78 Black Pearl Z

[Zrush]

Yeah, I have to agree. Pin-striping is not my bag either. It's a 70's thing as so many of the cars in that era had it. The Black Pearl is nice, but the ZX's that followed where to "Disco" for me with all that two-tone paint, plush interior and fancy switches and buttons. Talk about an electrical nightmare. :sick:

[Bambikiller240]

I'm no expert on 280Z's, but this one sure looks to be in very nice original condition. If the milage can be verified, and there is no evidence of salt/rust issues; it could be worth it. Of course negotiating with the owner for a slightly better price is always a great idea.

[daddz]

Smokey,

A couple of things lead me to believe that the mileage may be accurate. In the engine bay photos the cadmium coating is present on the EGR assembly and the plastic wiring harness ties are unusually clean and free from staining. The "OK" sticker is in remarkably good shape (although Mike McGinnis of Banzai Motorworks is reproducing those stickers--Nissan bought a batch from him for the 240Z restoration program) and the 5 speed shift knob looks to be original. I ordered a replacement 5 speed shift knob from Nissan about 8 years ago and the texture was changed from the '78 style. I wish there were better pictures of the louvers. If the louvers were installed by the dealer (such as mine on my avatar) then they will extend above and below the hatch window which requires drilling of the sheet metal. If the louvers fit within the window opening then it is safe to assume that they were aftermarket louvers (i.e. Shadow etc..). Lastly, the radio looks to be stock and in good condition.

As always make sure (especially for that price) that he has all records, preferably the original window sticker. The Black Pearl's could either have been delivered with steel wheels and stock 280Z hubcaps or the four spoke alloy wheel (optional in the U.S. and normally seen on the European 260Z's).

I think this car was also being advertised on the collector car trader website (http://www.cctol.com).

Good luck.

[Smokey]

daddz, ask and ye shall receive. Here is your picture of the louvers. And, yes, CCTOL is where I saw the car. Thanks for the imput on the authenticity of the mileage claim.

[26th-Z]

Smokey,

That's a Black Pearl and you can get some info about them from Zhome for starters. I thought there was supposed to be a commemorative plaque on the console, but I could be wrong.

The Black Pearl is a limited edition model of the 280Z and quite collectable. You could expect that car to increase in value as an original example - strictly original. From the looks of it, you would have very little to do to return it to original, but some things, making it a fun and easy project / collector car to own. It looks to be in very good shape. I would just have the rocker fixed and blend the paint. I don't have the slightest idea how hard it would be to find a stripe kit for it, but I wouldn't if I didn't have to.

At 50,000 miles, that car has reached it's tolerance of miles for a collector car. Any more miles - substantial miles - would lessen the value of it. If you drove it on outings and to events only, maybe no more than 500 miles a year, it would be a fun car to have. But if you plan on driving it frequently, forget the collector car routine. You will wear it out and loose the value. I liked the reference to the Zzap add, thanks. That's another collector car at the same point in it's collector car career. Time to retire to the garage.

This is a good time to start finding cars like this. They still have relatively low miles and exist in original condition or can be returned to original economically. The paint is original, the stripes are original, the interior is original, even the cad plating still gleams. They will be the ones most sought after in the future.

I don't know what to tell you on the price. You need to do some homework and find out what they have been selling for. Incidently, that ebay $33,000 Factory Restoration car with 50,000 miles was reduced to $25,000 and sold without meeting the reserve. That will give you an idea of what is happening in the collector car world. If that car does trade, it will be above $25,000. If I had $10k for a garage toy, I would call him up and make arrangements to see the car.

[2ManyZs]

I've seen a couple of the Black Pearls on Ebay besides the one a week or so ago that was in pieces, and most seem to go in the 7500-12K range as far as asking(Buy It Now or sold) prices. All depends on the mileage and condition.

I guess it depends on whether or not you could resist the temptation to modify it to suit your tastes, as these cars really ought to be kept as close to stock as possible. Unless of course it's just a set of wheels or something that can be unbolted easily.

Shame we never got any of the limited production 240's like other markets did, as I think those would certainly add to the collector values of all 240's in general.

[Zedrally]

Originally posted by 2ManyZs

Shame we never got any of the limited production 240's like other markets did, as I think those would certainly add to the collector values of all 240's in general.

Without hijacking the thread could you expand on this in a new thread?

I've never heard of limited production/edition 240's?

Was this something unique to the US?

[26th-Z]

No real hijack - just a diversion. Zhome has a real good explanation of the limited production American models and they are mostly the 280 Z series of the S30. The Black Pearl and Zzap editions, for example. Our American 240Z came in one flavor and we consider different variants that were actually dealer add-ons after the car was imported. In other parts of the world and especially Japan, the S30 came in several different flavors. There was a basic Fairlady, a luxury Fairlady, a high performance Fairlady and a racing version of the high performance Fairlady. There were versions with different body work (Alan has a beautiful example) and different engines. And because so many military Americans were in Japan, there was a version for them to buy in Japan and take home with them. Some of those cars were actually limited productions and some were low production volume. Brian Long gives a great description of all the S30 versions in his book; "Datsun Z, Fairlady to 280". Check it out!

[Zedrally]

Sorry, I may have misunderstood what 2many was saying.

My interpretation of his reply was that there where limited HLS30 or HS30 editions.

I'm aware of S30 versions, not different HL or HS-30 editions.

[2ManyZs]

I was referring to the lack of limted production cars in the US prior to the 280's in the late 70's, such as the Black Pearl Edition and the Zzap variant.

Now, if we had the low volume 240's such as the HS30-H's and 432R's imported to the US, I think we'd see all the 240's gaining more in value, since people would be interested in the low volume models, and when they find they couldn't get one, they'd "settle" for the base model instead....

Unfortunately, we got one model and that was it until 77 or 78. Then we did get the 280ZX-R's and the Anniversary Editions later, but they don't do much to increase the value of the earlier cars as they have their own following....

Of course, the lack of any other limited production cars prior to the Zzap and the Black Pearl, the values of these cars is substantially increased.

[Smokey]

Welp, I just got another Email from him. He responded to the mileage issue with a resounding--I have no way to verify the mileage other that the condition would dictate that it is not 153,000. So I will be going on pure assumption on the mileage.

I had also asked him about services. He has had the car for about 3 years and just drives it once a week or so. Therefore the services could not be done per mileage, but by time. He was confused about the question and asked if he needed to change fluids more often when not driven daily. Gonna have to get that point clear. Hope that he doesn't have the original fill in the crankcase from 3 years ago:ermm: .

As far as the collector aspect goes. I would keep it pretty much as it is now. I don't have much interest in changing the formula of a Z, just enjoying it. And, I would keep the mileage down too, so that would not be a problem.

[Smokey]

OK, I talked to him on the phone tonight. Very nice guy. Turns out, he has most of the service receipts from the original owner. He will be getting those out and seeing if the mileage can be verified. He thinks he also has the original window sticker. I asked him directly about rust again. He says that there is none on the car that he is aware of. He also stated that a potential buyer had come to look at it, and smoked it over pretty good. He was unable to find any rust on the car at all.

This is actually looking better and better the more I talk with him. Shame I will be going out of town next week. Gonna have to wait till almost New Years to go and look at the car.

Interesting side note. I researched the Black Pearl Edition this evening. Found out that the decals were part of the "Sport Appearance Package" (of course, you guys already knew that). Reminds me of the current Ricers that ad stickers thinking they equal more horsepower.:stupid: .

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Found a link to a guy that makes reproduction stripes for the car. Might be good to know if I have to put any new paint on the car. If anyone is interested I'll post the link.