1976 Datsun 280Z Ferrari 250 GTO Tribute
Vehicle Details
- Year: 1976
- Make: Datsun
- Model: 280Z
- VIN: HLS30278040
- Mileage: 77,310
- Transmission: Manual
- Title Status: Clean
- Color: Red
- Seller: snakeoilII
- Seller Type: Private Party
- Location: Ocean County, NJ 08759
- Lot #: V-0009057
We are pleased to offer this custom 1976 Datsun 280Z Ferrari 250 GTO tribute. Styled after what is considered to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made, this 250 GTO tribute is reported to have been purchased by its previous owner as a professionally built turn-key example in Texas during the early 1990s. It has since made its way to the East Coast where it was purchased by its current owner in New Jersey about three years ago. Retaining its Datsun inline-6 engine and 4-speed manual gearbox, this 280Z has undergone extensive refurbishment in recent years and is now being offered for auction with approximately 77k miles showing on the odometer.
During the initial transformation, this 280Z was outfitted with a new fiberglass front bumper, hood, and fenders, as well as custom fiberglass panels bonded over the original Datsun bodywork from the doors-back. The entire car is said to have been refinished in Red shortly before the current owner’s purchase, and the paint is described to be in very nice condition overall with some patina and imperfections that add to the car’s vintage theme (detailed images are provided in the photo gallery). Multi-adjustable European-style mirrors are installed, and this Datsun has received new chrome exterior trim in recent years along with a custom front grille, and new tires for the 15” Dayton knock-off wire wheels.
The cabin has been completely redone with black and tan Ferrari-style leather upholstery. A vintage Nardi steering wheel has been installed and the seller recently carried out extensive refurbishment including the installation of all-new carpeting, a new Datsun dashboard cover, new seat bottom cushions, custom gauges, and an upgraded aftermarket air-conditioning and heating system. The gas gauge is said to be slightly inaccurate, and all other gauges and accessories are said to be working properly.
This 280Z retains its original fuel-injected 2.8 L inline-6 engine paired with a 4-speed manual transmission. An ANSA-style exhaust system has been equipped and the seller refurbished the entire engine compartment before creating a custom Ferrari-logo valve cover for a more authentic appearance. The fuel injection system has also been hidden by a removable custom cover made to look like a set of carburetors. Mechanical work carried out within the last 5k miles includes a fully overhauled suspension and braking system, a refurbished gas tank, exhaust repair, and the installation of a high-performance aluminum radiator with electric fans. Records are said to be included from the current ownership and this 250 GTO tribute is reported to be in strong running order.
The sale will be accompanied by a clean title. Based on the platform of a true driver’s car with the styling of one of Ferrari’s most legendary vehicles, this 250 GTO tribute offers a very unique opportunity.
Auction Results
- Sold for: $50,500
- Auction End: Mar 08, 2021 09:10:26PM UTC
- Number of Bids: 39
Comments (83)
Congratulations to the buyer! Sorry I didn’t bid more now !? Good Luck with it!
Hello again all,
Thank you again to all the bidders. I especially want to thank Petrus2000 for the winning bid. You will love this fabulous car. I am going to miss it but I know it will be going to another enthusiast who will take great pride in care and ownership.
Thank you,
Snakeoilii
Great Exciting Auction ! What a beautiful machine! Good Luck
Sold for $50,500
Whoever it is that won this auction- I salute you !!
these bidders are serious !
Bid in the amount of $50,500
Bid in the amount of $50,000
Bid in the amount of $42,000
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Bid in the amount of $33,750
Bid in the amount of $33,500
Bid in the amount of $33,250
Hello all,
As my auction is ending very soon I wanted to thank everyone for the nice comments and of course all the bidders and watchers (omg over 11000. views). If you would like to own this unique machine get your bids in now. The car will remain in my possession if it does not sell and will not be advertised again. I still love the car so I guess that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Snakeoilii
@Wahoo5 Thank you. Yes, a genuine 250 GTO is out of the reach of most people. Even the replicas like mine are either trashed or possibly over restored and priced very high.
Snakeoilii
@snakeoilII I believe the last one sold was the one David MacNeil of WeatherTech bought for approximately US$70-80M a couple of years ago. It was 250 GTO 4153 GT.
Yours looks really cool. GLWS
@burnrubr 27 million was a steal !! ha ha I believe they average around 50 (omg). Thanks for the nice comments.
Snakeoilii
The last real F GTO I know was sold for $27 mil! this one can be driven daily with super reliable engine and trans and can be serviced at PepBoys!, LOL
Could use more suspension tweaks and a little more meat on the rear tire if I own her otherwise congrats to the would be new owner, cool toy!
Bid in the amount of $33,000
Bid in the amount of $32,000
Bid in the amount of $31,000
@Coventry2 Thank you, you have a very keen eye that others don't always pick up on. I really think they hit a home run using the Datsun Z, probably why Ferrari sued them lol.
Snakeoilii
Awesome! Appreciate that information.! Very similar outward look and extremely similar dimensions. Not being familiar with your particular replica I was curious as to how close it really was in actual size! In some online car forums some other replicas are so out of proportion but yours really captures the essence of the original car in outward appearance.
@snakeoilII Coventry2, I went through my records and found the measurements. The length of the original GTO is the same as my car @ 173.2" The width was 65.9" vs. 64.2 on my car. The Height was 47" vs. 51" on my car and wheelbase was 94.4 vs. my car @90.74 Hope this answers your question better. Looking at the car by eye it looks very much like the original.
Snakeoilii
@Coventry2 I had checked on this awhile ago and don't remember the exact figures. It's all on line however. I believe the real GTO has a wheelbase 3" longer but the front and rear track were very close to the original.
