The Nissan Z-car is a sports car which has been manufactured by Nissan Motors Ltd, in six generations, since 1969.
The original Z was sold from October 1969 in Japan, as the Nissan Fairlady Z, at Nissan Exhibition dealerships that previously sold the Nissan Bluebird. It was exported as the Datsun 240Z. Since 2009, Nissan has manufactured the newest Z, the Nissan 370Z.
The earlier models of the Nissan Z were built at the Nissan Shatai plant in Hiratsuka until 2000, while the later models (350Z and 370Z) are built at Oppama (2002–2004) and Tochigi (2004–present). Enthusiasts praise the cars for their looks, reliability, performance, and affordability. Every Z car has been sold in Japan as the Fairlady Z and elsewhere under the names Nissan S30, Nissan S130, Nissan 300ZX, Nissan 350Z and Nissan 370Z. In May 2020, Nissan revealed plans to produce a new Z car.
Nissan 300ZX
The Nissan 300ZX is a sports car in the Nissan Z-car family that was produced across two similar but unique generations. As with all other versions of the Z, the 300ZX was sold within the Japanese domestic market under the name Fairlady Z.
It was sold in Japan from 1983 to 2001 and in the United States from 1984 to 1996, the 300ZX name followed the numerical convention initiated with the original Z car, the Nissan S30, which was marketed in the U.S. as the 240Z. The addition of the "X" to the car's name was a carryover from its predecessor, the 280ZX, to signify the presence of more luxury and comfort oriented features. The first generation 300ZX known as the Z31 model was produced from 1983 through 1989 and was a sales success becoming the highest volume Z-car for Nissan.
To become even more competitive in the sports car market, the second generation Z32 was driven up-market. It was redesigned to be faster and feature more advanced technology, but came with a higher price than its predecessor, with consecutive price increases each model year of availability. As such, sales dwindled each year, a trend in the higher end sports car market at the time, and Nissan placed a hiatus on selling new Nissan Z-Cars to the US after the 1996 model year, though the car would continue to be sold in the Japan domestic market until 2001 in low production numbers.
Car and Driver placed the Z32 on its Ten Best list for seven consecutive years, each model year of its availability in the United States. Motor Trend awarded it as the 1990 Import Car of the Year.[2] The Nissan 350Z, officially the Z33 generation Z-Car, succeeded the 300ZX in 2003.
Z31
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in Japan on September 16 1983, as the Fairlady Z. Designed by Kazumasu Takagi and his team of developers, the Z31 improved aerodynamics and increased power when compared to its predecessor, the 280ZX. The newer Z-car had a drag coefficient of 0.30 and was powered by Japan's first mass-produced V6 engine instead of the inline-sixes of the previous Z-cars. According to Nissan, the new V6 engine was intended to uphold the sporty, six-cylinder spirit of the original Fairlady Z, but in a more compact and efficient package.
Unlike its predecessors, the Z31 featured a V6 engine in the 200Z/ZS/ZG, 300ZX and 300ZR, and the only Z31 to come with an inline-six cylinder engine was the Fairlady 200ZR which was only available in Japan. The 200ZR was the last Z-car to feature a factory-installed inline six. There were five engine options in total: A turbocharged dual overhead cam 2.0 L straight-six (RB20DET, used in the 200ZR), a turbocharged single overhead cam 2.0 L V6 (VG20ET, found in the Japanese domestic market 200Z/ZS/ZG), a naturally aspirated single overhead cam 3.0 L V6 (VG30E, found in 300ZX), a turbocharged single overhead cam 3.0 L V6 (VG30ET, used in 300ZX Turbo) and a naturally aspirated dual overhead cam 3.0 L V6 (VG30DE, used in 300ZR). The Z31 had electronic fuel injection (EFI), and was rear wheel drive. The VG30 engine was either a type A or type B sub-designation from 1984 to March 1987, while models from April 1987 to 1989 had a W sub-designation. The W-series engines featured redesigned water jackets for additional cooling, and fully floating piston wrist pins. Finally, these engines were equipped with self-adjusting hydraulic valve lifters.
The transmissions were a 5-speed manual or an optional 4-speed automatic (all Z31 automatics were the E4N71B equipped with torque-converter lockup including turbo models). All Z31s were equipped with a Nissan R200 rear differential,[citation needed] April 1987 and later turbo models received an R200 clutch limited-slip differential except 1988 Shiro Specials which had a Viscous-type limited slip.
Select 300ZX models (as well as some other Nissan models of the time period) could also be equipped with a digital gauge cluster that also utilized a "Voice Warning System". The Voice Warning System used the vehicle's radio and driver's door speaker to mute the radio and provide a vocal warning whenever the left or right door was ajar, the exterior lights were left on after the vehicle was turned off, parking brake was left on while trying to operate the car, or the fuel level was low.
Other technological features in the 300ZX included a "Body Sonic" audio system that utilized a separate amplifier and speakers in the vehicle's front seats that allowed bass from music to be felt by the vehicle's occupants, and a fully digital climate control system.
Chassis
The Z31 chassis was based on the 280ZX. Although the newer chassis had the same wheelbase and MacPherson strut/semi-trailing arm independent suspension, it handled and accelerated better than the 280ZX it replaced. Turbocharged models, except for the Shiro Special edition, had 3-way electronically adjustable shock absorbers. The Z31 was available in either left or right hand drive.
Style and evolution
The Z31 body was slightly restyled in 1986 with the addition of side skirts, flared fenders, and sixteen inch wheels (turbo models only). Many black plastic trim pieces were also painted to match the body color, and the hood scoop was removed. The car was given a final makeover in 1987 that included more aerodynamic bumpers, fog lamps within the front air dam, and 9004 bulb-based headlamps that replaced the outdated sealed beam headlights. The 300ZX-titled reflector in the rear was updated to a narrow set of tail lights running the entire width of the car and an LED third brake light on top of the rear hatch. This was the first car in history to have the central brake light with LED, in 1987 model year, made by Stanley Electric. The Z31 continued selling until 1989, more than any other Z-Car at the time. Cars produced from 1984 to 1985 are referred to as "Zenki" models, while cars produced from 1987 to 1989 are known as "Kouki" models. The 1986 models are a special due to sharing some major features from both. They are sometimes referred to as "Chuki" models, but are usually grouped with the Zenki models because of the head and tail lights.
North American market
North America was the main market for the 300ZX, as for previous generations of the Z-car. It was introduced to the United States in October 1983, along with the remainder of Nissan's 1984 model year lineup. By now the "Datsun" nameplate had been completely retired in North America. Over 70,000 units were sold in North America in 1985 alone. There were three trim models available: SF, GL, and GLL. The SF model was only available in Canada. The new V6 (2960 cc) Single overhead cam engine was available as a naturally aspirated VG30E or a turbocharged VG30ET producing 160 hp (119 kW) and 200 hp (149 kW) respectively. The 1984 to 1987 turbo models featured a Garrett T3 turbocharger with a 7.8:1 compression ratio, whereas 1988 to 1989 models featured a low inertia T25 turbocharger with an increased 8.3:1 compression ratio and slightly more power — 165 hp (123 kW) naturally aspirated and 205 hp (153 kW) turbocharged.
For the 1986 model year, the base two-seater model was made available without the T-bars, creating a lower cost entry-level version.
Source: Wikipedia