For the first time in the nearly two years that we’ve been tracking such things, a Japanese vehicle has emerged among the most-searched on the ClassicCars.com Marketplace website. That car is the Datsun 240Z.
And not only that, but we checked down the list a little farther and found the 280Z also working it way up the chart. The 240Z was ranked 13th in searches in November and the 280Z was among the top-20.
Both of the vintage Japanese sports cars were among the vehicles most searched just by make or model, regardless of model year.
All-years Chevrolet, Mustang and Ford continued to top that list, with the Chevrolet C-10 pickup truck, the Volkswagen bus/van, the Buick Grand National and the Corvette taking the next four spots in order.
Moving up into the top-10 in November were the International Scout and Willys Jeep. Falling out of the top-10 were the DeLorean and Chevelle.
“The 240Z is literally the sports car that changed the entire landscape of the sports car world,” said Andy Reid, the Journal’s East Coast editor and marketplace analyst. “These were the first affordable, reliable, offering performance much above its paygrade.
“They also offered spectacular styling reminiscent of the likes of the Ferrari 275 GTB.
“These cars have been recognized for how great they were in period and also work well in today’s world as daily drivers. This has led to enthusiasts, especially younger ones to seek the 240Z out to add to their collections or as a first-time vintage sports car.
“As the 240Z has increased in value,” Reid added, “this has led people to seek out the 280Z as it offered many of the things that the original 240Z does but adds fuel injection, air conditioning and, on later cars, a 5-speed gearbox.”
While the Datsuns surged in searches by make or model, there was little change in the list of searches by year, make and model, although the 1967 Chevrolet Impala leapfrogged the 1967 and 1969 Ford Mustangs to take the top spot in November.
Joining the top-10 in the year/make/model search list was the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, which has been working its way toward that level in the past few months.
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