Snakeoilii
Can you offer any comparison of general size dimensions between this particular Ferrari GTO replica and a real one ? Thanks
Bid in the amount of $30,000
@burnrubr No problem...Just email direct and I'll give you my #
Snakeoilii
@snakeoilII i might check the car out in person if you're available this weekend . I have a house in the 1600 block of Asbury Ave in OC lmk, thank you
@burnrubr I've seen some guys actually put a 12 cylinder into these. The most common swap is the LS engines from GM they even make a kit for this swap.
Snakeoilii
A very nice platform to mod the power plant to carry the banner of the real GT0 for cheap, GLWS!
Bid in the amount of $25,000
Bid in the amount of $23,750
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Bid in the amount of $18,500
@Toycar1 Hello and thanks for bidding. Yes, the paperwork is very extensive lol.
Snakeoilii
Bid in the amount of $17,500
Oh ok. I appreciate the clarification and correction regarding the stack of paperwork not parts and accessories. I see the documentation and service books posted now in the gallery. Thank you , looks quite extensive. Regards
@snakeoilII Toycar1, correction on my last reply to...I meant to say I have a huge stack of paperwork (not parts) for virtually every repair, parts and accessary since I have owned it. I always like to buy a car with documentation myself so I keep records on all my cars.
@Toycar1 Yes, you are totally correct. They took a nice rust free Texas car and transformed the original 1976 Datsun 280z into what you see now. They removed the entire front end of the Z and replaced it with the 250 GTO nose (bumper fenders hood). The roof, doors, 1/4 panels and rear section were bonded in place over the existing Z. Mechanically, she is all stock Z
Snakeoilii
So am I understanding this correctly prior to my bidding on it , this is basically a 280z that has been professionally transformed by a Company back in the early 1990’s as a turn key product to represent the looks of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, has the manufactured Datsun 280z body and running gear with molded fiberglass panels molded to it it and is titled in the State of New Jersey in your name as a 1976 Datsun 280z?
@snakeoilII thank you !
FYI The car has had a new timing chain, water pump tensioner, all belts and hose. The valves were adjusted. I don't recall the exact numbers but my mechanic was also pleased with his compression test . All this service was done recently.
Snakeoilii
@supercarrera911R Sounds like a plan lol
Snakeoilii
@Toycar1 Yes, I have all the manuals and a huge stack of parts and accessories, plus two sets of keys. I do have photos and asked PCar to include them but they have not yet. I'll give them a call today.
Snakeoilii
@GT3Fun Hello,
Yes, you are correct. The beauty of it not being a real 250 GTO is that all it needs is simple Datsun serving. I don't recommend a Nissan dealer only because the technicians are too young to be familiar with a 280Z lol. Any decent mechanic can service this car.
Snakeoilii
Very interesting vehicle! Will you be providing extensive written documentation of the work you performed and parts replaced since your ownership? Perhaps you can include a picture in the gallery of any service books and receipts that will go with the car at auction end? Much Appreciated! Regards
Great car. I assume you could service the car at any Datsun dealer or mechanics that are familiar with old Datsun engines. Could you please confirm. Are there any other maintenance related topic that would be critical to know when buying this car ?
@Italiandreams Hello again, Yes, the gas tank was removed cleaned and sealed by a professional shop. We added a drain plug and a in line filter before the fuel pump. Transmission and rear end fluids were done approx. 5K miles ago. New radiator and antifreeze about 14 months ago. Oil has been changed so many times in that 5K miles also.
Snakeoilii
@m430 Hello, oh yes, as beautiful as the as the car is she is not a trailer queen. I love driving it. All the mechanical work done on the car was for safety and reliability.
Snakeoilii
@Italiandreams Hello, The car doesn't really get stored for long. I drive this car on a regular basis as I do all my collector cars. As long as the roads are clean I can drive it during the Winter. The car gets serviced regularly either by myself or my mechanic who has done a lot of work on it.
Snakeoilii
Any problems? Dependable after storage? Tanks flushed? What is the fluid maintenance schedule?
Does the car run and drive?
@Coventry2 Hello, Yes, you are quite informed. This car was built as a " turn key " version by a company called Blue Ray GT Engineering, The Woodlands Tx. There were three companies that I know of that built some of these until Ferrari sued them and ended production on these beautiful tribute cars. The fact that they used a 280Z to modify makes this a great sports car. This car was purchased new in 1991 by the previous( Original ) owner.
Snakeoilii
Hi all,
I had responded to some questions but did not know they were not going public. Anyway, thank you for bidding and commenting on my car. One of my comments that did not show is that some of the photos look sun faded to me example the engine bay looks gray but everything is nice black and red trim here and there. Also, the car was not detailed when most of the photos were taken. The car looks so much better in person it's also one of the nicest shade of red I've ever seen. The car is a totally rust free Texas car
I know back in the late eighties and early nineties that a few company’s were making turnkey replicas of the Ferrari 250 GTO using the Datsun 280z . I also know there was some litigation or lawsuits brought by Ferrari itself against these companies that halted production completely of all these replicas. Can you tell me what company made this particular one that you have on auction and any other history you could share ? Thanks
Bid in the amount of $12,000
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Yeah, Interesting. GL
Very interesting car. I'll be interested in seeing where the bidding goes...
Bid in the amount of $5,000
Hello all,
I'm new to this auction and wanted to introduce myself. I am a very honest person and will try to be as accurate in answering any questions you may have about my 250 GTO Tribute car. It's truly a unique, beautiful and fun driver. Thank you for looking.
Snakeoilii