Nissan Sports Cars 300ZX
While the focus on Nissan's sports cars is now firmly on the popular and very capable 350Z, it's worth remembering where the whole Zed-car line came from.
More than that, a used Nissan Zed is worth a look, partly because they're now good value and also because the previous model was a very good thing.
You can forget the versions up to and including the 300ZX of the late 1980s, because they're either too rare, too old or, in the case of the late-1980s cars, too ordinary to be worth the bother.
Which leaves us with the 300ZX launched in late 1989. It stands as today's best buy.
A 1989 build date means that those cars are pushing 20 years old, but the model had an incredibly long lifespan (for a sports coupe) and was still on sale as late as 1997, meaning it's possible to find one that's closer to 10 years old, even if it will have covered its share of kilometres.
The 300ZX's arrival in 1989 suddenly put sports coupe styling into a new perspective. Frankly, it made everything else look instantly old-fashioned, and the 300ZX remains one of the first cars we saw to use the "Harbour Bridge" window line where the roof rail sweeps back in a single arc.
The rest of it was pretty flash, too, with a low, wide stance and aggressive details at the front and rear.
The overall proportions suggested a mid-engine layout, in line with the supercar scene that was sweeping the world, but the Nissan was rather more conventional - engine mounted in front, rear wheel drive.
The surprises continued inside with a low-slung seating position and a high, wide transmission tunnel to make each front seat occupant feel very cosy. Even the trim material was out there; Nissan opting for tweed that felt warm, even if it's a fair chance to look a bit grubby now.
Power came from a normally aspirated 3.0-litre V6 which could feel a little rumbly at low revs but smoothed out the harder you used it. It was an impressive (for the time) 168 kW, and there was the choice of either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual gearbox.
These days, the manual is the only version worth looking for - the auto will feel off the pace in a straight line.
In fact, even the five-speed won't blow your hat off - humble hatchbacks will give the Nissan a terrible time away from the lights these days. While the 300ZX isn't slow, neither is it as fast as it looks.
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