By the late 1970s, the Datsun Z-Car had evolved into a fairly posh GT car featuring a lot of creature comforts and modern amenities often seen on more expensive cars like the Porsche 928 and Chevrolet Corvette. Many purists were outraged, missing the light-and-lithe, uncomplicated sports car they knew and loved, but all was not lost—just more gained. Nissan felt that by offering more creature comforts, it would broaden the company’s market scope, and it worked. For Nissan, overall, it was a good move to go more upscale. Sales improved drastically, and the 280ZX became one of the go-to cars for the young upwardly mobile crowd looking for something with a little more sport than a four-seat coupe. But, for those who wanted a four-seater, the ZX 2+2 was an option. Nissan moved carefully though. The 1980 model year marked the 10th anniversary for the Z-Car, something Nissan was taking very seriously. In order to celebrate, the 1980 280ZX featured new paint schemes and stripe packages, wheels and subtle interior details marking the occasion. In fact, 3,000 dedicated 10th Anniversary 280ZXs were introduced in black and gold or black and red. This was one of the factory sales prototypes built for the 1980 Datsun Black Gold advertising campaign. Custom painted and pinstriped for management consideration, this scheme was eventually used on the 1980 Black Gold Edition 280ZXs. Having covered just 7,482 miles from new, this car was given to the original owner, Rodney Jacobs of Aspen, Colorado, as a trade for the work he provided through his production company, Freewheelin’ Films, for producing documentaries and promotional films about Datsun’s Competition program in the late 1970s. It is the only known 1979 280ZX finished in this color combination. Documented with the original Central Datsun Buyer’s Order and Invoice dated February 27, 1979, the car also retains its original build sheet, owner’s manual and warranty booklet. Powered by the 2.8L inline 6-cylinder engine and 5-speed manual transmission, the 280ZX is equipped with power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, a tan cloth interior, Code 638 Black with Gold striping paint scheme, upgraded Stebro free-flow exhaust system and upgraded Gotti wheels. A remarkable piece of automobile history, this 1979 280ZX is one of the cars that showed the way for Datsun styling to come.
