(first posted 6/25/2014) The sight of this car outside the local food co-op, where it couldn’t look more out of place, provides an apt parallel to the unfortunate timing of its introduction: right at the beginning of SUV-explosion. And despite its organic styling, it represents the tail end of ’80s thinking; in the touchy-feely nineties, casual and “natural” were suddenly back in. That meant a quad-cam 3.4 liter Toyota Tacoma didn’t present its owner as shallow or image conscious. After all, despite horrible gas mileage and high bumpers that mortally threatened drivers in lower-slung machines, it said “I chop wood and go fishing,” and not, “Spray tan with Lisa at four o’clock.” So as overdressed as it is, I couldn’t have hoped to find this most-flashy convertible version of the Z-car in a more illustrative setting.
As I’ve said before, Japanese carmakers were at their most ambitious in the very late ’80s and early ’90s and Nissan, who put forth some of the era’s most honest and impressive efforts still found itself somewhat under-appreciated. In the case of the new Z-car (dubbed Z32), this had less to do with an unfair shunning (think Q45) than with purely bad timing, but the result was the same: a lot of money spent, and little increase in the cachet of the brand itself.
That didn’t matter for the person who ordered this convertible, either a ’93 or ’94. Lacking twin turbos, the coupe’s distinctive fastback roofline, and likely a fair degree of body rigidity, it isn’t the best example of its breed. But if sports cars like the 300ZX were out of style by 1990, their convertible spin-offs were even more so, and by the time this car rolled off the line near Yokohama, its buyers’ tastes were decidedly out of date.
But enough of the obvious, let’s enjoy this car for what it is. Even with a naturally aspirated engine and four-speed Jatco automatic, there’s something very appealing about this convertible, which acquits itself as a luxury car as well as anything wearing a Lexus badge. In those days, Nissans had some of the best plastics in the business and showed them off quite liberally. You can see where Ghosn (the highest paid CEO in Japan) cut costs when he came into the picture in 1999.
In fact, despite very convincing performance for its price when introduced in 1989, all the hype about Nissan having canned the Z’s lounge lizard act when the Z32 debuted wasn’t really true. It’s more that the lounge lizard spent a good couple years with a personal trainer and fashion consultant. You still couldn’t call these focused performance cars but, after all, when you’re building a toy for well-heeled buyers, you have to give them what they want. At look at today’s Porsche line-up provides a more current illustration of this idea.
This convertible model debuted in 1993, after the collapse of the Japanese price asset bubble, and well into the days of rapidly appreciating Yen. At about $35,000, it still offered buyers plenty to enjoy. Problem was, a Mustang GT convertible could offer much the same experience–with back seats–and despite its comparative lack of sophistication, was closer to a pure, care-free sports car than the high-tech Z. Sales weren’t a total disaster in 1993, with 11,599 cars (2,750 convertibles) sold total, but they fell off a cliff the next year, with 5,320 sold and with 6,708 sold in 1992, the writing was already on the wall.
If Nissan wanted to pitch the Z as a pure sports car, they could’ve considered making a lighter, cheaper device which could offer rapid performance in naturally-aspirated form. It seems that was more the 240SX’s territory, but hobbled as that car was with its KA-block truck engine (in North America), Nissan was in an odd position, with two very capable rear-drive coupes with a big gap in price, mission and performance. One also wonders who was in charge of decision making during the two model’s tenures, as 1993 also saw the introduction of the 240SX convertible, an answer to a question no one was asking. Surely the money could’ve been better spent, or even better, not spent at all.
But don’t get me wrong, the Z32 is easily loved without the need to explain one’s self. As mentioned already, it was comfortable and well-made, but it also excelled in its mission to excite. To start with, it looked the part of a serious sports car, with shorter, wider and lower proportions versus the model it replaced. Styled in-house, the simplicity of its detail keeps it from looking like the relic the Z31 is today, despite all the visual drama on display.
