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Just an opinion - I've always felt there's less point in creating a replica GTO if you're not going to use a Ferrari 250 GT as your donor chassis. IMHO, part of what makes these cars special is how they look, AND how they feel/sound/ride/handle - something which really can only be duplicated if you're using similar parts. A quality Ferrari-based GTO replica used to run about $250K maybe 6-7 years ago - these days much, much more.

I've used WayGo on my iPhone for a while. It does an OK job for small phrases:

I wonder if there was an earlier planned version of the comp roll bar which was screwed between the rear sill and the roof.

If you look across the broader spectrum of 60s to early 70s sports car selling prices over the last few years you'll see the same price increase almost across the board for well known global-market cars. E-types went from $125k to north of $300k, and 71-73 porsche 911s have tripled in price. A BMW 3.0 CSI was a 15 to 20k car forever, and all of a sudden it now costs over $50k for one you'd want to own. An early countach was $400k a few years ago, now they are $1.8 million. In this context it's not too surprising that late 60's and early 70s Japanese cars are following the trend. As the interest bell-curve edges towards cars of the mid 70s and newer, we will likely see more of that. At the same time, we'll see a decline in interest for the more common pre-war cars, and those prices will not keep up with inflation. Some selling prices appear skewed when it comes to fully restored cars - it can take $100k of more to restore most cars to concours levels, and more buyers are willing to pay a premium for true #1 cars, which skews the market for cars typically valued at far less than that. I think it would be a real litmus test to see a concours-restored, certified Z nationals winner cross the block. I would not be surprised any longer to see an eye-popping result. (Note, this is not to say that all the Japanese cars that sold in August were concours examples. I saw them all in person, and IMHO not all were concours).

Looks like the chandelier couldn't come up with the money. You rarely make as much the second time.

Given the sudden interest in Japanese cars, I have a feeling we'll see a Nissan or Datsun in some form or another at Amelia.

. . . yet, . I'd add that having owned both Ferrari and Jag marques, I feel there are plenty of pedestrian and simply "not-good" models in both marques, but even those are generally held in higher regard than they objectively deserve, based solely on their sharing a badge with other, truly superb models.

Just based on my experiences buying, selling, and following the classic car market - for all cars that are not individually known for winning a race, or some other historic achievement, when it comes to price, image in the eye of the beholder is everything. Even for the most pedestrian makes and models, I've found it astonishing at the list of intangibles that add value: a car that can differentiate itself just because it is a Ferrari, or even one that isn't but was assembled at the Ferrari factory; a car that was in some way involved in a movie, ad campaign, or otherwise; a car that was owned by a famous individual or actor; and more. For the time being, these "Factory commissioned" cars have value above and beyond what a typical concours restoration brings, if only because of their position in history. But like all things with intangible value-adds, as more Z cars get restored to factory original, we may see a change in the pecking order, as more collectors educate themselves with what is period correct, and what isn't, and decide for themselves what is more important.

There was a time under the old classifieds that I could get notified via email when someone posted something in the 240Z parts section. That was rather handy, as it pushed the content to my phone. Then it stopped working, and I moved on. Does the new system have that feature?

I saw this car in person at the show, and although it was not identical to some original designs, I personally thought the final product presented was an improvement, stylistically. The curved 3/4 window maintained the "Z"ness of the overall shape quite well, IMHO. Congratulations on achieving the goal.

Congratulations Kats an a most deserving award!

Factory air was available in the 1969-73 RHD Z-L models as an option, but i've only ever seen 2 installations, so it must not have been a very common option. I'd imagine it'd be straightforward to fit it to an export 240Z, if you could find the parts.

There was a factory-installed unit available for JDM (and other non-US countries? Anyone know?) which was made by Hitachi which can be retrofitted to US cars, although I've personally never seen it done.

Great find! Congratulations!

I was planning on bringing my car and already registered, but now I'll only be able to attend the car show as a spectator either on Thursday or Saturday. Any recommendations as to what will be at either show? My first thought was to go Thursday, but I'd think that the Thursday cars will likely all be at the show on Saturday, correct?

Kats, This is great news. Just the kind of book that needs to be translated into English- something with some real stories and facts. Anyone in the group have any thoughts about how to help make that happen? I'd be happy to make some phone calls to some publishers, under my pseudonym - "Al Goertzovich". Or better "Nicht Goertzovich".

Kats, I am looking forward to seeing you and your Z432 in San Diego! There are now several more Z432s in the country, but yours is still one of the nicest, and it's sure to be a big hit.

Hard to tell from the photos provided, but it looks like there's a formed indent on the front cross-member for the hood rod, which would not be consistent with an early chassis, I'd venture to say. Regardless, It does look to be in pretty good condition.

I have collected several copies over the years - it's an excellent resource for restoration fanatics, and helps distinguish part numbers based on model numbers. For example, it will show part numbers and diagrams for things that were not available on US cars, such as A/C, 5 speeds, and different motors. My books happen to be dated 1972, so this one is slightly newer. I can't say what the earliest copy is dated - it would be great to find an earlier one, say from 1970, if it existed.

Glad to see someone picked it up. Enjoy restoring it!

I was the previous buyer. I can confirm that I'm unable to pick up the car given constraints that I was unaware of at the time I agreed to the purchase. The deal checks out, and its a good one. I'm bummed to miss out, but there's hopefully someone out there who can take the car and the huge store of parts off the seller's hands. Time is of the essence, so I encourage anyone nearby, or who is willing to rent a U-haul, to go get this car. You won't be disappointed.

The 240ZG with the L24 might be worth close to the asking price if it's factory. The other's seem a little rich, but they're worth what someone will pay for them. Rocky also has a top C10 GTR available for $220K: ƒXƒJƒCƒ‰ƒCƒ“ GT-R S20 - ‹ŒŽÔE–¼ŽÔ(ƒnƒRƒXƒJEƒPƒ“ƒƒŠEƒtƒFƒAƒŒƒfƒB[ZEGT-R)‚̐ê–å“X ƒƒbƒL[ƒI[ƒg And a driver C110 GTR for $230K: ƒXƒJƒCƒ‰ƒCƒ“ - ‹ŒŽÔE–¼ŽÔ(ƒnƒRƒXƒJEƒPƒ“ƒƒŠEƒtƒFƒAƒŒƒfƒB[ZEGT-R)‚̐ê–å“X ƒƒbƒL[ƒI[ƒg Asking prices are noticeably higher than a few years ago.

The biggest issue with that knob for me is that it although it may be Nissan, it is clearly not a period knob - the original knobs were much narrower. A period knob recently went for $400 on Yahoo Japan.

Marin Concours is hosting a "Japanese Manufacture to 1985" class this year. It's a judged class, one of the first I've seen. This is a pretty big show, so I'm happy to see that they are judging the cars. Theres still a lot of predudice out there, but IMHO, a big part about the disrespect is due to the fact that 98% of all "restored" Japanese cars would not score well using typical concours scoring. At a traditional concours, only cars restored to appear factory-stock carry any cachet. And lets face it, most people install all kinds of upgrades and 3rd party add-ons to their Japanese cars when they restore them. That's simply not what many multi-marque concours are about.

They trade in a razor thin market. I've actually yet to meet anyone who is actively seeking a Z40