Autoweek: 25 Years Later, the 300ZX is Still Dreamworthy

[BlaRo]

Those of you among us might remember that when I first joined this forum, I was obsessed with the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. Here's a secret: I still am.

And I got to drive one, albeit briefly, but still indelibly.

What's the car of your dreams? Is it something fast, something rare, something seductive? Is it a shot out of left field, a tour de force by a company at the height of its powers, spurred onwards by an invincible economy? Is it a car nearly forgotten by unimaginative enthusiasts who traffic in clich?s, who march in lockstep with the obvious? Is it fragile and cantankerous -- a car that demands an unbound patience, a gentle hand that remains unwavering when writing that check? Is it a car that made an indelible impression in your own youth, from an age that seems to inform all of your adult opinions, one that has survived the fickle changes of time and taste?

I'll tell you what my dream car is. It's a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, built from 1989 to 1996 (and for two more years in Japan). A car that landed on this planet with a wallop. Wide-eyed headlights, unmistakable and large, a soft and curvy wedge: commanding, but never aggressive. Skinny, but still a bruiser. Modest, but stealthy. A car that appeals to those who know what it is. Can a car speak to you, even if you've never driven it? If you've never driven anything?

This new Z -- oh, no, it was the wave of the future, and it would demonstrate that by expanding upon every facet of the outgoing model. It was one of the first cars to be designed via CAD. It had a coefficient of drag of just 0.32. It hung with Japanese-techno-faddish as much as possible: like the Acura NSX (and later the Honda S2000), its sloping dashboard foisted its climate controls up to the driver's hands, where it really mattered. One turbo? Hell, no -- two Garrett T2/T25 hybrid turbines, piped to twin intercoolers the size of Nineties laptops, hooked up to enough plumbing to impress the Romans. Four-wheel steering was the in sound from way out; Nissan's electronically controlled Super HICAS system was designed for high-speed stability, which we reported in October 1989 also "creates a sense of demonic turn-in." Today there's a bypass kit you can buy in case your 25-year-old solenoids impart the same hellish feeling.

For a sports car, it weighed a whopping 3,500 pounds, even before two decades and 300 or so rounds of IIHS recommendations. Despite this, its 300 hp could shove it forward to 60 mph in just five seconds. (These guys are after me. But they can't catch me.) Remember a time when 300 hp was earth-shattering? Remember a time before a Toyota Camry had nearly enough power to streak past the Japanese Gentleman's Agreement? (Even the 300ZX adhered to this 276-hp agreement. Not in America, where we view gentleman's agreements as tantamount to treason.)

"Overall, we find the 300ZX Twin Turbo on initial acquaintance to be an astonishing car," we wrote, "particularly for its combination and value." When the Nissan 300ZX went away in America, in 1996, it was more than just the end for a midlevel exotic -- spurred on by waning sports-car interest and a bloated sticker price (over $40,000 in Clinton dollars), a victim of its own exuberance. It was the end of 26 years of the Z-car in America, an end to all that: the Fairlady, Black Gold, Shiro, Stillen SMZ, Brock Racing, AWESOME. It was the end of Major Motion. Nissan numbered the last 300 brought into America, labeled them "Commemorative Editions," and watched as the sports car renaissance fizzled out.

25 years later, the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo is still dreamworthy

 

[Matt2000]

The old Z cars just have something about them. To me, the 240Z is still dreamworthy.

 

[prizrak]

The old Z cars just have something about them. To me, the 240Z is still dreamworthy.

The original Z is on my must have before I die list of cars for sure. I was going to get the Z32 as my first car but I was warned away from it, also finding a clean example of a TT is damn near impossible.

 

[czelaya]

What's amazing is when you see owners slowly transform their cars marginally year by year to keep up to date with technology. There's a guy in our neighborhood who has a 300ZX with an upgraded twin turbo kit that's pushing 480 hp at the wheels with larger intercoolers, bigger fuel injectors, and all the other necessaries to keep the car RELIABLE. He has 4-piston Brembos on the front and rear; a Porsche Cayenne metallic gray paint job; Advan TCIII rims flush with the body with the widest possible tires (nothing ricer); redone interior (new carpeting, Recaro leather racing sets, navigation); retrofitted HID headlights; and everything that's possible to keep the car looking up-to-date. It's a beautiful car and people always asking what new Nissan model he has.

 

[JTuhka]

What's amazing is when you see owners slowly transform their cars marginally year by year to keep up to date with technology.
... It's a beautiful car and people always asking what new Nissan model he has.

True. I always find myself surprised when I remember it came out in 1989 (same thing with the Honda NSX).

 

[Nabster]

There's a guy at work who drives a white one of these daily. It's not a tall car.

 

[93Flareside]

A coworker has one. He never drives it sadly. He doesn't have a place to work on it, he says there's a leak in the turbo set up causing to run in a fail mode or something...

 

[Donington]

Hard to believe how old it really is now. Still a fantastic bit of design that has aged very, very well.

Good luck finding one over here that hasn't been riced though...

 

[GraemeH]

Good luck finding one over here that runs though...

Le Fixed.

I always wanted one but they have a shocking reputation as far as reliability goes. You'd have to be almost as mad as the people who buy Mitsubishi 3000GTs.

 

[prizrak]

Le Fixed.

I always wanted one but they have a shocking reputation as far as reliability goes. You'd have to be almost as mad as the people who buy Mitsubishi 3000GTs.

Reliability is crap on the turbos the NA is fine, albeit pretty damn slow. Good news is that it should fit an LSx just fine

 

[JTuhka]

Reliability is crap on the turbos the NA is fine, albeit pretty damn slow. Good news is that it should fit an LSx just fine

Now that you mentioned it, I don't think I've never seen a 300ZX with an engine swap...

 

[prizrak]

Now that you mentioned it, I don't think I've never seen a 300ZX with an engine swap...

There you go

 

[BlaRo]

True. I always find myself surprised when I remember it came out in 1989 (same thing with the Honda NSX).

Oh, I covered that one here.

2014 is a big year for Japanese cars. 25th anniversaries of the NSX, 300ZX, Miata, and Lexus LS400. Three of those four all debuted at one incredible auto show.

Expect an article worthy of commemorating the Miata, from your humble author, later this year...

 

[argatoga]

The problem with all those fantastic Japanese sports cars is that they all have been unfantasticized by poorly installed "upgrades". Except for the NSX which priced its way to safety, they are all impossible to find unmolested.