# Datsun 280Z (S30, US market)
Source: https://fullysorted.com/research/models/datsun/280z
Publisher: Fully Sorted (fullysorted.com), collector car research
Last updated: 2026-10-01

## Key facts
- Make: Datsun
- Model: 280Z
- Generation: S30, US market
- Factory code: HLS30 / GHLS30
- Years: 1975 to 1978
- Body styles: 2-door 2-seat hatchback coupe (HLS30), 2-door 2+2 hatchback coupe on a 102.6 in wheelbase (GHLS30)
- Engines: 2,753 cc L28 SOHC inline six, Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, naturally aspirated, 149 hp SAE net (170 hp gross) at 5,600 rpm and 163 lb-ft net at 4,400 rpm, US 1975-1978
- Production notes: Nobody publishes a clean model-year total for the 280Z, and the two figures in circulation measure different things. Sports Car Market's 2017 profile prints 203,275 280Zs "not counting the 2+2 version." The Internet Z Car Club reproduces Nissan's own export table from the factory's 1978 Datsun 280ZX book, which counts US units by calendar year, not model year: 40,216 two-seat cars and 11,594 2+2 cars in 1975, 45,766 and 13,792 in 1976, and 54,594 in 1977 with no separate 2+2 line. For 1978 the table gives only a US sales figure, 62,699, which includes the Black Pearl cars. Adding the 1975-77 two-seat lines to the 1978 sales line produces exactly 203,275, which suggests the magazine figure is that sum: calendar-year production for three years plus a sales number for the fourth that does include 2+2 cars, and calendar 1975 production that may include late 260Z builds while missing December 1974 280Z builds. For that reason productionTotal is null. Model-year windows from ZRegistry run December 1974 to August 1975 for the 1975 car, September to August for 1976 and 1977, and September 1977 to July 1978 for the last cars. The special editions have no factory counts: the 1977 Zap Z is estimated at about 1,000, and the 1978 Black Pearl at 750 to 1,500, with one dealer listing stating 1,500 as fact. ZRegistry has 384 surviving cars on file as of January 2026. US list price is thinly documented. Sports Car Market gives $6,359 for the 1977 car and a 2020 blog gives $6,669 for 1976; no period dealer price sheet or US road-test data panel was retrieved in this session, so neither figure has a second source.

## Summary
The 280Z is the last and heaviest version of the first Z, built for North America only from the 1975 model year through 1978. Nissan bored the 260Z's L26 by 3 mm to 2,753 cc and replaced its twin carburetors with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, which restored US output to 149 hp SAE net and 163 lb-ft. It came as a two-seat HLS30 coupe and a 2+2 GHLS30 on a wheelbase about a foot longer, both behind 5 mph bumpers that Sports Car Market says added 75 lb. The 1975-76 cars have smooth bumpers, a full-size spare and a four-speed or automatic; from late 1976 a five-speed was optional, and the 1977-78 cars have channeled bumpers, a Space Saver spare and a larger fuel tank. Special editions were the 1977 Zap Z and the 1978 Black Pearl, neither with a factory count. Production totals in print do not agree, and US list price is thinly documented. Recent no-reserve sales on Hagerty Marketplace ran $10,700 to $16,318 in December 2025, with the best original cars far above that. The 240Z page covers the car this one grew out of.

## Specifications
- power: 149 hp SAE net at 5,600 rpm (170 hp gross)
- tires: 195/70HR14 or 175HR-14 per the 1977 owner's manual; C78-14 Space Saver spare from 1977
- brakes: Power-assisted front discs, rear drums
- engine: 2,753 cc L28 SOHC inline six, cast-iron block, aluminum head, seven main bearings, Bosch L-Jetronic injection
- layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
- length: 173.4 in (4,405 mm) two-seat and 185.6 in (4,715 mm) 2+2 per the 1977 owner's manual; Wikipedia gives 173.2 in
- torque: 163 lb-ft SAE net at 4,400 rpm (177 lb-ft gross, Wikipedia only)
- weight: Wikipedia gives 2,875 lb; no legible factory curb weight was retrieved. 2+2 roughly 200 lb heavier per Hagerty; bumpers add about 75 lb per SCM
- chassis: Steel unibody; MacPherson struts front, Chapman struts with lower arms rear
- wheelbase: 90.7 in (2,305 mm) two-seat; 102.6 in (2,605 mm) 2+2
- bore_stroke: 86 x 79 mm, 8.3:1 compression
- final_drive: 3.545:1 per the 1977 owner's manual (3.55:1 in the brochure)
- acceleration: 0-60 mph about 9.5 seconds (conceptcarz, Hagerty Marketplace); a 2020 blog gives 7.8 seconds. Disputed
- transmission: F4W71B four-speed manual; FS5W71B five-speed from late 1976 (0.864 fifth); 3N71B three-speed automatic
- chassis_codes: HLS30 two-seat, GHLS30 2+2, both left-hand drive US
- us_list_price: $6,359 for 1977 (Sports Car Market); $6,669 for 1976 (single blog source). No dealer price sheet retrieved

