(first posted 3/11/2013) As we saw in the recent ’83 280ZX CC, the sporty Z-cars lost their way a bit from the late ’70s to the early ’80s, donning big, ugly bumpers, velour interiors and even adding a long-wheelbase 2+2 model. But by 1984, Nissan finally decided to dispose of some of the 280’s blubber and tacked-on luxuries in an effort to recapture some of the car’s roots: the original 1970 “24-ounce.” Although the new ’84 300ZX retained a nice ride and power assists, it was somewhat closer to that original, sporty model.
Like the 280ZX, it offered plush interiors, lots of sound insulation and a comfortable ride–but at the same time was quicker and had much-improved handling. The 300ZX debuted in late ’83, as an ’84 model, and started the “Z31” generation with a bang, with the black-and-silver, limited-edition 50th Anniversary 300ZX Turbo, which was built to commemorate Nissan’s 50th year in business. The 1984 model was one of those transitional “Datsun 300ZX by Nissan” variants, but the following year it was badged solely as a Nissan.
300ZXs came with a 2,960 cc SOHC V6 in both normally-aspirated 160-hp VG30E and 200-horse turbocharged VG30ET versions, with your choice of a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Zero-to-sixty for an ’85 Turbo was 7.3 seconds, while the portlier ’87 2+2 was a bit slower, at 8.7 seconds.
Despite their very different appearance from the earlier 280ZX, the 300 was based off of the 280–even retaining its 91.3″ wheelbase. Also carried over was a voice-alert system (perhaps better known as “bitching Betty.”) shared with the top-of-the-line Maxima sedan and wagon.
The 300ZX was the first Z to ditch the classic “sugar scoop” headlights, which were replaced with oh-so-’80s pop-up headlights. The 1986 Zs were slightly updated with most of the cosmetic items of the 50th Anniversary Z. A more drastic restyle occurred for 1987, as you can see from our featured car.
Although more of a driver’s car than the 260 and 280Zs, the 300 was pretty luxurious inside, harkening to the Brougham Zs of just a few years earlier. Multi-adjustable power seats, power windows, leather and cruise control were just a few of the available options. That “gathered leather” on the door panel would not have looked out of place in a Chrysler LeBaron. At least this one has the five-speed manual.
While the 1984-86 Zs are attractive in their own right, I prefer the 1987-89 restyle. The softer curves make the Z a little less severe-looking. At the same time, I like the five-spoke wheels of the earlier version better than the alloys on this one. They are way too Maxima-like for a sports car like this one.
I cannot look at one of these cars without thinking of the hilarious 1987 film Blind Date, although the one driven by Bruce Willis was a pre-facelift model–probably an ’86, going by the color-keyed mirrors and bumpers.
image: imcdb.org
Who could forget John Larroquette as Kim Basinger’s deranged ex-boyfriend David, who chases them in an appropriately Broughamy Chrysler Fifth Avenue?
image: imcdb.org
I tried to find the scene in which following a crash into a pet store, a stowaway monkey covers Laroquette’s eyes, causing the Chrysler to then crash into a paint store; it’s perhaps the funniest scene in the movie. Amazingly, it is not posted online, but this screen shot from imcdb.org should give you an idea of the travails this poor M-body was subjected to.
image: imcdb.org
Actually, the Fifth Avenue had it pretty easy compared with Walter’s (Willis’s) Z. The car did not have it easy in this movie, although probably nothing a little bodywork and a new pair of doors and T-top hatches wouldn’t fix.
All in all, the 300ZX was a rousing success, with almost 330,000 built between late 1983 and 1989, its last year on the market. A new, much more purposeful 300ZX would appear in 1990; it would bring the Z saga into the 1990s as a genuine sports car, with nary a Brougham cue or velour bucket seat to be found. It was, in my opinion, the most attractive Z since the original 1970 version, but that’s a story for another time.
I found this 300 just after completing the writeup on the 280ZX. Did I have Zs on the brain that caused me to notice it, or was it the CC Effect? Either way, I was happy to check this car out. Now all I have to do is find a 1990-96 300ZX!
All movie screenshots are from imcdb.org.
In the late mid-90s, the company I worked for held a team-building exercise at Road Atlanta and Lanier Speedway. We got a half-day driving Legends Cars on the quarter-mile track at Lanier, then switched over to do slaloms, auto cross and hot laps on the main track at Road Atlanta, where our track cars were 300ZXs. They had most of the interior stripped out and roll cages added, but were stock under the hood. They paced us with an Altima (IIRC), because it was, get this, *faster* than the 300s.