Anyone who’s spent time working on a Z32 can confirm that the impression of a car shrink-wrapped around its mechanicals was very much based in reality. Gone were struts, trailing arms, and an engine bay designed to accommodate both the VG V6 and the RB straight-six (a few Z31s were curiously offered with the latter in Japan). Even before the quick-revving VQ’s debut, Nissan’s V6 was highly regarded, so it returned with wide DOHC heads and was stuffed into a smaller engine bay crowded by a low hoodline and a new multi-link front suspension.
By this time, most cars with the Nissan badge could handle quite well, but this was especially true for the newer breed of its rear-drive machines, which were offered with the bulky multi-link rear axles so popular with Japanese makes in the ’90s. And unlike the implementation of such systems in many luxury sedans of the day, the 300ZX was well-behaved; this wasn’t just a one-dimensional drift machine.
That could be more due to Nissan’s deliberately tuning the car to understeer. Just to ensure stability in extreme conditions, the TwinTurbo model came with Nissan’s famed Super HICAS rear-steer system, providing a few degrees of in-phase articulation of the rear wheels in turns at higher speeds, usually after a brief moment of steering them in the opposite direction to aid initial turn-in.
Those who note that other makers were able to achieve the same thing without expensive trickery would be correct in their observation; but the system worked as promised and by 1994, lost some weight when it became electronically (not hydraulically) activated. Electronic suspension trickery on twin-turbos wasn’t limited to four wheel steering; adjustable dampers were part of the deal too.
Taking on the likes of the still-excellent Porsche 944 Turbo and 968 was a priority, but not the sole mission in creating the Z32. If the result of Nissan’s efforts wasn’t as sharp-edged as the superlative FD RX-7’s, it was a lot more comfortable and available a full four years earlier. It was also a more stable machine, able to slalom at nearly 70 miles per hour (that’s fast today) despite a middling skid-pad figure of .88 (high-ish in 1990, unimpressive in 2014). As far as handling is concerned, naturally aspirated cars lacked the twin turbo’s wide 245-series rubber in the rear, adjustable shocks and four-wheel steering, but with less power to contain (198 lb-ft at 4800 rpm of torque vs 283 at 3600) and at only about 100 pounds lighter, there wasn’t too enormous a difference.
In terms of performance, though, there was a bigger gap. Naturally aspirated cars, with 222 horsepower, made it to sixty in the low seven-second range, with the quarter mile accomplished at 90 mph at about fifteen and a half seconds. Turbo cars varied wildly with some cars reaching sixty in five seconds flat and others taking a full second longer; the quarter mile averaged about fourteen seconds and a 100 mph. It would seem all that hardware crammed under the hood was subject to heat soak. Top speed for naturally aspirated five-speeds was nearly 150, limited by the 7,000 rpm redline, and turbos were governed at 155. As for our automatic ragtop, let’s estimate sixty miles per hour in the high eight-second range and a top speed of 140.
It’d be a few years before Toyota’s Supra and the Lexus SC would be able to compete, and other than those two cars, the ideal competitor was the Corvette. Compared to that car, the Nissan was softer, and more refined. Compared to the Toyota cousins, which as separate models, benefited from more fine-tuning to suit their respective audiences, it was somewhere in the middle.
Despite having begun life as an especially soft tourer, the new-for-1993 Supra represented a more accelerated pace of evolution over forebears than the Z32 and was a more hardcore proposition, as evidenced by its bigger rolling stock, smaller size, and louder decibel ratings while cruising and coasting. Included in its higher price was a sequential twin-turbo system which Toyota designed over the four years the Z was already on the market earning accolades, elevating the Supra’s performance an extra degree over the tamer Nissan. And of course, next to the Lexus SC, the oddly proportioned 300ZX 2+2 lacked cachet.
