Nissan Fairlady Z Destroyed In Flood To Be Restored By Students

A group of students at the Nissan Kyoto Automobile College has embarked on a heartwarming restoration project, bringing a Datsun Fairlady Z S130 (known as the 280Z to us) back to its former glory.

Japanese Nostalgic Car(viaThe Drive) reports the classic sports coupe once belonged to a young man who passed away in a car crash. His family decided to keep the car in honor of their son, but sadly, the tragic floods that struck southwestern Japan in 2018 destroyed the vehicle, with flood waters ruining the cherished Fairlady Z.

Distraught, the family contacted the Toyota Kobe Automobile College for assistance. Touched by the family's story, Toyota contacted Nissan to see if the car could be rehabilitated by the manufacturer. In 2019, Nissan's Kyoto Automobile College jumped into action, accepting the car as a project for its students to work on.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project, but the restoration process continued once students returned to campus in 2021. The vehicle isn't finished yet, but it's a challenging process, and the automotive college is taking things slow to ensure everything is perfect.

Take the bodywork, for example. Previous repairs that were once fixed with filler are now being restored to factory condition, but there's still plenty of work to be done. The body is far from finished, and the students are yet to tackle the electrics and interior.

It's the engine that proved a true challenge, though. The publication reports that the 2.0-liter inline-six was in a poor state, filled with mud and water. An engine swap would have been easier, but the tenacious students choose to rebuild the original motor instead, telling Japan'sBest Car“如果你replace the heart of the car, it won't be that owner's car anymore."