1972 Datsun 240-Z

A ground-up 240-Z restoration that honors the car's heritage while quietly improving how it drives.

Orange number 262 Datsun 240-Z at racing speed on track, captured in a motion pan.

The Project

Overview

The 240-Z is a car that rewards a light touch, so our goal was to preserve its heritage and proportions while addressing the drivability compromises of a fifty-year-old design. Metalwork, finishes, and fitment were all brought back to a high standard.

Targeted mechanical improvements sharpen the driving experience without erasing what makes an early Z special, leaving a car that feels authentic and confident on the road.

Discipline

Restoration

Four Versions, One Shell

This car didn't arrive at its final form in one pass. It was stripped, colour-changed, finished, then re-worked into full race trim — one representative frame from each stage.

Datsun 240-Z stripped to bare shell in white primer with the engine bay and orange roll cage exposed.

01Teardown

Stripped to Primer

Back to bare shell: metalwork sorted, engine bay and roll cage laid in, body blocked and shot in high-build primer.

Datsun 240-Z freshly painted glossy orange in the spray booth, wheel arches masked with paper.

02Colour

Fresh in the Booth

First real colour. The shell masked off and sprayed in its deep orange base, gloss still curing under the booth lights.

Completed orange Datsun 240-Z with flared arches and staggered wheels parked in the shop, before race livery.

03Complete

First Finished Build

Buttoned up as a clean street-style build — flares, wheels and glass in, wearing the orange with no livery yet.

Orange number 262 Datsun 240-Z race car in full livery with front splitter and slicks in the paddock.

04Race Trim

Race-Ready #262

The version in the hero: full race dress, #262 graphics, splitter, tow hook and slicks — paddock-ready.

Gallery

Inside the Build

Rear three-quarter of the Datsun mid-strip, orange paint sanded back with the roll cage visible through the hatch.

Cowl and hood area in grey primer with the original weathered blue hood and fresh hood vents test-fitted.

A body panel and window frame in fresh grey primer set on stands in the workshop.

Rear three-quarter of the shell in mixed orange and grey primer during bodywork.

Front three-quarter of the Datsun in white primer with the front clip open and engine bay exposed.

Front three-quarter of the masked shell in grey primer inside the paint enclosure.

Freshly sprayed orange front three-quarter in the spray booth with arches masked off.

Glossy orange rear three-quarter drying in the spray booth.

Front view of the finished #262 race car in the shop with the front fender flares removed and set on the floor.

Ready to Start?

Let’s Build Something Special

Whether you’re restoring a classic Porsche or building your next race car, Corporate Motorsports delivers craftsmanship, precision, and performance every step of the way.

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