The long version

Rust did more curating than any collector ever could — most 240Zs that left the factory in the 1970s are gone, and what survived split into two camps: numbers-matching restorations chasing L24 authenticity, and driver-focused rebuilds that don't mind an engine swap if it means actually using the car instead of trailering it. Values have climbed steadily as the surviving pool shrinks, putting real pressure on the second group to start behaving like the first. It's early enough in that transition that plenty of owners still treat it as a classic to drive rather than an asset to protect.