Cars hidden away and in a deep sleep for 10 years or more in barns, sheds, warehouses, even storage units, come up regularly here on Barn Finds. They’re still out there, folks.  The seller bought this 1981 280ZX from the original owner, an older gentleman who didn’t abuse the car, but for some reason put it in a barn about 10 years ago. The seller, located near Dallas in Allen, Texas, bought the 280ZX from the original owner and is offering it for sale here on craigslist for $8,300.

Yeah, it’s dusty and dirty and needs a good cleaning, but the seller says it’s an original, numbers-matching 280 ZX with a straight body, no rust, and ready for restoration. The seller hasn’t tried to start it and shares that there is old gas and fluids in it, so it will need some mechanical attention to wake it up from its long snooze. Based on the photos, the body looks straight and rust-free and the original blue metallic paint is still reflecting the ladders and other stuff surrounding it. All the trim and glass and lenses appear to be there and it also has the optional sunroof.

Too bad there aren’t better photo details of the interior, but from what I can see, the original blue interior looks good. I’m not spotting any issues with the velour fabric seats, dash, steering wheel, or carpeting. From what I read in researching the second generation Z, it was redesigned to be more of a refined grand tourer than sports car and the ZX’s interior reflects this new direction. The ZX came with more padded, comfy seats, better sound insulation, power windows, a four-speaker stereo system, and electric door mirrors just to name a few.

The seller didn’t supply any photos of the engine bay, but I’m guessing this ZX has the original 2.8L inline six that produced 145 horsepower at 5200 RPM’s when new and could go from 0-60 in 7.8 seconds. It’s paired to a 5-speed manual transmission and the seller lists the odometer at 42,000. The second-generation Z-Car had a five-year model run from 1979 – 1983 (and was named Motor Trend’s Import Car of the Year in 1979) before being replaced by the 300ZX in 1984. Even though there were rumblings from some folks who questioned the move away from the Z’s original sports car roots into more of a refined grand tourer, Datsun’s gamble paid off. The 280ZX, available as both a two-seat and a four-seat 2+2, was a sales success with more than 331,000 sold, including 73,177 units in 1981. On the surface, this original 280ZX appears to have a lot of boxes checked in the plus column. Hopefully the next owner can get this cool metallic blue Z-Car back on the road again. Fingers crossed.