1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo

- 2.7L Turbocharged I6
- 5 Speed Manual
- 103k Miles
- Silver Over Blue Interior

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 180 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, and a link to its accident and damage-free Carfax history, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“People these days are remembering all that was good about them when new. ... the 280ZX was the last car to incorporate so much of the early Z car design language, making it the final entry.” - ClassicCars.com

The Datsun “Z cars” attracted legions of fans. As ClassicCars put it: “When Datsun introduced the 240Z car in 1969, it created one of the most disruptive products that the sports car market had ever seen. The car offered the performance of such cars as the Jaguar E-Type, the styling reminiscent of the Ferrari 275 GTB, and reliability that was better than either.”

Calling it “the world's best-selling sports car,” MotorSport magazine chronicled the model development over the late Seventies and early Eighties: “... as emission restrictions tightened, so Nissan-Datsun was forced to enlarge the engine... to 2.6-litres as the 260Z, then, for the US only, to 2.8-litres as the 280Z. The next stage, in I 978, was to re-shell the nine-year-old theme, to meet current demands of creature comforts and legislation. The result was the 280ZX.”

Offered here in silver over blue, is a well-maintained '83 280ZX Turbo tastefully refreshed with the addition of aero-effects body panels and twin, over-the-roof black striping. Showing 103,238 documented miles on the odometer, fewer than 2,700 miles per-year on average since new, the level of care given the car over its life is evident throughout.

The car's exterior paint shows even gloss across the entire body, and the professionally applied black striping shows virtually no sign of age. Smoked-glass removable t-top panels added flair and distinctiveness to the ZX, as did the functional pair of louvers and the single NACA duct on the front-hinged hood. The fiberglass aero-effects additions to the body—the integrated lower-front and rear-deck spoilers—have been professionally painted and so integrate well with the stock body. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Window glass and lighting lenses—including the full-width rear taillight panel—are free of cracks and imperfections. Stock, 4-angled-spoke, turbo-style, 15-inch alloy wheels (in good condition) with Z-logo center carps are mounted with GoodYear® Integrity 205/85 all-season tires.

Inside, the attractive blue interior is a vintage Eighties look. Patterned blue-velour bucket-seat upholstery is free of rips or tears, with only very light wear and soiling. The same holds true for the blue carpeting extending through the full cabin and cargo area. Door panels, the car's dashboard, and its Z-logo-branded steering wheel are all in very good condition (there is one crack in the dashboard). The full complement of gauges (including a boost gauge in the center-dash grouping) characteristic of the Z-cars, is in place and functional. The car's factory HVAC controls remain in place, and a JVC® audio head unit with Bluetooth capability has replaced the factory radio. The 5-speed manual-transmission shifter is mounted on the console, forward of a useful storage compartment. (Please view the close-up photography in the gallery to assess the excellent condition of the Datsun's interior surfaces.)

Under the hood, the 2.7 liter, turbocharged, inline 6-cylinder, overhead-cam Datsun engine is complete, with all components and “plumbing” properly located. (The throaty engine note can be sampled by way of the link to the startup-and-walk-around video available on the GarageKeptMotors site.) The engine bay is reasonably clean and tidy but not detailed. Components are properly mounted, and no performance-modified components are noted. Viewed from below, the car's chassis is complete and undamaged with only minimal surface rust on un-treated metal surfaces.

The car's factory-mounted identification and information tags remain mounted.

While the more than 180 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '83 280ZX Turbo in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

MotorSport magazine summarized: “...the high-geared ZX is a very smooth and long-legged cruising car, very relaxed whether at 50 or 100 mph and much quieter and more refined than the old Z. High-speed stability is first class. This is one sports car perfectly suited to long distance motorway travel.”

We think this example is also a bit of a time-traveler... a very satisfying trip back to the Eighties.