The Big 5 Japanese Juggernauts: Nissan 300zx

1983 Z31 300zx

  With two down, we couldn't leave out the most obvious of the five which is the seductive low rise killer i call the 300zx. Turbo, Twin turbo, or All Motor, the 300 has been a roadster of its own class underneath the Acura NSX ( another juggernaut i neglected to leave out but for another time ) its power to weight ratio balanced and overall comfort for its time of production was favorable not only to tuners but Enthusiasts alone. Here is my take on this wonderful but complexed vehicle.
     In the early 80's The 300XZ turbo powerful, stylish, quick, and menacing. The long nose bonnet and flip up headlights disguised  it as any other car that had flips in that time period, but when it roared passed you, the taillights illuminated the name of the car.

Z32 Nissan 300ZX

     Now about the engines, which is what you were waiting for. The VG30DE if I'm not mistaken was a naturally aspirated 222 Horsepower engine was a strong output platform. The real deal was the twin turbo 300hp VG30DETT. Now i remember when i drove this car i was overwhelmed about its power. 300hp doesn't seem a lot, but back then it rose eyebrows. The power it produced would literally propel you to 100 mph like nothing pushing into the seat thanks to the G's it was letting off when you had the audacity to press the pedal to the floor. There was no rival to this vehicle at the time until 1993. The then MA70 chassis Supra was only producing 240 horsepower out of its Dual Overhead Turbo engine, it didn't have the power or balance to keep up with the Z32, but that's another topic for later. The car was just incredible!
     Now for the downside of this well known giant was the price for its time and the maintenance. When the car initially went on sale it was priced around 30,000 dollars and ballooned to 50,000 dollars in its final years of production. Being Considered a twoseater roadster, it followed the like of the Mercedes- Benz SLK models, Lotus Espirit, Porsche 911s. Unlike its original predecessor and its younger brother the 240sx, the price tag caught the eye of wealthy businessmen who didn't have the just's to own anything high end and settled for something more practical but can still have tons of fun with. The one that PISSED me off about the car was the extremely confined and claustrophobic engine space it had due to the size of the engine, it didn't allow much elbow room to work with especially with the dread of removing the engine to service the turbos which i myself was never happy of accomplishing. The Wiring sucked, minimal trunk space, and road noise, you got what you paid for, AN ABSOLUTE RACE CAR when you wanted it to be.

ALL HAIL THE Z32, NISSANS' Undefeated Middle Heavy Weight.