The situation is somewhat reversed now, with the 370Z and Infiniti G37 coupe being two of the few remaining offerings keeping the Japanese performance flame alight for today’s enthusiasts, something Toyota has seemingly struggled to accomplish since the Supra left these shores in 1998. While the post-2003 Z may be rougher around the edges than the Z32 featured here, it’s done an admirable job of presenting itself as a legitimate sports car, lacking a lot of the high-tech mystique that characterized the cars before it. The Infiniti coupe, despite its 2+2 layout and different badge, more faithfully captures the combination of performance and comfort which made the nineties Z-car so appealing.
The G37’s success illustrates the direction the market has taken; it’s all about the sports sedan these days. And while post-Ghosn Nissan has been passing off a lot of cheaply conceived mainstream models, the reception to such cars as the 240SX, Stanza and original Sentra SE-R suggests that their reputations didn’t merit much of an investment. It was nevertheless a pleasant surprise that the company was able to conjure up the well-regarded G-series, the 370Z and GTR after the Renault takeover, but the upcoming Q50 suggests that they’ve lost the plot once again. All that means for our purposes at CC, however, is that cars like this 300ZX convertible represent a home to which fans cannot return.
Related reading:
1990 Infiniti Q45: l’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, And Doggonit, People Like Me
I saw one of these (a coupe) on the freeway this weekend. It has to be one of the five most attractive cars of the ’90s, period. It might be #1, with the RX7 right up there. I’m not really big on Japanese cars, especially modern ones, but the designers who cooked up those two were on a roll.
Excellent find and write-up Perry. I’m not a huge fan of the convertible, but I’ve always lusted over the 300ZX coupe. Like the Ferrari Testatossa and Lamborghini Diablo, the 300ZX was one of those cars that I had proudly postered on my childhood bedroom wall. Unlike those cars, even as a kid I knew that the Nissan could be an everyday sports car, with more comfort and convenience. It was one of several cars that I actually envisioned myself owing (despite being years away from driving). I had numerous 300ZX car models, and loved saying “Nissan Three-Hundred Zeeee-Ex” in my nasally high-pitch 5-year old voice.
This generation of Z made a huge splash, especially on the west coast. Sales of all higher end Japanese cars were affected by our recession in the early 90’s similar to today when college grads had trouble finding work (and also by the value of the yen). The same problem bedeviled Porsche at the same time (such as the 964 you profiled a few months ago), almost putting them out of business.
Nissan did have the hugely successful Pathfinder at the time as well, so it’s not like they missed the SUV craze in order to focus on sports cars.
The 240sx convertible was likely an answer to the Celica convertible and non 5.0l Mustang convertible, both of which were quite popular. The 240’s main issue is what took so long! Why wouldn’t you have two convertibles in the line up at very different prices?
I can’t really tell if you are a bit negative about this entire generation of 300ZX’s or just the convertible version, but it was an impressive car in general (probably in order of turbo, then coupe, then 2+2, then convertible) I understand that the Midwest may be a hotbed of Mustangs and Camaros, which were popular out west as well, but buyers hardly if ever cross shopped them at the time, totally different demographics and you have to admit the Z was significantly more advanced technologically. An early 90’s mustang is not much of a sports car, certainly less so than the new at the time F-bodies and a Mustang convertible, no matter which engine, would be more of a shopping trolley (but I do like them as a great cruiser.)
Not negative, just trying to explain the car’s lack of sales success. 30k sold in 1990, then a sudden and sustained drop. I don’t think these are comparable to the F bodies, but in the minds of many consumers in a shrinking sporty car market–especially with reinvigorated American V8 power–the question of relative value came up. I’m not sure the Celica convertible was especially popular, either.
I prob should’ve made my appreciation of, and desire for, these cars more explicit (though I think the convertible did have a sorta corny image). I’m a Nissan fan in general, and it’s hard not to love a sharply styled, beautifully made, powerful, wieldy and comfortable car. And I could stare at that interior all day. Make mine an early production naturally aspirated two-seater… or an RX-7.
At first it seemed like you were pretty down on the car, Perry, but I stuck with you and by the end your appreciation for the car was obvious to me.