Great write up, and brought back some fun memories… Although, I have to say, Tom, it seems in every piece you write – no matter the subject car – that truly,
“All roads lead to Brougham.”
(c:
Actually the 2+2 body style pre-dated the ZX, coming out in 1976 AFIK.
The ZX actually handled this better esthetically than the Z, the latter resembling a dachshund in profile.
The 2+2 was added midway through the ’74 model year, on the 260Z.
These indeed were popular. I remember them being an aspirational car for many in the great coupe era, but – despite their performance credentials – they appealed to a slightly older, less overtly macho demographic than did Mustangs and Camaros. But, they quickly gained a reputation for cheesiness and were a symbol of near middle-age baby boomers rebounding from divorce and going out on the prowl. I remember a joke at the time that went something like “Buy a Z and get a free hairpiece.”
Tronan, spot on; that was *exactly* my impression of it back then. And I remember Car magazine’s cover story at the time declaring: ”Is this a sports car? We say NO!”
You guys are missing that it was still a pretty fun car, and it was fairly reliable to boot. People often speak with disappointment that the car strayed from its roots, but fact is, it was keeping in line with its competition – think budget Corvette, which also became a dog performance-wise.
And the Z was a decent compromise for comfort and handling. Everybody knew that if you wanted more sport, you went with the RX-7 or Supra. But if you wanted a fun cruiser and weren’t completely concerned with cornering limits or skidpads, the Z was a fine alternative.
I agree that it was actually a decent car. It was fast and reliable in a time when most cars were neither. However, it quickly gained a reputation as a cheesy ride.
That’s just it, while the car had its merits & was engineered better than many of its more “respectable” competitors, enough of a certain type of person drove them that it engendered a stereotype. Of course stereotypes are the fallacy of Hasty Generalization.
In Germany, the Opel Manta, again not a bad car, had a similar social reputation; they have a whole genre of jokes about it:
http://www.loria.fr/~vigneron/Bookmarks/Home_made/manta.html
At least this contradicts the stereotype of humorless Germans (often fomented by British comedy).
My sister’s first car was one of these, and it was a cherry silver non-turbo version that my Dad found. Manual trans and everything! It was a stunning looking car, and was mildly fun – but definitely not fast. I’m guessing if it would have been a turbo it would have been a much different story.
Still, cool cars. Very cool cars.
I had an 85 300ZX Turbo 5-speed and it was fast – with the boost it felt even quicker than it was. And the Turbo had everything on it, including headlight washers, digital dash, voice alert system, and the inflatable power lumbar support (something my G37 sedan does not have). The interior of these cars was fairly luxurious with multiple colors, good leather, and soft touch dash.
My cousin had the 84 non-turbo anniversary edition with both Nissan and Datsun badges. Not only did it have the anniversary emblems but she ordered it with automatic and without the T-tops, one of the few I’ve ever seen with a solid roof. Later on people were constantly trying to buy it from her. While both engines were smooth and torquey, the Turbo was the one for speed. Mileage on mine was surprisingly good, with 26+ on the highway easily obtainable.
I agree with SS that these Zs were a nice compromise of smoothness and handling – no wonder they sold well. The older Z’s have pretty much disappeared from SoCal though you still see a few here and there. I think most of them were driven into the ground as they were well built and lasted a long time.
Nice write up, Tom. As I’ve mentioned before, I had an 84 5-speed non-turbo GL-L…digital dashboard and all. I still miss that car; every once in a while, I’ll have that dream that I apparently still own the car, and life is great (then, invariably, I wake up).
It definitely wasnt an all-out performance car, but it was a big step up from my 79 Grand Prix 301; I wasn’t looking for pure performance anyway. I appreciated the smooth, comfortable ride and nimble handling. The torquey VG30 V6 was a very good engine IMO.
I always related to that [really bad] movie because I had my t-tops stolen twice in college.
Both of my ZXs had the ‘Datsun by Nissan’ badging, but were titled as Datsuns by the state. All that silliness ended after the 1984 model year.
From the roofline and back, the first-generation 300ZX strongly resembled the previous car from the outside. I would not be surprised if the rear hatch is interchangeable.
These sort of fell into the memory hole for me. I loved the early models up to the last of the regular 280s, hated the broughamy excesses of the ZX cars of the late 70s-early 80s, and also remember the hot new one from around 1990. These somehow slipped under my radar.
I think they slip under the radar for most people. They seem to go pretty cheap around here and I’d imagine their survival numbers aren’t great.
In high school – my dream car was a ZX.
I don’t care what the perceptions are of any of the Z’s or ZX’s – I like all of them and would take one in a heartbeat.
