Looks like just another way to get the word out.  Somebody is selling a collection.

https://datsunracecars.com/

71 240z: Looks like he has most of the engine compartment intact. 15k OBO  Might be able to talk him out of the future paint job that come with it.

 

https://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/d/spokane-1971-datsun-240/7439281803.html

 

Saw this today.  Our Zs are easy to steal…unless you try to steal mine which currently has no dashboard or seats 😂. 
I suspect this car could  pop up somewhere for sale.  
 

 

Probably had the key in the ashtray. My Dad hauled cars after he retired and left the keys in the ashtray so he wouldn't have to keep up with them. Luckily he never got fired.

 

On 1/29/2022 at 8:07 AM, 26th-Z said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275139733325?fbclid=IwAR3tZMXOQ4chqfQLc3W0tI2DH8GoEDJZg3F7hbWvk1MzJtUxwUvoliykVOA

 

I can't speak to what the car is worth, seeing that can't afford it myself. This car ticks pretty much all the boxes for a collectable - First US car; great provenance; great condition; eligible for everything. I'd imagine those who have $1 million to spend on a solitary Japanese icon and want something that no one else has, this is a decent option.  And it appears to actually be available, which is typically the biggest challenge with cars of this caliber. 

It has past damage...

 

Here's more from Alan Robbins.

http://www.zhome.com/History/sharp.htm

15 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

It has past damage...

 

If that's the worst of the damage over it's racing career (which is probably unlikely, but I couldn't tell you), I'd venture to say that only adds to the provenance: "Model dents roof at show debut, and it's later given to a privateer for racing".  IMHO, that is actually a better story than if it hadn't happened at all, but perhaps that was your point.

Edited January 30, 20223 yr by xs10shl

10 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Here's more from Alan Robbins.

http://www.zhome.com/History/sharp.htm

Quote

"...the sixth Datsun 240Z ever built and the first one to be delivered to a Datsun Dealer."

Categorically NOT "the sixth Datsun 240Z ever built", but the page was last updated in 1998.

First one to be delivered to a Datsun dealer? Hmmm...

 

What if dept: It is interesting to imagine the hubbub the car would create if it still existed in its as-delivered state, if the caved-in roof had been repaired and the car had had a quiet life in sympathetic hands only to reappear today in remarkably original, untouched condition.

Seismic, I think.

 

Oh, you destroy the provenance if you repair the roof.

1 hour ago, 26th-Z said:

Oh, you destroy the provenance if you repair the roof.

OK then, in my little fantasy scenario we can still have the dent in the roof - complete with young lady if required - and see what kind of hullabaloo comes of it.

 

3 hours ago, HS30-H said:

OK then, in my little fantasy scenario we can still have the dent in the roof - complete with young lady if required - and see what kind of hullabaloo comes of it.

 

Fun to speculate what would sentimentally be worth more: A prototype Z with a roof dent, but otherwise unmolested; or the same car having led a successful racing career. For the prospective new owner, the question becomes: "To which state do I restore it?" Without all the original parts that came off of it included in the sale, I imagine it will most likely remain a race car.  I would additionally suspect those with deep-enough pockets to buy it are more likely to care about its eligibility for vintage events, with the roof dent incident simply being an added "bonus story" to tell during cocktail hour.