Sharp Japanese Metal II: 1986 Nissan Leopard F31

The 1980-1986 F30 Nissan Leopard we saw in the previous post was succeeded by the F31 body. It was a lot more sedate development, often appearing in two-tone shades, and it was deemed mature enough to make it to America under the new Infiniti umbrella, badged as the M30. No longer was there a saloon version, so perhaps Nissan took a leaf from Toyota’s Soarer book. It did take until the ’90s for Toyota’s newly visioned, potato-shaped MkIII Soarer to land in the States as a Lexus, so the luxury marque choices in this specific field were the Acura Legend and the F31 Leopard’s Infiniti M30 version.
As the Leopard, the car appeared in the classic Japanese cop show, Abunai Deka, often exuberantly driven with sirens blazing. But of course it was.


As everyone remembers from The Three Kings, the M30 was also available as a convertible. Those were ASC-made, so the Leopard only did with a sunroof.

The early dashboard is nothing short of gorgeous. Cliff-like center stack, impressive digital dash, steering wheel buttons using fiber optics, Sony audio, and on some models, Super Sonic Suspension that monitored the road ahead and adjusted the shocks’ firmness accordingly.


And the JET TURBO nomenclature for the turbo V6 is perfectly ’80s.


I love these moody shots of the VG30DE three-litre V6 engine. The red valve covers beautifully accentuate the underhood look.

In 1988, the F31 Leopard received a very slight facelift, that is mostly noticeable from the taillight clusters.

But it’s inside where you see the most changes, as the very vertical dashboard was replaced with a more flowing design, one that’s more clearly 1990s-oriented.

Good lighting can make even grey leather look appealing and plush, instead of looking cold and grim.
[youtube width=”720″ height=”480″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXd8iWQ547M[/youtube]
No longer Power Elite, but Private Coupe.
[youtube width=”720″ height=”480″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMUh6XdSB1k[/youtube]
And here, some Abunai Deka footage from the Leopard’s screen days.
[Source: Nissan Newsroom, YouTube]