1974 Datsun 260Z in Denmark

The 260Z, and Why It Gets Overlooked

The 260Z is the S30 that sits between two more famous cars. It arrived after the celebrated 240Z and before the fuel-injected 280Z, and for years it was treated as the compromise chapter: a larger engine to cope with tightening emissions rules, and a little more weight to carry. That reputation has kept prices modest and, quietly, made the good ones rare.

This is also an unusually early example. The 260Z is known as a 1974 model — that is the year it reached most markets and replaced the 240Z — but the very first cars were built at the end of 1973. This one was built in December 1973 and carries an early, low chassis number, which makes it one of the first 260Zs off the line rather than a mid-run car. An early-production example like this is a scarcer thing than the model year alone suggests.

Why the Datsun 260Z Is Worth a Second Look

The larger L-series six gives the 260Z more low-down torque than the 240Z, which makes it the easier car to drive in traffic and the more relaxed one on a long run. The shape is unchanged where it matters — the long bonnet, the fastback roof, the short tail — so what you get is the S30 silhouette with a slightly more tractable engine underneath. Because it was never the fashionable one, a properly sorted 260Z remains one of the more sensible ways into a classic S30.

From a Phoenix Driveway to Bare Metal

This car began life as a US-market, left-hand-drive example. The owner tracked it down in Phoenix, Arizona and brought it direct to Denmark. The earliest photographs show it in a tired, non-original white — a dry-state survivor wearing California plates, complete but well past its best. Rather than tidy it, he took it apart.

The shell was stripped to bare metal and mounted on a rotisserie. Some repair was carried out to the rear quarters, where rust had taken hold. From there it went into primer and then colour — the deep Bahama Yellow the car wears now, a shade that reads almost orange under warm light and shows off the S30's surfaces the way a paler colour never could. The bodyshell and the removed panels were sprayed together, which is the part of the process the photographs document most fully.

Kept Original Where It Counts

Because 260Z survivors are comparatively scarce, the owner's aim was to walk the car back towards standard rather than modify it further, undoing changes made by previous keepers. The 14-inch mag wheels were kept — they suit the car and its era. Euro bumpers and an air dam were fitted in place of the heavier North American items, cleaning up the nose and tail.

Underneath, the work went further than paint, and the photographs show it. The engine was rebuilt on the stand and refitted with twin carburettors; the gearbox was stripped and reassembled; the suspension was rebuilt with polyurethane bushes and adjustable BC Racing coilovers for a more purposeful ride height; cross-drilled, vented front brake discs were fitted behind the mag wheels with red calipers, and 20 mm spacers used at the rear; the differential was rebuilt; and the radiator, clutch, oil sump, seals and hoses were renewed. The underside was sealed against the Danish winters. It is about as thorough as a rolling restoration gets.

Near Copenhagen, and Still Being Fussed Over

The car now lives near Copenhagen, and its owner has not stopped. A large part of the photography here is simply detailing — machine polishing the Bahama Yellow panel by panel, cleaning the dashboard and console, refinishing the mag wheels and the smaller trim. On a colour this saturated, that work shows: the reflections run clean down the flank, and the paint has the depth that only comes from being worked rather than just sprayed. It is a Datsun 260Z in Denmark that has been rescued, rebuilt and then kept to a standard most cars never reach — one of the best-known Datsun cars near Copenhagen among people who follow these things.

If you have been tracking a classic Datsun S30 for sale, the 260Z is the one still worth watching — less sought-after than its siblings, and all the more interesting for it.

This car is not for sale; it is one of those that got away, featured here as part of our series on interesting S30s that have crossed our path in and around Denmark. Also in this series: a 1972 Datsun 240Z in Switzerland and a 1976 Datsun 280Z in Finland.

Looking for a 260Z, or another S30, to this standard? If you are after a similar car — whether a running restoration or something ready to enjoy — talk to us. We know these cars, we know what a good one looks like underneath the paint, and we can help you find the right one rather than the first one.