The Spartan: A Neo-Classic Built on the 280ZX

Photos

This Spartan was shown at the 2023 Bautzen air show (Bautzener Flugtage) in Germany. The photographer lists it as a 1979 automatic with a targa (T-top) roof, which would place it in the 280ZX era. From the outside, the early cars look much like the later Spartan II.

Photos: Fiver, der Hellseher, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Have photos of a 280ZX-based Spartan, especially the 280ZX dash or the L28 engine? Send them in and we'll add them.

History

Spartan was the work of coachbuilder Ron Sparks. The company appears as both Spartan Motorcar Co. (in its own brochure) and Spartan Classic Motors. Around 1975 he worked with Alain Clénet on some of the first Clénet neo-classics. Frustrated with the quality control there, he started his own company, building the Sparks Roadster and a Sparks Phaeton dual-cowl limousine with Connolly leather and a hand-rubbed walnut dash.

Sparks then set out to build a neo-classic that was more affordable: a statement car for someone on their way up. He chose the 280ZX as the platform and called it the Spartan. The cars were sold new through Datsun (later Nissan) dealerships, and because of that dealer network, most Nissan shops could service the running gear.

When the Z31 arrived, Spartan retooled for the new car and the 300ZX-based Spartan II followed. The company faded out in the late 1980s or early 1990s; one account blames Sparks's personal troubles, including a divorce.

The cars were popular with the Hollywood crowd. Owners are said to have included Joan Collins, Eddie Murphy and Tony Curtis, and Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett had a 1983 Spartan built for him in the team's silver and blue.

What's Under It

• Base car: the 280ZX 2+2. The Dorsett car's VIN begins HGS130, the 280ZX 2+2 code (see 280ZX VIN decoding), and listings describe stripped 280ZX Turbo 2+2s being used.
• Engine: the 280ZX's 2.8L L28 inline-6, either normally aspirated or the L28ET turbo. Several surviving cars are turbos.
• Transmission: most surviving cars have the 280ZX 3-speed automatic, but at least two 1981 cars, including one described as a 280ZX prototype, have been listed with a manual.
• Roof: T-tops, from the 280ZX.
• Interior: stock 280ZX dash, gauges and center pod (oil pressure, boost and clock on turbos), 280ZX chrome door handles, and the 2+2 rear seats. Cars were ordered in custom colors and leather.
• Body: a hand-built neo-classic body over the 280ZX. A former builder describes fiberglass bodies on the stripped cars; one seller of an early car says it uses Nissan sheet metal. The tail lights are reported to be off-the-shelf units.
• VIN: some cars are titled under the 280ZX's Nissan VIN as a "Spartan"; at least one 1983 car carries a separate manufacturer VIN.

Because the drivetrain is all 280ZX, the rest of our S130 section applies to these cars, including model year differences, engines and the factory service manuals.

Years, Production and Price

There are no surviving factory records that we know of, and the numbers people quote don't agree:

Low-mileage survivors still turn up for sale, often with under 20,000 to 40,000 miles.

What They Sell For

Spartans come up for sale a few times a year, mostly at Mecum, Bring a Trailer and dealers. Some recent sales of 1983 cars tracked by CLASSIC.COM:

Roughly $12,000 to $28,000 depending on condition. Listings don't always say which chassis a car is on, so check under the hood before you buy. Current prices: CLASSIC.COM Spartan market.

Spartan or Spartan II?

Quickest check: open the hood. An inline-6 means a 280ZX-based Spartan; a V6 with a "3000" plenum means a Spartan II.