I think the overriding problem with all of these cars (and with the Celica convertible, for that matter) was that, like the American Supercars of the early ’70s, they priced themselves out of their natural market.
The Z32 was the kind of car to which the owner of a Diamond Star (Eclipse/Talon/Laser) coupe might have envisioned trading up. Unfortunately, it was way, way too expensive for those buyers and was also too expensive to appeal to people who hadn’t read the specs, but just thought it was cute. The price took the 300ZX well out of the, “After I get another raise or two, man…” range and into lottery ticket pipe dream territory for a lot of people.
The same went for most of these cars. For a while, the A80 Supra Turbo was skating dangerously close to $50K, which meant that the overlap of people who really appreciated its strengths and people who could afford to pay for one was pretty small.
If you want a single explanation for why sales dropped off so sharply after 1990, consider that the early ’90s were the point where the Baby Boom generation’s kids began entering college en masse. Even back then, having a kid in college had a way of cutting sharply into your disposable income (although given the way college now requires mortgaging your unborn great grandchildren’s souls, I can’t help thinking we got off easy). It also probably served to accelerate the Boomers’ interests in SUVs — have to still look tough and Individualistic while shlepping Junior’s crap back to the dorm, you know.
The convertible Celica was not THAT expensive, but had a similar problem. The T180 Celica was built in Japan (which meant the whole exchange rate issue) and convertibles were then converted by ASC in the States, which is presumably why the convertible cost $5,000 more than the coupe. (Cutting the roof off also made the convertible shake like a wet dog.) You could get any number of passably sporty convertibles for a LOT less money.
Another fan of the 300ZX, especially in the coupe version. How to get the looks of a Lamborghini without paying the money. Nissan’s advertising didn’t exactly help, either. The only memorable ad for the car was the Barbie and Ken “You Really Got Me” ad – which came out a couple of months after the car was dropped. In all fairness, it wasn’t really a 300ZX ad as a Nissan ad. But to use your best car which is no longer in production . . . . . . . . ?
Allow me one moment of personal, screaming bigotry: The should be a special circle of hell for anyone who puts an automatic in a sports car, or something that aspires to be a sports car. And may those who do so burn for all eternity. If you can’t/won’t learn to drive three pedals, get a Camry.
My nomination for the next circle: Sports-car owners who drive like Grandma. All flash & no dash.
See, I tend to assume that just means the driver has gotten too many tickets already and is now very nervous about the prospect of taking the bus to work for the next year.
IIRC the convertible 300zx and 240sx only came in automatic. I agree it’s a travesty but it was Nissan’s fault not the original buyer.
Actually convertables, at least in 1995, did have 5 speed option. I’ve owned one for 20 years. Comfortable open 2 seat high-speed crusin’ GT with unique looks. And great reliability.
I always thought that these cars had a sinister, vaguely reptilian look; especially the head on view! Really cool! 🙂
I remember it being called “the crocodile” in some magazine article about styling. Perhaps Car & Driver or Automobile.
Anyways, I hadn’t thought of them so much as “Grand Tourers” until today, but it is interesting to think that their logical successors are the G35-37 Coupes instead of the current Z.
Car and Driver was actually excited (as indicated by the exclamation point) about the new Pontiac Trans Sport??? Ugh…
They were excited about the ad dollars…Actually, at least they covered it, making C+D slightly more relevant to John Q. Public than the competition.
Given their review of the actual vehicle (which I just read again the other day), I think it was more that they thought it was interesting enough to make for a good cover.
C/D admitted kind of liking the looks, although they noted either in that review or their long-term test followup that staffers’ teenage children found it repellant, but their review was decidedly lukewarm. It was pretty much what everyone who has dealt with those vans says: The actual road manners were pretty decent and the plastic outer panels seemed like a smart idea for a minivan, but the driving position and just about everything related to the giant windshield were off-putting and the 3.1/three-speed combo (the only powertrain at launch) was marginal for something that big. It was a fairly honest assessment and I definitely wouldn’t call it a puff piece.
