I still think about my 1985 Nissan 300ZX. It was the second car I ever owned, and I’d love to be able to take it for a spin today. When Nissan launched the car for the 1984 model year, they took to your television with spots like the one above.
A Redditor found this commercial on YouTube, and it’s clearly worth sharing further. The lines are hilarious, but perfectly fitting in the period in which this would’ve been viewed fresh.
Watching this makes me want to find a way to go from zero-to-awesome. Also, I had no clue these were offered with adjustable suspension. My ’85 Z31 was a non-turbo model with the analog gauges. I still loved it.
For years, the fastest I’d ever driven in a car was coming home from college while driving that Z. It was nighttime and I was a foolish young idiot who got egged into a highway race. The non-turbo car ran out of steam at 130 miles per hour. I believe the turbo cars had a limiter at that same speed. Regardless, the Z was stable as could be in that moment but it was too fast and I left off the throttle. Idiotically happy to drive that fast, happier still to no longer be there.
I miss that car.
[Source: YouTube via Reddit]
Who's ready for zero-to-awesome? The Nissan 300ZX will get you there
7 responses to “Who's ready for zero-to-awesome? The Nissan 300ZX will get you there”
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Major motion indeed.
Spotted an ’86 Turbo for sale the other day around the corner from my house. Still thinking about calling the guy..but the wife would kill me. -
Yes yes yes! Gawd love ya, Jeff. My current daily driver/hobby car is an 87 non-turbo 2+2 300ZX. I love it. Lots of fun to drive and I’m learning great new skills, too.
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I always preferred the lines of the two seater to the 2+2, but still love any Z31. 87 was a cleaner looking body than my 85 I think, but I still lust after the 88 Shiro Special.
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Fair. I think the proportions of the body are better as the 2+2, but finding parts for a 2-seater are infinitely better by comparison. And there are Shiros out there to be had…just a matter of keeping the eyes peeled. 🙂
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YES. Our neighbor was head of regional marketing for Nissan, and dad was prez of the local Z club, so I went to some sort of regional unveiling of the ’88 Shiro Special. One of the defining moments of my young life.
And NO to 2+2 on ANY Z. -
The 300ZX 2-seater looks slightly sportier, but honestly I don’t find the 2+2 unattractive, and the extra utility outweighs styling by a huge margin, IMO. However, I do think the 2+2 is significantly less attractive in the 240/260/280Zs.
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I know it features the Z32 but this is my favorite 300ZX commercial. The irony of it is that Nissan had already killed the Z32 in 1996 for the US when this commercial was released, no doubt invoking many a WTF?! moment for US Z32 fans and raising false hopes for a revival that never came.
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