I’ve always liked the looks of these. I thought the next version looked soft and bloated in comparison.
Soft and bloated? Surely you must be referring to the hideously bulbous 350Z.
I agree if it’s the 350z/370z, I never cared at all for the squashed beetle appearance of those. The 89 300ZX is gorgeous to my eyes
(5 year later)
I was talking about the ’90 300ZX. It’s not necessarily bad…it just looks soft compared to this one.
The 350Z is pretty bad.
I don’t get why these are so overlooked by tuners (but I appreciate it)…all the parts of the recipe are there! RWD, indestructible-yet-upgradeable V6, good looks, Z heritage… Were they just too heavy for the drift scene, or what?
Did these have the same “exhaust header studs break off inside the engine block” problem that the Pathfinders had with the same engine?
Ah the broken exhaust manifold bolt… I’m not sure if these had that issue. I assume so, as the Maximas did.
In my late twenties I decided I was tired of “regular” cars and traded in a 1994 Accord EX for a mint condition 1988 300ZX 2-seater with only 26,000 miles on it. It was a 5-speed, blue with blue cloth interior, t-tops, non-turbo….I drove it for one full summer and realized real quickly that it was not a car for New England winters. After doing a complete 360 on a cold slippery November night I was scared out of my wits and realized I needed another car. Two days after this incident (coincidentally) I get a letter from my insurance company telling me that my rate was incorrectly quoted and my premium will be almost doubling. Well, that weekend I was trading it in. I loved that car, too! It was more like a luxury cruiser than sports car, but it turned heads wherever I went and was great for the one summer I owned it. I rarely saw another one in the color I had – it was a kind of purplish blue – but when it was clean it looked amazing. I decided because of the low mileage and condition that I would try to sell it outright and I advertised it in the local newspaper (Craigslist was not around at this time LOL) I got call after call, even with me advertising it for more than I had paid for it the previous spring. A couple in their mid-thirties was the second one to look at it, the first being a young 18 year old trying to get the money up for it. He said he would be back but I knew better. Well, the couple didn’t haggle at all – they bought it and I never EVER saw it again. Memories? Lots…..even for the small time I owned it. It was a great car that I would have kept had I lived in Florida or California….not in Rhode Island!!
I really like the facelift Z31, it’s on my list of cars to get for my collection. They’re pretty rare here, most of the Z31’s we see are pre-facelift, and I’m not even sure if the facelift was offered as a NZ new car – so they’ll all be imports.
It’s worth noting that the Japan spec cars came with a plethora of engine options, including the very revvy VG20ET, and the first iteration of the VG30DE that would later power the Z32 300ZX. There was even a version that packed the RB20DET straight six, the last Z to use a straight six…..
That annoying Japanese habit that makes parts impossible to source because every single car is different and the one you have is suddenly an orphan.
I loved these cars. I grew up in this era as kind of a F-body / Pony car fanboy and these Z’s seemed to fit right into that nitch while being an import (and therefor assumed to be more reliable than the domestics). Also my Uncle had one, which is probably another reason why I like them. I remember that digital dash very well.
With apologies to various people here, I think these cars are the ’80sist ’80s cars that ever eightied. If I had to pick one car that epitomized the era, this would be on the short list.
This is when the Z changed out of it’s leisure suit and into parachute pants……
My manager had bought a new one of these when I had started my job in my current company….two toned blue and grey. I admired it but it wasn’t my kind of car (still isn’t).
The thing I really remember about this generation car was the TV ad a few years before this (I thought maybe 1985) where a guy goes for a spirited drive, and at the end stops, they have a closeup on him and he whistles and says “awesome”….(I think they have a copy of this ad on YouTube). I tend to use other expressions like “neat” and “cool” but don’t really use “awesome” (especially since to me many of the things people use to describe it are less than awesome, and I guess my generation already had other positive confirmation words ingrained in them by the time)….but I’ve often wondered if the really common use of that expression (in place of “neat” or “cool”) may have started around the time that ad came out. For me, you’d have to have a car driving on top of water (not hydroplaning, but moving with traction) to meet the test of awesome…a very high hurdle indeed.
I never drove a 300ZX, but I’ve wondered whether it really was “awesome” or just another marketing superlative. One of the young guys who started in our company in 1989 bought one of the “new” generation 300ZX when it first came out and it really seemed pretty nifty at the time…I guess the 1988 300ZX was last year production for this generation. Seems like at that time everyone was trying to come out with their “super” cars, maybe to compete with Corvette or something, but I guess high insurance rates have pretty much minimized these…though Nissan still makes successor to this, theres no more 200SX, Toyota Supra nor Celica…it seems to me, the late 80’s and early 90’s were their heyday.