That issue of C/D was the very first one I ever received as a kid, and I still have it!
I remember seeing a Nissan 300ZX convertible. I remember thinking “Why the hell didn’t Nissan think of this before?” It must’ve either been a one off car or a very limited production car, because I’ve never seen another 300ZX convertible.
The300ZX convertible is a rare ride. Nissan only sold 3,826 convertibles in the USA from 1993-1996. no telling how many are still on the road today.
I’m not a convertible person but after owning a 1993 300ZX convertible for 2 years, I consider myself very lucky to have found this one. It is sporty, sharp looking and fun to drive.
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve owned a 93 Z ragtop for 23 years now and still love that car. The naturally aspirated 300ZX motor is so beautiful to hear. It was my dream car in high school and it hasn’t disappointed after all these years, though it is getting creaks and moans here and there…
I can’t say as I’ve ever lusted for a Japanese car, but for these (in coupe form), I’ll make an exception. They just look mean.
I thought these were very slick when they first came out, I remember the first one I ever saw, it was at night and she a black one with dark grey leather, it was sitting on the rain soaked lot of a local Nissan dealer, the water was beaded in drops all over the smooth taught surfaces, the maximum illumination dealership lights beamed down on the car, reflecting off the water droplets almost making it look like it was covered in stars.
I know a couple that has a pearl white twin turbo in their garage in mint shape, it has about 60K on the clock, I’ve driven it once, and they do move with authority, the convertible however reminds me of the fat, dorky kid I used to work with that had one just like the featured car, right down to the automatic, except it was red, his parents bought it for him(they were loaded)and to me the combination of the automatic, non turbo and convertible made it look like a posermobile, which for him, was an a pretty much spot on description.
It’s natural for car guys to try to explain a car’s success or failure by looking at the hardware, it’s what we do. But the Z32’s sales nose dive after year 2 had more to do with yen appreciation (price increases) than the SUV trend or anything related to the product. Also, in general, sports car sales are high at the beginning and fall off significantly after 2-3 years. With rare exceptions they all fit this pattern from NSX to Solstice to Z3 to F-Type. The E36 M3 was a much safer approach to this segment — lower investment + practicality + less design “aging”. The 350Z benefited from a lower price than the Z32, no price spike in the middle of its lifecycle and lower investment from the shared hardware with Infiniti sedans. It was deemed a success in a market that was even more crossover crazy.
I remember the Z32 as being the near-perfect sports car/GT car, just a very expensive one. I see it as more of a revolution over its predecessor than the 1993 Supra was. No argument about the convertible.
As much as I agree, and as significant as a $10k price jump is over a six-ish year span, the Z was still a decent value at about$40k near the end of its life. It must be remembered that it was a pretty mature and sophisticated machine. So as much as I wanted to more strongly invoke the appreciating Yen into the narrative, I have a hard time really feeling that it made the Z a poor value. I think it’s more that it was a bargain in 1990. Its price was on par with the ‘Vette and less than the Supra and the 968.
I think just think that, as elegant as it was, it came across as brash and flashy in a market that wanted SUVs and sports sedans, in addition to (probably) not making much of a profit for its declining parent company. A shame, really.
I agree demand for SUVs and sport sedans was increasing but not that, as a result, sports/GT cars were dead. What came after the Z32 was the Boxster which was priced about the same and sold like crazy. If the absolute price of the Z32 went up $10k during its lifecycle that was a 30% (!) increase. Not sure I can name a car that matches that over 6 years.
What was a great car and relative bargain at the beginning ended up being just another fine but aging sports car. The value component of the Z DNA was lost not just in absolute terms but in relative terms. German cars were no longer more expensive and, suddenly, the Nissan Z had to compete with premium Japanese models like the Lexus SC.
Also not sure the Z32 was too flashy. It was one of those rare sophisticated but eye catching designs. Flashy would better describe the Mitsubishi 3000GT which was a hot seller at least for a while.
