Friday 11th April 2008

SOTW: 300ZX

It's time to catch some Zs...

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To be honest I was scouting around for the later Z32 Nissan 300ZX, but apart from a few with some serious issues this model is just outside of our theoretical £1,000 budget. All is not lost however because there are a few of the previous generation Z31 models around, despite the fact that I can honestly say I haven’t seen one on the road for years (possibly never). When I was a kid I had a model of one of these that I never put together, but from the picture on the box I always thought they looked quite futuristic. I think the shape of this eighties Nissan coupe has aged well and it is still a distinctive-looking piece of metal.

A lot of work had been done on the aerodynamics to make the car slice through the air better than the 280ZX. This later model had the bonnet scoop removed and the bumpers were rounded off to give it an even smoother shape. Overall the design is unmistakably Japanese, both inside and out.

Called the ‘Fairlady’ in Japan (a name which I doubt would have gone down as well here) the Z31 had a 2.0 litre for the home market, but came fitted with a 3.0 litre V6 over here. This version we found in the PistonHeads classifieds looks like a 165bhp version and has just 103,750 miles on the clock. Of course no eighties Japanese or American coupe would be complete without the targa top and this is no exception. It is an auto but manuals can be found for a similar price.

You also get cruise, electric seats and working air con, all for less than a grand. The car is off the road at the moment but you’ll get a 12 month MOT thrown in. I can’t help thinking that these cars are rare now, so one day there will be very few left. Then this Z really will be dead baby, (oh dear, oh dear) so snap one up now…

 

Ad Reads: Now looking to sell what's been a cracking car during the last two summers. In excellent condition inside. Outside is very good for its age but has a couple of small dinkswheels are excellent, tyres have loads of tread, engine has been perfect, auto box good order. Has: air con(that works!), cruise, electric seat, mirrors. Sorn at the moment,COMES WITH NEW 12 MONTHS MOT !!!!!!! NEW front/centre exhaust fitted!, back box nearly new hpi clear! cam belt plus bits changed in last 1500 miles. BUYER to tax car as SORN at the moment

[Andrew[MG]]

Looks like a good shed to me! What are those dodgy pictures trying to hide though???

[Andrew[MG]]

Kieran XJR said:

If I was going to go for a Z31 I'd want the turbo so I could have fun dialing up the boost. What ever happened to the good ol' targa roof anyway? They are sadly missing from todays coupes.

Bring back targa roofs!! Sounds like a good plan to me.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/448919.htm