## Notable variants
- 1975 280Z, early build (chrome bumpers with rubber overriders): Hagerty Marketplace describes the earliest 1975 cars, built from about January 1975, as keeping chrome bumpers with federal rubber overriders before the full impact bumpers arrived later in the year. ZRegistry tracks how early a given chassis is.
- 1975-76 280Z two-seater, four-speed: The first injected Z: L28, four-speed or three-speed automatic, smooth-faced bumpers and a full-size spare. The 1976 brochure offers no five-speed.
- 1977-78 280Z five-speed: FS5W71B five-speed with a 0.864 fifth, the gearbox the 280ZX inherited. SCM calls it harder to find, and a correct original five-speed is checked against the chassis rather than assumed, since swaps are common.
- 280Z 2+2 (GHLS30): About a foot more wheelbase, a folding rear seat and roughly 200 lb more. Built throughout 1975-78 and historically valued below the two-seater.
- 1977 Zap Z: Yellow with black stripes and yellow, red and orange chevrons, offered as a special decor package; it paced the 1977 Long Beach Grand Prix. Estimated at about 1,000 cars, with no factory figure.
- 1978 Black Pearl Edition: Black Metallic (code 638) with the Special Appearance Package of dual mirrors, rear louvers and red and silver stripes. The first black Z; estimated 750 to 1,500.

## History

### Why the 280Z exists

By 1974 the Z had a problem in its largest market. US emissions rules had pushed the carbureted 2.6 liter 260Z down to 139 hp SAE net, well short of the 162 hp gross the same engine was rated at before US tuning, while federal bumper rules were adding weight at both ends. The car that Yutaka Katayama had sold to Americans as an affordable sports car in 1969 was getting slower and heavier every model year. Nissan's answer for North America was to bore the L26 out by 3 mm to make the 2,753 cc L28 and to fit Bosch L-Jetronic electronic fuel injection, the same airflow-metering system used by BMW, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia. The 280Z name existed only here; in Japan the car stayed the Fairlady Z, and other export markets kept the 260Z until the 280ZX. Even Datsun's own US range brochure for 1975 still showed the 260-Z with the late-1974 bumper, because the 280Z arrived after it was printed.

### 1975-76: the first injected Z

ZRegistry dates 1975 model-year production from December 1974, and Hagerty Marketplace has sold a car built in January 1975 that still wore chrome bumpers with rubber overriders before the full impact bumpers took over during the year. Other sources put the introduction as late as mid-1975, and one calls 1976 the first year. The L28 made 149 hp SAE net at 5,600 rpm. Buyers chose a four-speed with a 3.55:1 final drive or a three-speed automatic, in the two-seater or the 2+2, and California cars carried a catalytic converter. Canadian cars were built without the US smog equipment. Conceptcarz gives about 22 mpg on the highway. The 2+2 used the same drivetrain on a wheelbase about a foot longer and ran alongside the two-seater for all four model years. Road & Track put the 280Z into a comparison test in its July 1976 issue, alongside its tests of the Alfetta GT and Corvette that year.

### 1977-78: five speeds and new bumpers

Late in the 1976 model year Datsun added the FS5W71B five-speed, keeping the four-speed's first four ratios and adding a 0.864 overdrive fifth; the January 1977 US brochure sells it as the "gas-saving 5-speed." For 1977 the bumpers gained recessed channels and accordion rubber ends, the full-size spare gave way to a C78-14 Space Saver so the fuel tank could grow, and that raised the rear deck floor. Alloy-look wheel covers replaced the earlier hubcaps.

### Zap Z and Black Pearl

Two appearance specials closed the run. The 1977 Zap Z was yellow with black stripes and chevrons, about 1,000 cars by the usual estimate. The 1978 Black Pearl paired Black Metallic paint, code 638, with dual mirrors, rear louvers and red and silver stripes; it was the first black Z, and the count most often given is 750 to 1,500 with no factory figure behind it.

