Yutaka Katayama passed on February 19th, 2015, after a long and full life—he was 105. “Mr. K” was the person most responsible for bringing the Z car to market. It is beyond the purview of this blog to head back to the original and groundbreaking 240Z, but we can take a look at the second generation 280ZX.
“It’s Black. It’s Gold. And it is awesome.”
For 1980, the Datsun 280ZX received optional T-tops, but otherwise mostly stood pat for the standard car. Power continued to be provided by the L28E 135 bhp 2.8 liter/168 ci V6 with multi-port fuel injection. With the standard five-speed manual transmission, EPA fuel economy ratings were 21 city/31 highway by the standards of the day (19/28 by modern standards). Moving to the three-speed automatic transmission significantly impacted mileage—ratings on the sticker were 19/26. With a 21.2-gallon fuel tank, an owner of a manual-equipped 280ZX could expect an impressive range of between 450 and 495 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
0-60 times in the 2,900-pound coupe were a little over 9 seconds with the manual; reasonably competitive in the early 1980s. The top speed was about 125 mph.
Standard equipment on the $9,899 280ZX (about $28,400 in 2015 dollars) included an independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and P195/75HR14 tires (a size last seen on the 2002 Honda Accord but still readily available) on 14-inch wheels. Stepping up to the $12,238 GL added power steering, cruise control, and air conditioning.
For 1980, there was also a 10th Anniversary Edition (auto manufacturers were beginning to become aware that anniversary cars could really bring the buyers) available in two different two-tones: either Thunder Black and Rallye Red or Thunder Black and Golden Mist Metallic.
Standard equipment on the loaded $13,850 10th Anniversary Edition (about $39,800 in today’s dollars) included the aforementioned T-tops and two-tone paint, along with leather bucket seats, a Hitachi AM/FM stereo radio with cassette, special badging, power windows, headlamp washers, and Goodyear Wingfoot radial tires on alloy wheels.
There is good club support for the 280ZX, though not quite at the level of that available for the now-classic original 240Z. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1980 280ZX coupe in #1/Concours condition is $18,400, with a more normal number #3/Good condition car going for $5,700. 280ZXs often show up in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds and on eBay Motors—as I write this in February 2015, there’s a Dark Charcoal car with a gray leather interior and 142,000 miles available for $18,000.
Lord help me, I would like one in the black and gold two-tone …
Eighties Cars 
The ’80-’82 Z cars were some of my favorites, despite being heavier.
Thanks for your comment – I always liked these cars, too. Datsun gets credit for recognizing that the market had changed from the original 240Z.