A 360 Turn for 240Zs
Lined up along the faded asphalt parking lot like lost souls, the rusty, dusty cars appeared to be prime candidates for the junkyard. Their paint was chipped; the upholstery was torn; the dashboards were cracked.
But Hawthorne body shop owner Pierre Perrot hovered around the 25-year-old cars as if they were expensive Porsches or Lamborghinis.
“As you can see, they are not in very good condition,” Perrot said in his mellifluous French accent as he glanced toward the lackluster vehicles that nevertheless showed signs of promise--shark-like hoods and 2.4-liter, six-cylinder engines.
Within months, Perrot, working from his immaculate Crenshaw Boulevard shop, will turn 50 of these dilapidated Datsun 240Zs, made in the early 1970s, into sleek machines revitalized from top to bottom, taillight to headlight--in much the same tradition as classic Ford Mustangs have been restored. Under an exclusive contract with Nissan, which manufactured the 240Zs, he will transform 200 over the next two years. They will sell at Nissan dealerships for about $25,000 each--seven times their original price.
It is only appropriate that the rebirth of the 240Z should take place in Southern California, where there is a large museum paying homage to the four-wheeled vehicles that symbolize Los Angeles. Sports cars, moreover, are the ultimate icon for California’s tradition of fun in the sun.
“This car was like a bombshell when the 1970 model first arrived in the United States in 1969. Everyone in the sports car field was talking about the Z,” Perrot, 59, said from his body shop, called Pierre’Z, where the former race car driver has spent years repairing and restoring Datsun Zs.
Nissan is planning to put the new-looking 1970-72 models in 10 dealerships across the country to fill the void in the company’s sports car lineup. Nissan stopped manufacturing its last Z car, the 300ZX, because it wasn’t selling well.
“We wanted to keep the spirit of the Z alive and fill the gap if we bring the Z back,” said Scott Vazin, the manager of product public relations at Nissan North America. Until 1983, Nissan marketed its cars in the United States under the Datsun name.
The 240Z transformed the image of Datsun, which had been considered a manufacturer of cheap, boxy cars that couldn’t compete with heftier American models. The last 240Zs were made in 1973, replaced by the 260Z and later the 280Z.
When the Z first appeared in car dealerships, sports car enthusiasts swooped them up because they were fast, flashy and affordable at $3,500.
“Its reputation was that it gave you dollar value,” said Ken Hansen, 64, who has owned a red 1972 Datsun 240Z since 1976.
“It is still very unique,” said 62-year-old Johnnie Rinard, who owns a yellow 1972 Datsun 240Z.
Late last year, Perrot began hunting for early 240Zs, sending out word via the Internet that he was interested in buying vehicles from the relatively rust-free zones of Southern California and Arizona.
Soon the offers arrived, but at a price. “At the beginning of 1996, you could pay $200 to $400 for an old clunker,” Perrot said. “And today, you can’t find the same car for less than $1,500.”
Cars that have been kept in mint condition by collectors are skyrocketing in value.
“Six months ago, my car was probably worth $8,000 or $9,000. It has doubled in price overnight,” Hansen said gleefully.
The cars are being put together in Perrot’s small body shop, which has started to resemble a mini-assembly line where seven mechanics, including his son Mike, labor days, nights and weekends.
It takes about 300 hours of labor to make an old car look new. First it is stripped, then the shell is sandblasted. Rusty parts are cut out and replaced. Finally, the car is repainted its original color--one of eight different hues that had names such as safari gold, racing green and Kilimanjaro white.
Perrot has been scouring the country for bumpers and dashboards. The engines are rebuilt in Texas, and the manual transmissions are redone in North Carolina.
The first 10 completed cars will be showcased Saturday at Nissan’s headquarters before being shipped to dealerships in Virginia, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Northern California and Los Angeles.