### The end of the S30

The 280ZX replaced the car for 1979. Hagerty notes that the only parts it carried over were the L28 and the five-speed, so the 280Z's drivetrain lived on into the 1980s while its body did not. ZRegistry has logged 384 surviving 280Zs, two-seat and 2+2, as of January 2026. Sports Car Market's 2017 profile observed that original 280Zs had crossed into five figures because so many rusted away, and that originality rather than restoration sets the top of the market.

## What to look for

Start with the chassis number on the firewall and dash. HLS30 is the two-seater and GHLS30 the 2+2, and the sequence number places the car in its model year; ZRegistry's build windows run December 1974 to August 1975 for the 1975 car and September to August after that, ending in July 1978. The registry also tracks known survivors, so a car's history may already be on file. Then rust, which decides more of these cars than mechanical condition. Sports Car Market's list is the floor pans, the spare-tire well, under the battery tray, the external air inlet for the A/C, inside the fenders and the lower rockers toward the rear. A car described as rust-free should come with underside photos or a lift inspection. Period rustproofing, as on the one-owner RM Sotheby's car that was Ziebarted when new, is a plus, not a guarantee. Confirm the transmission. A five-speed is only original on late 1976 and 1977-78 cars, it carries a 5-speed emblem on the hatch, and swaps into earlier cars are common, as on the 1976 car Hagerty Marketplace sold in December 2025. The 1977-78 cars should have channeled bumpers and the Space Saver spare; 1975-76 cars have smooth bumpers and a full-size spare. A sunroof means the roof was cut after the fact, since none was fitted at the factory. Bolt-on rocker trim and similar items are usually dealer accessories rather than Datsun parts. On a Black Pearl or Zap Z, paint code and documentation carry the value; on a Black Pearl, look for code 638 Black Metallic. Original paint, an uncracked dash, original keys and books move these cars further than a fresh restoration does.

## Common problems

Rust is the defining problem. The floors, spare-tire well, battery tray area, A/C air inlet, inner fenders and rear of the rockers are the usual places, and Sports Car Market's view is that no original Z is entirely free of it underneath. The 1977-78 rear deck is fiberboard over the raised floor, so its condition is a quick check on whether water has been getting in. The L-Jetronic system is reliable when every part of it works and baffling when one does not. It is a non-feedback system with an airflow meter, thermo-time switch and coolant temperature sensor. A trade diagnostic article on a 1976 car traced a crank-but-no-start to a corroded and misconnected ECU ground and recommends cleaning, re-torquing and sealing every major ground before condemning parts. Owner forums point to the EFI main relay behind the passenger kick panel and its ground, the fuel pump relay and the airflow meter as the usual suspects; those are forum patterns, not measured failure rates. Cars that have sat usually need the full fuel side renewed: the well-documented 1977 car SCM profiled had new fuel hoses, filter, lines, pump, injectors and injector connectors. Many cars have had a five-speed or wheels swapped, and original A/C systems are often converted to R134a.

## Market notes

As of September 2026 no classic.com benchmark could be retrieved for this page, so the figures here are dated individual results rather than an index. The most recent fetched sales are two no-reserve Hagerty Marketplace results: a January 1975-built automatic coupe in a factory color sold for $16,318 on December 18, 2025, and a 1976 coupe with a swapped-in five-speed, non-original wheels and stereo sold for $10,700 on December 16, 2025. Both are driver-grade cars and set the floor rather than the ceiling. At the top, Sports Car Market reported an original-paint 1977 five-speed with air conditioning at $44,000 including premium at Mecum Kansas City in December 2016, and cited a 1976 2+2 at $50,050 in the same period. A 350-mile 1976 car that had been partly disassembled and stored for four decades was reported at $140,000 in November 2020; that is one exceptional car, not a market level. For context, RM Sotheby's sold low-mile original cars for $11,220 (1977, one owner, 34,900 miles) and $12,100 (1976, 32,000 miles) in 2012, before the S30 market moved. Hagerty's 2020 editorial work put a #2 condition 280Z at $32,100 and recorded a 33 percent jump in a single year. The pattern across these results is consistent: original paint, documented history and a factory five-speed separate the $40,000 cars from the $10,000 to $16,000 ones.

## Value trajectory

The 280Z sat in the 240Z's shadow for decades. RM Sotheby's sold low-mile original cars for $11,220 and $12,100 in 2012. Sports Car Market's January 2017 profile, written around a $44,000 Mecum sale, declared the 280Z a five-digit car and said originality was the value driver. Hagerty's February 2020 analysis found the median #2 value up 33 percent in a single year, with 2+2 #1 values up more than 40 percent, and its September 2020 roundup put a #2 car at $32,100, up from $19,600 in 2017. The same Hagerty analysis noted insurance quote activity had been falling even as values rose, a sign of a thinner buyer pool at the new prices. The December 2025 no-reserve results of $10,700 and $16,318 for driver-grade cars show how wide the spread has become between ordinary cars and the original, documented ones. As of September 2026 no index figure was retrievable, so the direction since 2020 is not established here.

