Sayonara: Nissan 300ZX Turbo IMSA

Forgotten

Now that the new Nissan Z is available in Switzerland (see here), it’s time to take a look back at the history of this Japanese car. We have a big piece on it somewhere, but we can’t find it anymore – but there is a small piece on the rare Fairlady Z432 here. To cut a long story short: the Datsun Z was launched in 1969, initially as the 240Z, then from 1974 as the 260Z (plus as a 2+2-seater); in the USA, the 280Z was also available from 1975. In 1978, the 280ZX followed (which was also available as a Targa), and in 1981 a turbo was added (with 200 hp). The third generation (Z31) was built from 1983 to 1989, followed by the Z32 (officially just a facelift) from 1989 to 2000 – with the twin-turbo 3-litre V6, it was then a serious sports car with its 283 hp. The fourth generation was finally introduced in 2002 after a short break, replaced in 2008 by the 370 Z, which was then discontinued in 2020. Now, the new Z, which is officially not imported to Europe, but is available thanks to Swiss efforts.

The most interesting car technically was the Z32, the one with the twin-turbo engine. It also provided an excellent basis for racing, as can be seen from this 300 ZX, which Clayton Cunningham Racing entered in the IMSA from 1989. The 3-litre V6 already produced over 800 hp in the first stage, and later it was more than 1000 horses – until the engine was banned in 1995 (Nissan was already familiar with this from the Godzilla). But before that, it was enough for Steve Millen to win two IMSA championships, the 24 Hours of Daytona (1994), a class victory and 5th place overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All of this has been somewhat forgotten in the mists of history, as the Z never found nearly as many fans in Europe as it did in Japan and especially the USA. And then there was the R390 GT1, another bit of a 300 ZX.

The race car we are showing here will be auctioned by Broad Arrow in Miami in 2025. It is one of seven IMSA racers built. In any case, the price-to-horsepower ratio seems excellent. We have more race cars in our archive.