gn300zx Posted May 25, 2011 Posted May 25, 2011 300 zx twin turbo It’s 1989...you’re a Nissan zed car fan. You have watched as the once great range has ‘evolved’ further and further from the lean, lithe sportscar the 240z, stood by and observed as it has put on weight, its sharp edges became blurred as the 260z, it put on more middle aged spread as the 280zx and ultimately became a car for second division football managers and retired publicans in the z31 300zx of the eighties. It was sad to watch, like a fighter struggling to make the weight and moving up the divisions, becoming slower, less agile, less sharp, and more worryingly, not carrying power up with him until ultimately he becomes a gatekeeper, a fighter who is just there for the payday, has no intention of winning. The z31 300zx was no longer a competitor, it was roundly beaten by it Japanese counterparts and i doubt the boffins at Stuttgart even acknowledged its existence. So you don’t hold out much hope for the zed car range. And when you read that the new zed car, the z32 300zx is set to challenge the Germans, never mind the domestic competition you take it with a pinch of salt. And then you pick up the latest edition of Car magazine and see them describe the new 300zx as a Japanese Porsche 928...what the fu.....?? you pour over the pictures, devour the spec, admire the styling. This car looks like a spaceship. Turbo power was big in the eighties and this baby has TWO blowers. Four wheel steering. The magazines are raving about this car. The gulf in ability between it and the hapless z31 is huge, this is more revolution than evolution. You smile. The zed car is back. Since reading that article way back when, a 300zx twin turbo has been on my list...(DONT get me started on the list..please) it had to be a red one, it had to have black leather and it had to be a manual. And now i have one. So what is it like to meet one of your heroes, and live with it on a daily basis. Surprisingly easy is the answer. When this car came out it seemed like technological overkill, now, it just seems like a big, friendly, rumbustious character. It wakes up in the morning first time, every time, makes a big deep hi, how ya doin rumble thru its big twin stainless pipes and is as easy to drive as a micra. Light clutch, direct, accurate feelsome power steering, it has none of the histrionics that you would imagine a 22 year old 300hp supercoupe would have. The driving position is spot on, the citroenesque pods on either side of the wheel are ergonomically superb to use an it is a nice, airy place to sit with the big glass targa panels in place, and it has about a million miles of headroom with them removed. And boy does the big car have some wallop. That’s the word to describe the power. Wallop. Negligible lag, foot down, spool up, wallop. I rarely have to rev much more that 4.5k such is the relaxed toquey nature of this amiable big bruiser. Sure the redline is up at 7k or something but it seems pointless to me, this car, a car I’ve always felt to be a technological tour de force is, in fact, nothing short of a good old fashioned muscle car. Spacious, comfortable, good looking...and did i mention the wallop...make that the WALLOP it’s got when you put the foot down?....yeah, i think i did. And then something funny happens. you accept this car for what it is, you think you know it, you think you have it sussed. Then you look down at the speedo and realise that you are travelling along a much loved road about 10-15mph faster than you usually do. This old school muscle car has manners. It corners in a drama free fashion with little roll, it feels unflustered and untroubled, it just grips and goes thru on rails. I hate using clichés like that but hey, it’s the best way to describe the big car. It’s a muscle car with brains. A consummate gt car, a car you could jump in and crush a continent with. Unless it’s raining..or damp...or slippery...then it might try to kill you. Don’t get me wrong, it gives you plenty of warning, it doesn’t sneak up on you in the fashion of that other well known Japanese assassin, Kato, and frighten you senseless..no, it lets you know it might be thinking about killing you some time in the near future, its actually almost apologetic about this fact and just to prove it really is a big friendly old thing and it really doesn’t want to go down this route, it actually gives you the tools to stop it from doing so. But if you ignore the warning or don’t use the tools, the accurate steering, the progressive power delivery, it will kill you, of that i have no doubt. So, what we have here is an iconic Japanese supercoupe. It’s the car that kicked off the zed cars revival. A car that took a stumbling broken down old laughing stock and jumped it straight to the top of the class. But you know what, essentially what we have here is a good ol’boy. It’s an intelligent redneck. Many Japanese cars are overstocked with technology and ability and understocked with personality. The big zed redresses that balance. It brains may come from Japan but its heart lies in the deep south. Its amiable rumble, easy charm and old fashioned manners are more Alabama than yokohama and i think that’s why these cars have such a cult following. The 300zx is Burt Reynolds with a degree in computing and electronics, but you know what, if you take him out for a drink, and boy can he drink, he is still Burt Reynolds.... yeehaaa Quote
leo-r32gts Posted May 25, 2011 Posted May 25, 2011 Excellent read mate, the first 2 paragraphs had me convinced you were quoting from another source! Nice analogy with the ageing fighter. And yes, it will try to kill you in the wet - I was still getting caught out after 9 months with it. Fortunately there wern't any severe consequences, but it is a very thin line.. Couldn't agree more with your sentiments, reminded me of when I'd just bought mine and used to wake up at 5am like an excited school kid, just so I could go and play!! Quote
gn300zx Posted May 25, 2011 Author Posted May 25, 2011 not the first time iv used the fighter analogy..i write reviews of the more memoreable cars iv owned, just for fun...the ageing fighter was used here first... Porsche 928 s4 a good analogy or not???......we are both fat gits in the twighlight of our careers!! ever met a retired heavyweight boxer..a champion....a Tyson, a Lewis, a Holmes.???...they put on a few pounds here and there, let the middle aged spread, well, spread i guess.....yet under it all, you know that there is still immense, nullifying power....sure the reflexes have slowed down, dulled by the passing of time, the lithe, effortless grace is no longer apparent, but you know that he could get up on his toes for one more round if he had too, you know he has that burst of speed, that sudden burst of energy that will leave his contenders trailing in his wake.....he just can’t put it together for the full 15 rounds anymore...and hell, he doesn’t have to...in his time, he was the man..the undisputed champion..those that thought they could compete were clinically dispatched, those that did compete went life and death and were left battered and bruised...when his fans spy him today, they still speak in hallowed tones, point and whisper..'there he is..remember when he was top of the tree..jeez, that was a sight to see...'..they don’t care that his suits are now a little threadbare, that he no longer dresses in Armani or boss, that his muscle tone aint what it was..they just remember the glory days..the days when he ruled the division with an iron fist........but im not talking about a boxer here, truth be told....im talking about my 928.....sure it can’t do 170mph anymore, and maybe some of its 319 ponies have jumped the fence and went off to pastures new, but it’s still got the heavyweight champions ambience, people still point and whisper....people regard the old scoundrel with a fondness, even though it’s a bit down at heel and has a few bruises and scratches here and there.....but like any heavyweight champion...not many people wanna engage it in a streetfight..even now..cos they can remember what used to be......ladies and gentlemen, i give you the ex heavyweight champion of the world...the 928.... Quote
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