Those in the 280ZX know will prize a couple of factors above all else when hunting out these automotive equivalents of hens’ teeth.

An original UK supplied car with the very much rarer and more engaging five speed manual gearbox.

As luck would have it this nice example of breed offers precisely that.

That’s a great start.

Whilst not too much is known about the early life of this Datsun we can deduce a few key milestones from the available paperwork trail.

Registered in the UK in May 1980 it is believed, if DVLA records are to be trusted, that this 280ZX started life as a brown example.

Very 1980! Two colour changes have been registered since then.

The first to white with the current red livery being noted by DVLA in 2021.

Judging by an earlier MoT hard copy dating from 1993, however, the red livery dates at least from that period.

We know that the car was acquired by current owner, Wayne, in April 2022 and that just a touch over 1,000 miles have been covered since it’s MoT tes...