88 300zx all leather digital dash cherfy red Z4 sale mint
I own a 1989 Nissan 300ZX. I bought it in Oct of 2010 and fell in love with it’s looks and handling. Then there were those cool T- tops I dubbed Z- tops to keep up the Z theme. The VG30E motor was spunky, but I thought needed more oomph! I was on I-5 in Washington state racing a Porsche Turbo and blew my motor at 130 mph.
Had it towed to shop where they put in a newer VG30DETT from a 1993 model. That was great until I went against a Saleem SR-51 Mustang. He just had more HP than me. So back to shop and they put in an built. SR20DETT that screams power! At 520 HP with 485ft lbs of torque, and a curbweight of 2,870 lbs with me and a half tank of gas my Z is unbeatable in a street or strip drag.
I’ve further customized my Ultra Fairlady Z with remote controlled Angel Eyes that color cycle and with 55 watt HID foglights with color cycling HALO LED rings have led IJDMtoy to contact me and feature my Z on their website. I’m very proud of my Z. All new polyurethane bushings at suspension points and torsion bars front and rear make it handle like it’s on rails! Just search on YouTube for My Ultra Fairlady Z with Angel Eyes and you can hear the nasty idle it makes! This is definitely not your average Z car.
I too prefer the ’87-’88 models for this generation Z. It looks all of a piece and the revised rear styling is especially nice.
One of my all time favorite cars from the 1980s, although I do remember the UK car magazines were very unkind to it. When Car did its “Japan shows Europe how to build sports cars” issue in March 1989 (one of their very best, IMHO) featuring first looks at the Acura NSX, Mazda Miata and the second-generation 300ZX, they referred to this model as “the crass, ‘hey baby look at the hair on my chest’ car currently masquerading as a sports car at your Nissan showroom”. My sister’s ex-husband had the 2+2 version when she met him.
I agree with the statement that these cars had acquired an image of the owner being a recently divorced orthodontist wearing gold chains trying to impress the opposite sex.
Divorces and orthodontists not having disappeared, however, what does a recently divorced orthodontist who wants to impress the opposite sex drive today? My guess would be one of those horribly squashed Land Rovers?
Yes, probably any luxury “coupe” SUV, whether British, Italian, or German.
Don’t know how I missed this the first time around unless it was before I started reading CC on a daily basis. When I met my wife (early 1985) she had a 1984 300ZX, red of course; hers was the naturally aspirated version with the automatic. I had only driven the car a few times before we took it on our honeymoon to Florida at the end of 1985. During the drive back and forth I noticed that the car pulled noticeably to the right; when we got home I started looking and the right front tire was badly worn. I ordered a new tire and took it to a local garage to have the new tire mounted. While they were checking out possible causes for the pull to the right they noticed that the right front strut had a noticeable bend, it was probably a quarter inch out of true. The car only had 5 or 6 miles on it when my wife bought it and she had never wrecked it. The only thing we could figure out was that the vehicle had likely been dropped while it was being unloaded from the transporter. The car was out of warranty by this time so we didn’t even bother contacting the dealer. Instead we traded the Nissan away on a new Thunderbird Turbo Coupe; someone probably ended up with a fairly new 300ZX with an appetite for right front tires.
No, I think that somebody probably fixed it.
These still lack the “cult classic” appeal of the RX-7, Miata, MR-2, or even 1989-1993 240SX (S13). Has anyone started seeing them at shows yet?
These cars actually make me appreciate the 280ZX as they strike me as MORE “leisure suit” than the models that preceded and succeeded them.
To me, they were as much a game changer for the “Z” car as the 67 Thunderbird was for that car….and for pretty much the same reason.
Though I must confess, as the former owner of a 280Z , that if I could find one of the super rare, NON t-top, manual transmission models, I would be strongly tempted to buy it.
My grandfather bought one when he retired from the post office. It was blue with t top and automatic. It had a really cool digital dashboard and a phone and it talked. It was out of character for him. Before he drove cheap plymouths, ramblers and a Datsun 210. It lasted him about 25 years before he traded it on a solara. It still looked decent and never had many issues. If anything went wrong he would write a polite letter to Nissan saying he loved the car but the fill in the blank part was not as good as the rest of the car. Nissan would then good will the repair. He got a starter and and exhaust system that rusted off and a transmission reseal years after the warranty was out. After every good will repair he would write a polite thank you letter praising Nissan and they would send him free coupons for oil changes. It was the best car he ever had he said many times.