## Sources

- [1977 Datsun 280Z Owners Manual (Internet Archive full text)](https://archive.org/download/1977-280-z-owners-manual/77%20280Z%20owners%20manual_djvu.txt) (Nissan Motor Co. (scan hosted by Internet Archive))
- [1977 280Z Service Manual (Internet Archive full text)](https://archive.org/download/1977-280z-service-manual/77%20280z%20Service%20Manual_djvu.txt) (Nissan Motor Co. (scan hosted by Internet Archive))
- [1977 Datsun Model Range Brochure. USA, 1-1977](https://archive.org/download/1977-datsun-model-range-brochure.-usa-1-1977/1977%20Datsun%20Model%20Range%20Brochure.%20USA%2C%201-1977_djvu.txt) (Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A. (scan hosted by Internet Archive))
- [1975 Datsun Model Range Brochure. USA](https://archive.org/download/100_20260223/1975%20Datsun%20Model%20Range%20Brochure.%20USA_djvu.txt) (Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A. (scan hosted by Internet Archive))
- [Z Car Production and Sales Reports](http://www.zhome.com/History/Zproduction.html) (Internet Z Car Club (Carl Beck and Paul Hillman))
- [Collectable, Classic, and Special Interest Z Cars; A Buyers Guide](http://www.zhome.com/Buying/BeckBuyerG.html) (Internet Z Car Club (Carl Beck))
- [280Z Paint and Interior](https://zregistry.org/280z/280z-paint-and-interior/) (ZRegistry.org)
- [280Z (Known 280Zs)](https://zregistry.org/280z/) (ZRegistry.org)
- [1977 Datsun 280Z (Car Profile)](https://www.sportscarmarket.com/?p=264226) (Sports Car Market)
- [Datsun 280Z prices surge, leaving some buyers in the lurch](https://www.hagerty.com/media/?p=7594) (Hagerty Media)
- [Nissan Z values through the generations](https://www.hagerty.com/media/?p=86200) (Hagerty Media)
- [1975 Datsun 280Z (Hagerty Marketplace auction result)](https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace/auction/1975-datsun-280z/3b16b3e1-35ad-49ad-8e54-745086c5a687) (Hagerty Marketplace / Broad Arrow Auctions)
- [1976 Datsun 280Z 5-Speed (Hagerty Marketplace auction result)](https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace/auction/1976-Datsun-280Z/82bc63f0-4f7c-47a5-a07e-b97ebeb7dfd2) (Hagerty Marketplace)
- [1977 Datsun 280Z | Auburn Fall 2012](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/af12/lots/r437-1977-datsun-280z) (RM Sotheby's)
- [1976 Datsun 280Z | Spring Carlisle 2012](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/sc12/lots/r287-1976-datsun-280z) (RM Sotheby's)
- [1978 Datsun 280Z Black Pearl for sale in Auburn, Indiana](https://classiccars.com/listings/view/2100664/1978-datsun-280z-for-sale-in-auburn-indiana-46706) (ClassicCars.com (dealer listing))
- [Nissan Fairlady Z (S30)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_S30) (Wikipedia)
- [1976 Datsun 280Z](https://www.conceptcarz.com/w14106/datsun-280z.aspx) (conceptcarz.com)
- [1976 Datsun 280Z sales brochure](https://datsunforum.com/?p=839) (DatsunForum.com)
- [1976 Datsun 280Z](https://ritholtz.com/2020/11/1976-datsun-280z/) (The Big Picture (Barry Ritholtz))
- [Road & Track 1976: Vol 27-28 Index](https://archive.org/download/sim_road-track_1976_27-28_index/sim_road-track_1976_27-28_index_djvu.txt) (Road & Track (scan hosted by Internet Archive))
- [ECU Diagnostics: 1976 Datsun (Nissan) 280Z](https://www.underhoodservice.com/?p=134332) (Underhood Service)
- [1977 280z fuel injection problems](https://ratsun.net/topic/20698-1977-280z-fuel-injection-problems/) (Ratsun.net)

Cite as: Fully Sorted, "Datsun 280Z (S30, US market)", https://fullysorted.com/research/models/datsun/280z, updated 2026-10-01.