The Nissan 300ZX, also known as the Nissan Fairlady Z, is a sports car that was produced by Nissan. It comprises the third and fourth generations of the Z-car line-up, respectively given the chassis designations Z31 and Z32.
The 300ZX name followed the numerical convention initiated with the 240Z, put forth by Yutaka Katayama, the one time president of Nissan Motors USA. The "X" was added to the model name by its predecessor signifying "luxury". The name was used in most markets with the exception of a few including the Japanese home market, there the car like all previous Z cars was sold as a "Fairlady Z".
The Z31 and Z32 feature a 3.0 litre, V6 naturally-aspirated or turbocharged engine. Although both motors are from the same VG series and have the same displacement, the output of the Z32 is greater than the Z31. The naturally-aspirated Z32 has and of torque versus the Z31 with 160-165 hp and of torque. Similarly, the twin-turbo Z32s have and torque versus the single turbo Z31, which has 200-205 hp and of torque. The main difference in the newer motor is the addition of dual overhead camshafts, and for the turbocharged version, dual intercoolers and variable valve timing.
The Z31 chassis was designed after the previous Z-car, the Nissan 280ZX, and had two special editions based on it. The 50th Anniversary Edition focused on luxury to celebrate the company's semi-centennial in 1984, while the Shiro Special, released 4 years later, boasted performance-oriented upgrades. Styling would be completely redesigned with the release of the Z32, tending toward finer curves and more efficient aerodynamics. The newer chassis also featured four-wheel steering, called Super HICAS, in its top-of-the-line models. Although it was not a special edition, in 1996 Nissan designated the final 300 American units the Commemorative Edition. Production of the Z32 ceased outside of the home market and continued in Japan until August of 2000.
True to its heritage, the race-only 300ZX cars had several notable victories, including the 1986 Trans Am series and the 1994 24 Hours of Daytona. However, auto sports politics and a controversial GTS-1 class win at the 24 Hours of LeMans that same year prompted the International Motor Sports Association to declare the twin turbo engine illegal for future competition. The 300ZX also holds the E/BMS land speed record of 419.84 km/h (260.87 mph) from the 1991 Bonneville Speed Trial.
Throughout its life, the 300ZX has been praised by critics. Car and Driver placed the car on its Ten Best list for 7 consecutive years and Motor Trend awarded it as the 1990 Import Car of the Year.