Agreed on all points; I guess it’s more that, even with the price increase, I don’t think they were a bad value. I’d easily choose one over a Lexus SC, for example. Perhaps a premium badge may have helped marginally.
And no, it’s not the Z32 itself which was flashy, but I think high-tech sports cars in general may have been regarded that way in the mid ’90s, especially when you consider newer contenders like the M3.
Road Atlanta used to use 300ZXs in their racing school back in the ’90s. They were stripped down with full roll cages installed, and were a hoot to drive (we had a “team building” event for work). They paced us with an Altima (I think), which they said was actually faster than the Zs. They let us get a touch over 110 on the back straightaway, but kept things damped down in the curves (we had a few spin-outs, and I got real floaty once myself but saved it).
Another car that serves as definitive evidence that I was born 20 years too late. When I die I’m bringing that picture with the Supra in the foreground and C4 Vette, RX-7, 300ZX and 3000GT in the background and handing it to God saying “Hello God, now what the fuck! I wanted to be in my 20s by 1988, not born then!”
Maybe I’m not hip but I’ll take a lounge lizard twin turbo 300ZX anyday over the hideous little stubby 350/370Z that replaced it. I do like the G35/37 coupes though, bot not nearly as much as any sports coupe from the 80s/90s.
I agree with you, Matt. Sign me up for the nissan, the Toyota and the Honda. Each in red, please.
I would road trip in these babies all across America from sea to shining sea, cruising the back roads in style!
One correction – in North America, the 300ZX only lasted one year longer than the RX-7. The RX-7 was dropped in the US after 1995 as Mazda didn’t want to bother with OBD-II. Nissan kept the 300ZX in the US through 1996.
Although for the record, the 300ZX survived in the Japanese domestic market through 1999, the RX-7 through 2002.
The Z32 was a pretty cool car, although I have no lover for the convertible. One day I’d love to add a tin-top 2 seater manual turbo to the collection. The face-lifted models of the late 90’s sharpened the look up a little, I’d love a facelift in white.
We used to get heaps of these into the workshops where I worked, usually needing the HICAS ball-joints replaced. Rear wheel bearings were fairly common too. But the worst bit was the zillion little water hoses that were throughout the engine bay, that would inevitably leak after 10-15 years. Of course by those days they were owned by people that, shall we say, didn’t necessarly have the means or desire to maintian their vehciles as well as they should, and they’d almost always ask jsut do do the one that was leaking. Naturally after that one was fixed another would leak and so-on. From memory on the turbo models there are about 34 different coolant hoses.
Another issue was with the connectors on the wiring looms getting brittle, no doubt as a result of heat-soak in the crammed engine bay. That would cause ignition problems and the like, bt as soon as anyone went in there they’d all crumble. Consequently pretty much any job became a major.
These are cool cars, but nothing about them says “hey, Im a Z car”. Even the previous 300Z still had the proportions and silhouette of the original 240Z even if it was a bit squared off and homely by comparison.
What I never liked about either 300 version of the Z is the V6 engine. Straight sixes say sportscar….V6s say ‘sedan, minivan, or now CUV’. The Supra and RX-7 seemed much more focused when it came to higher end Japanese sports cars, but at least the Z pulled things off better than the 3000GT and Stealth….
See, I give Nissan a lot of credit for being willing to break with the previous Z look, which by 1989 was seeming pretty creaky. There’s certainly an argument to be made for what you’re saying, but at the time, it felt like a willingness to actually rethink the concept rather than bogging it down with a lot of self-conscious “maintaining a familiar look” baggage. We’ve seen an awful lot of the latter in recent years and it becomes wearying.
