DougN

I wouldn’t be surprised if Larry commissioned the new book, and dictated his and Roberts inclusion to promote their own “expertise” regarding Z Cars to drive up the price of their offerings.

The few times I’ve commented on BAT, it seems to have posted immediately, although maybe my first comment or two were reviewed first. It doesn’t seem to me that there is any favoritism from BAT, other then letting The 240Z Guild comment on other Z auctions when that would appear to be a conflict of interest as he is a seller himself, and I don’t ever see other known sellers/dealers doing that. BAT gets paid a buyers fee on top of, and based on, the final sale price, so it’s in their interest to have any car sell for the highest possible price, but I doubt there is any kickback as that would possibly be illegal.

As mentioned in another thread, and probably more appropriate here, the story I heard about the BAT auction of this car is that the high bidder Larry (lsteppe) already owned the car when he “bought” it for his six figure high bid - being the highest price paid for a Z at the time. Another collector was offered the car sometime before the BAT auction for $65K, but passed. He told me Larry then bought the car from that seller. Larry has some sort of collaboration with Robert (the 240z guild) and they have a number of his cars in their showroom in OK. It seems Larry had his buddy Robert (the 240z guild) put the car on BAT so he could bid it up to a six figure price. So Larry’s bid didn’t really didn’t matter as he already owned the car and didn’t have to pay Robert (the 240z guild) for it. Granted, he did have to pay the $5K buyers premium to BAT. But, if he was able to sell it now for six figures, seems that his initial purchase around $65K and the $5K buyers premium for the “fake” auction to set a high price has paid off for him.

A few years ago some NOS door cards were found, but they were either US or Japanese passenger specs, meaning that they have the door handle pull on them. Guessing the driver sides wear out more frequently, so these were the left overs from US or Japanese spec full sets. Guessing this car has a drivers side door card from that group, which would explain the door handle. I still have one of these in the parts stash, but haven’t put it on.

Interestingly, the story I heard was that the Franklin Mint Z was offered to a collector I know for $65K some time before it was put on BAT. He passed, and it was bought at that time by another collector (Larry Steppe -Lsteppe on BAT). That collector has some sort of collaboration with the indicted felon who is The 240Z Guild on BAT, which may have started when Lsteppe bought an auctioned car from The 240Z Guild (before he called himself that) on BAT. Now, back to the Franklin Mint Car, as mentioned Larry bought the car when it was offered for sale privately, and then appears to have had The 240Z Guild put it on BAT, where he bought it from himself for “the highest price paid for a 240Z” at the time. If you read the comments on pretty much any 240Z auction, you’ll see Larry and The 240Z Guild trying to influence prices all the time. I’m guessing if the Franklin Mint car is still at The 240Z Guild in OK, it’s just because Larry hasn’t moved it back to Atlanta. The 240Z Guild has several of Larry’s cars on display in their “showroom” (which is the above pic). Maybe Larry sold it to someone else, using his purchase from himself price to make a large profit on the car.

I'd go with some Vredestein Sprint Classics or Michelin XAS vintage radials as you can get them in the original OEM tire size (175/HR14). Coker tire has both. Will be putting them on the original steel wheels on my 71 Z soon

Bidding always escalates during the last few minutes of the auction. I don't expect any movement in price until then. And I agree about the "Guild" guy, he should be barred from posting in any other Z auctions as it is really a conflict of interest for him.

Looking for a OEM radio for my 240z. Good, working condition. Thanks, Doug

I'm jealous! I really liked it much more than the one that was the topic of this thread. Was really surprised it didn't go higher. If only I had room but I'm already over allowed

That one made it to $15,500 on BAT but did not meet the reserve.

I agree that Bring a Trailer is a great venue to try, lots of serious buyers seem to be on the site. Also agree that for a selling, raise the stance a bit, shoot some more pics and list it on BAT with the appropriate reserve. You might also try Hemmings as another selling venue.

My info is correct (126840) in the January spreadsheet, but not in the November version.

Looks great! Nothing like some shiny new paint! I'm sure spring can't come fast enough now

Where did you get your paint/body work done?

Sad news indeed. John will certainly be missed, RIP sir.

Looking forward to seeing the progress pics.

I agree, without a signed contract by both parties, the worst that will happen is you're out the $500 deposit and get bad feedback on ebay. Even with a signed contract, plenty of opportunities to not purchase the car without legal recourse from the seller. And, in OP's case, contact would have to be in both English and Norwegian with the translation certified to be true. So, OP can safely not purchase the car at the point. If you really want the car, perhaps another member local to the car could go and check it out and make sure it is as represented before you send any money and see what is going on with the seller.

Nice looking Z. If someone finds out the price, please post it here, curious to see what he is asking.

Are they painting the whole car, or just parts? Bet you can't wait to get it back!

If you get one that has been properly sorted (don't buy a project - spend the money to get one that is "done") using it as a DD should not be an issue. While they are old, they are quite easy to maintain, so keeping it on the road should not be an issue. I would have no concerns using mine for a DD and in years of driving it a few times a week, I've never had an issue. The bigger issue will be DD driving comfort. While you can get working AC in a 240/260/280, it typically doesn't work as well as a modern car. Driving on 90+ temp days even with working AC can be uncomfortable for some - and since you're in Houston, I'm guessing that should be a concern. On any given day, when I decide whether to drive my Z or not, weather/temp is the deciding factor - not reliability.

I have the Toyota front caliper "upgrade" on my Z (with everything else still stock) and my car stops on a dime with it so I'd have to disagree with those who say it's not better than stock.

Looks great, you should send them the before and after shots - they can use them in their ads!

That looks great Rich - can I send you my MGB and a pile of cash to get it done?

Bart, There were a few different manufacturers of the "original" dealer add on 5 slot wheels - American Racing is one of those as mentioned, I think there is a thread somewhere that lists some of the others as well. The challenge with the 14' wheels is that no one makes them anymore so you're always stuck with used wheels and as you've seen, it's hard to know you're buying a good set Doug

See if you can get a new set of American Racing Ansen Sprint wheels. They are one of the makers of the "original" dealer add on wheels (like on your car), but now they make them in 15" instead of 14". They were reasonably priced over here in the US at least. I've had them on my Z for a number of years now and they are great. Doug