above the 1967 datsun (yes, datsun) fairlady sports 2000

if you can forgive its lame name (fairlady?) that, perhaps, was lost in translation, this was japan’s lovely little answer to the jaguar xj6 and ferrari spyders of the time. it was an inexpensive alternative to the MG, triumph, fiat and the alfa romeos of europe. to me, and enzo will strangle me for this, it was always the baby sister to the ferrari 250GT SWB california spider; the resemblances are uncanny (below with scaglietti coach works). either way, this was one marvelous looking car despite its price. here’s japan vs. the italians, and in this case they both won big. too bad the recent models are so uninspiring… and yes, the datsun’s too. this beauty was on ebay at some point and the “buy it now” price was US$35,000 while the highest bid at the time it was documented was US$18,100. who knows what it actually sold for but either way, what a steal… by dd

below the ferrari 250GT SWB california spyder (scaglietti)