1973 Datsun 240Z MZR Roadsports Sport Design

The Datsun 240Z is one of those cars that needs little introduction but deserves more recognition than it typically receives in the European collector car world. Launched in 1969 as the Fairlady Z for the Japanese domestic market, and offered from 1970 in export form as the 240Z, it brought the classic front engined, rear wheel drive sports car formula to a mass audience at a fraction of the cost of its European rivals.

In more recent years, the 240Z has emerged as one of the most compelling platforms in the restomod movement, its simple mechanical layout, elegant proportions, and increasingly appreciating status making it a natural candidate for sympathetic modernisation.

Among the specialists working in this space, MZR Roadsports has established itself as the foremost name. Founded as Datsun 240Z specialists, MZR’s approach to the restomod concept is unusually thorough. Rather than simply upgrading components within an existing car, each MZR build starts with a body shell hand-picked from the dry states of the American West Coast, selected specifically for structural integrity and minimal corrosion. The shell is then stripped to bare metal, acid dipped, and fully prepared both internally and externally for paint. The underside
receives a two-component polyurethane waterproof coating, colour-matched to the body, while all internal cavities are treated with Dinitrol wax. The result is a standard of body preparation that would satisfy any concours judge, executed on a car that is built to be driven.