work, though we had to navigate urban roads and cross the Merrimack river. This was right after the 2nd gas shortage, in the early 80’s, but our cars weren’t too practical for hauling people when we were young.
That vintage 280ZX ad is cool to see, not as popular on Youtube like the “Black Gold” one however.
And speaking of “Black Gold”, I repost that one for the occasion. 😉
These weren’t any less practical than a Camaro or Mustang. They were the choice of a young couple with a couple of young kids. I had a ’77 model with a 5 speed that I chose because I had to drive the kids around. A two seat model would have sat most of the time. The Z was much more a sports car than the American alternatives. It also had a very handy hatchback. The photo is of a similar car. I think that the earlier model had better proportions.
Too early for my time and all but gone from the roads up here in the midwest. About the only one I recall is the one that played a small role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/246923992039198634/
It’s better to have louvered and lost than never to have louvered at all!
The louvers out back I’m indifferent to, but I loathe those stupid full-width taillight accessory panels. As if you needed that huge 280-ZX script to let others know what you drive… Precursor to the Altezza lamp trend of the Aughts in yuck factor for me.
Some of those worked better than others, I kind of like the look of 79-82 Mustangs with them, though I do quite dislike the lettering. The worst part is the almost universally inelegant relocation of the license plate, having it off to the corner like this triggers my ocd for symmetry.
Like Altezzas, you can pinpoint the car to blame for it
Louverly!
This one is in our shop for clutch work!
1978 260Z.
I will try to get more pix later today.
CC-in-scale has a yellow one, built from a late-seventies Japanese kit.
And a two-seater version, built a few years later.