1990 Nissan 300ZX Turbo
The fourth generation of Nissan's Z-car debuted with the 1990 model year. With the new platform, internally designated as the Z32 by Nissan, the Z-car was moved upmarket in both terms of price and performance, with a larger, more rounded car that was also more luxurious. Like its predecessors, the Z32 was offered in both 2-seat and 2+2 versions. Although T-tops were theoretically optional, nearly all Z32s sold in the North American market were equipped with them, and solid-roof variants are quite rare. A third bodystyle would be added later in the production run, when a convertible version was offered, starting in 1993.
Under the hood, the SOHC 3.0L V-6 of the Z31 was replaced with a new, DOHC engine that included variable valve timing, of the same displacement, which cranked out 222 HP with the naturally-aspirated models, while the turbocharged version was equipped with twin turbos, bumping the output to 300 HP (50 HP more than the contemporary standard Corvette.) Transmission choices remained unchanged from the previous generation, with a 5-speed manual as standard, while a 4-speed slushbox was optional.
Although the basic design of the suspension carried over, it was further refined for improved ride and handling. The one major new feature was an optional 4-wheel steering system available on turbo models.
As an interesting aside, the Z32 was one of the first cars to be designed using CAD software, Nissan utilizing a Cray 2 supercomputer to do so.
When it was released, the Z32 was well received by the press, who appreciated its strong performance, among the best of the non-exotic sports cars, and often beat contemporaries such as the C4 Corvette, Mitsubishi 3000GT, Mazda RX7, Toyota Supra (both Mk. 3 & Mk. 4 variants,) Porsche 968, and early versions of the Dodge Viper in head-to-head comparison tests. Furthermore, it received multiple major media awards, including being the turbo version being
Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1990, and making
Car and Driver's Ten Best Cars in the World List for 7 straight years.
Initially, sales of the Z32 300ZX were strong, but a combination of a high price that increased sharply (the 1990 base price was around $30,000- almost $58,000 in today's money, while the 1996 version went for around 50,000, a little over 80 grand today,) combined with more general market factors that would decimate Japanese sports cars in the North American market over the decade, such as an increasingly unfavorable USD-Yen exchange rate, the 1990s East Asian financial crisis, and a general shift in the preferences of Americans away from performance cars and towards trucks & SUVs all led to the sales of the 300ZX in the US declining rapidly over the next few years, from nearly 40,000 units in 1990 to 3,135 in 1995. As a result, Nissan dropped the Z32 300ZX from its North American line-up at the conclusion of the 1996 model year (2,929 units sold, of which the last 300 were a special commemorative edition,) although it would continued to be produced for the Japanese domestic market through 2000. It would not be until the 2003 model year that a Z-car would once again make its way to the lots of Nissan dealerships.