The car depicted here is an exotic 1979 Datsun 280ZXR homologation special that Mecum will soon be putting up for auction.
Before Datsun could officially introduce an approved IMSA and SCCA racecar, the company had to produce a small batch of its road-legal counterparts first. Thus was the 280ZXR born, a street-worthy racer with a massive rear spoiler.
Despite a rather understated appearance, the model reportedly received a cool 180 kilos (400 pounds) of downforce at 160 km/h (100 miles per hour). The added traction must have contributed a lot to the success of the Electramotive team, which piloted the 280ZXR to victory in 9 out of 15 GTU races in 1979.
Power for the elusive road-legal race came from a 2.8-liter six-cylinder engine rated at 135 PS (133 hp / 99 kW) and 144 Nm (106 lb-ft) of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is tasked with bringing the momentum to the rear axle.
The example on sale is pristine with 25 km (16 miles) on the clock and comes bundled with an OEM decal package.