Nice find. I was ten when the new 300ZX came out, and was a big fan. I had the pearl yellow Matchbox version in my collection. I haven’t seen a convertible in years, but did find a silver-blue coupe with navy blue interior just a few weeks ago. Looks like I’ll need to wait a bit before writing it up! 🙂
I, too, had that matchbox model in yellow (I was nine when the Z32 arrived). Still do, probably. Definitely one of the best designs to come out of the late 80’s and one that has aged extremely well, due to the lack of gimmickry and just a pure shape. Plus I’m sure the TT cars were one heck of a fun drive. Unfortunately, by this point I think they’ve reached that tipping point of so many older complex GT cars–a bad one is cheap, but will quarter and dollar you to death (not just nickel and dime for these bad boys) and you’ll spend more time frustrated at it than driving it. A good one has spent a pampered life in a garage, regularly serviced, and will cost you dearly. Even 25 years later, you get what you pay for, but for those willing to pay, still a head-turner.
Always loved these cars.
Also loved the commercial where ‘GI Joe’ drives one to pick up ‘Barbie’.
I’m supprised nobody has mentioned the original 300ZX convertible concept that debuted at Geneva in ’92. So much better looking than what ended up going into production.
Nissan had nothing to do with the development of that car, it was an attempt by American Sunroof Corporation(who was already contracted to make the soft top conversion kits for the Z32) to get Nissan interested in an update of the fold-able hardtop concept that Ford had mass produced in the 40s with the Starliner. Nissan Passed because the project cost was too high, If Nissan had been involved in it it would never have been titled and made available to the public and would have ended up in their museum in Japan-the car was owned by ACS and given/sold to an employee who sold it. Ultimately Mittsibushi bought into the concept and took the economic beating(Nissan forsaw) on the VR4…
I’m late to the party, but very interesting post Perry. We never got the convertible Z new, and there are only 5 used JDM imported convertibles currently on our Kiwi roads, so I’ve yet to see one in the metal.I must admit, I never quite got the point of the ZX convertible, as the T-top ZX gives the same wind-in-the-hair experience with rather more structural integrity. Still plenty of Z32s around here, some as daily drivers, and they’re easily the best-looking lareg RWD Japanese coupe of the 90s IMHO (although the Supra is a very close second).
These are one of the best looking cars ever, in coupe form at least. Still look modern even today, they could re introduce it tomorrow and people would love them. I’d love to have one but they are hard to find in good clean shape anymore.
The 300ZX convertible is still a beautiful car, as are most well taken care of automobiles, Enjoy what others do with their cars and what you do with your own!
I wasa Zguy back in the late ninties. I had a real nice 78 280Z 2+2 with 5 speed. Really liked that car and used it haul my two little kids around. I decided that I wanted a z32. So I found my at the time dream car. A 94 two seater with T tops five speed trans and Magnaflow mufflers. It was pearl white, with saddle leather and suede dash and door panels,wow what a beauty. It was a little slow from a stop, needing quite a few noisy revs. Once rolling though the acceleration from 45-over one hundred miles an hour was amazing. Extremely stable and easy to drive. Believe it or not I got tired of the weak low end response, annoying in heavy traffic. I sold it and kept my 78 for a couple more years. I kind of prefer tractable power like my 96 auto Mustang GT. It’s just more mellow even with Flowmasters. Maybe I am getting old. My next car will retain the stock exhaust.
Love my 1994 300ZX convertible…. Smooth, sleek and rare. Long for the TT motor, but still appreciate the sound and power curve it has once rolling.
It is a 5 speed as I simply couldn’t drive an auto sports car, regardless of make.
These cars have held a special place in my heart since I was a teenager drooling on their windows in the dealerships.
I realize it the convertible lacks some of the aggressive look of the coup, but her lines speak more to the class and grace of the 300.
Hope to see a rebirth of the 300 at some point… Till then, I will enjoy one of the classiest cars available, even though she’s 22 years young!
Just scored a Triple Black ‘93 ZX Convertible twin to the Subject Z above except with RARE 5 SPEED; by far the best balanced, handling driver sports convertible I’ve ever owned! 222 hp is more than enough for back roads to highway runs. The hoop roll bar the only design flaw is more than offset by the pure fun to drive factor. . . top up, it’s got a wicked BMW Z1 look to it