What the car is and where it came from
The Z32 is the second generation of the Nissan 300ZX, the sports car sold in Japan as the Fairlady Z. It followed the Z31, which had been a sales success and the highest-volume Z-car Nissan built. To stay competitive, Nissan drove the new car up-market: faster, with more advanced technology, and at a higher price. Isao Sono and Toshio Yamashita designed it, and Nissan management approved the final form on October 1, 1986. It ran from 1989 to 2000 in Japan and from 1990 to 1996 in the US.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The body is wider and rounder than the Z31’s, with fewer hard edges, and a drag coefficient of 0.31 against the Z31’s 0.30. Nissan used a Cray-2 supercomputer and a form of CAD to design it, which made it one of the first production cars to do so. It came as a 2+2 or a two-seater, with T-tops as standard, and the two-seater “Slicktop” had a solid roof. A two-seat convertible built by ASC arrived in 1992.
The 3.0 L VG30DE V6 had a DOHC head and variable valve timing and made 222 bhp. The twin-turbo VG30DETT, with two Garrett turbochargers and dual intercoolers, made 300 bhp. Every Z32 used a multilink rear suspension, and turbo cars added a two-mode adjustable suspension and Super HICAS four-wheel steering.
What it gets right
Car and Driver put the Z32 on its Ten Best list for each of the seven model years it was sold in the US, and Motor Trend named it 1990 Import Car of the Year. It also won comparison tests against rivals including the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7 and Porsche 968. On track, a twin-turbo 300ZX won the 1994 24 Hours of Daytona and took the GTS-1 class at that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
What it does not
It got dearer every year. A 1989 car cost around $30,000 and the last model year cost about $50,000, and with SUVs rising in popularity and the yen strengthening, US sales ended after 1996 with over 80,000 sold. The sales figures show the slide: 17,652 in 1991, 6,708 in 1992 and 2,929 in 1996.
What it changed
The Z32 was the first car sold after Japan’s manufacturers agreed to a 280 PS power ceiling, which stood until 2004. American Z-car sales passed one million during the 1990 model year, which made it the best-selling sports car at that point. Its headlights were later used under licence on the Lamborghini Diablo.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It suits people who want a turbocharged Japanese coupé from the early 1990s, with the technology that came with it. It does not suit anyone who wants the cheaper, higher-volume Z31 formula, or who wants to buy one new in the US after 1996.
Is it worth your time
Yes. It marks the point where the Z-car stopped chasing volume and went for speed, technology and price, and the sales that followed show what that cost.
