It’s a 10th anniversary model in a rare red/black color combination, using original Goodyear tires.

It seems like the era of cheap Japanese sports cars from the 1980s is coming to an end. Amid the sea of classic European racers and grand touring machines rolling through the fierce auctions held during Monterey Car Week, a 1980 Datsun 280ZX fetched nearly $1. /$4 million. Wait, what?

Specifically, the hammer closed at $230,000 for this 43-year-old two-seater, one of the Datsuns and Nissans from the Mike and Debbie collection sold last week through Mecuм Auctions. We’ve seen the 280’s iconic predecessor deliver much success in recent years – a 1970 Z432R sold for $800,000 at an auction in Japan in 2020, and a 240Z The 1971 landed at $2300,000 later that year via Bring A Trailer. In fact, a Fairlady Z432 was just sold from this same collection through Mecuм for $297,000.

But we’re not talking about the OG Datsun sports car that costs a quarter of a million. We’re talking about the 280ZX, although admittedly this particular car has all the bells and whistles for collectors. It’s a 10th Anniversary model, of which only 3,000 were produced according to the auction description. Of those, only 500 were missing the red color, and this one is believed to have been hidden for most of its life. The listing shows a whopping 28 miles on the odometer and original Goodyear Wingfoot tires on 14-inch wheels. The only changes are to the battery and radiator for unknown reasons.

Essentially, the extremely low mileage makes this classic ZX a timing tablet, albeit an interesting one for enthusiasts. Outfitted with a red leather interior, hood and high-speed manual transmission, this is the 280ZX for motorbike enthusiasts looking for canyons to care for. It’s also well equipped with power windows, power heated seats, a factory AM/FM cassette stereo, and let’s not forget the 135-horsepower 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine. force. The smaller I6 will see limited runs in the Z31 300ZX, but for all intents and purposes, the 280 is the last for the Z to use an inline six.

We don’t know if $230,000 is a record for a 280ZX at auction. A photo showing the original window sticker shows a manufacturer’s suggested price of $13,990 in 1980, and a quick Internet search shows many examples currently selling for between $10,000 and $20,000 . We suspect those prices may increase once the dust from Monterey Car Week settles.