I drooled over this car as a kid. I still drool over it. Such a great looking car even to this day. The 90's were definitely the heyday of Japanese sports cars. So many sexy ones. This, RX7, 3000GT, NSX.

27 yrs old and still better looking then most cars made today.... J/s

I feel totally grateful that I still have my '90 300ZX TT!

What happened to you Nissan? You used to be cool.

Damn this car still looks good 27 years later

29 yrs later, and still just as beautiful!

I was in LOVE with this car as a kid 😍

All MW Retro reviews are GOLD!

The 300zx is the BEST looking car on the planet even in 2017!!! I Love my 90 300zx tt! :D

The 350Z was a massive step down from the 300ZX.

A gorgeous Japanese masterpiece

Finally a good Review for the underrated 300zxTT Japanese Classic

The only car in the Z-series that I've ever actually found to be desirable, just my opinion.

One of the few cars that never get's dull.

It was the beginning of a new era of Japanese high performance cars. Unfortunately US buyers didn't want to pay corvette prices for them. They were good but price perception killed them. And made Japan shy away from the market.

I test drove one of these in the 90s when I was considering buying one, and man, what an incredible car at the time. The acceleration was so strong and smooth, it handled really well, could brake on a dime - and it looked amazing. At the time I drove it I had yet to get the Corvette's, Caddy's and BMW that was in my future, so I was comparing it to things like a Camaro, a Fiero, old 70s muscle cars, etc - and it still holds a soft spot in my black heart.

Crazy Head Turner even today in 2018. I just drove my 300zx TT and it gets constant thumbs up and stares. The car is just gorgeous. Performance holds up 28 years later. Love my Z! What a classic!

Best looking z car

As a previous owner of a 370z, the 300z is the only other Z I love. That car would still sell very good in today's market! Damn the 90's were good to us:)

Great call by John D. at 5:57: "The Nissan 300ZX Turbo is a milestone in Japanese car development." Truer words have not been spoken, this car forced EVERYONE to up their game!

Timeless machine and my all-time favorite Nissan since 1990.

I wanted one of these so bad back then. Timeless design, would look great even if released as a new today.

This used to be one of my favorite cars that I used to see growing up as a kid in the 1990s.

10/10 Would bang

I loved my twin turbo, just wished they were easier/cheaper to maintain. Still a great looking car!

I'll never forget the first time I saw the Z32 model 300ZX at my local Nissan dealer in 1989. It looked unlike anything I had ever seen before. The only way to describe it is it looked like...the future had arrived, right to the doorstep of my east Texas small town.

Wow, that’s nearly $67k in 2019 dollars! Beautiful car

This car blew my socks off in how it looked when I was a kid. I still don't understand why the 300ZX failed in sales and mainstream following. On paper it should have been a legend of its day, but is largely forgotten.

I had 2 of these cars in the mid to late 90's and to this day it they were still the best overall cars i have ever owned,, 33k was a steal for that car, even in 1990..

Got one new in '92. Switched out the exhaust, intercoolers and intake to a less restrictive one. It was an awesome car and wish I still had it !!

I think the 300ZX was the first car I ever fell in love with as a kid in the 90s. Still looks good to this day.

This car is the reason GM gave the Corvette 300 hp.

I really like this car and almost bought it. Then, in 1991, the 3000GT\Stealth came out. I still own the 1991 Stealth today. It was just so much more advanced and powerful.

I used to watch this show religiously as a kid, and remember watching this video when it came out. This year I finally picked up a Z32 300ZX TT in Sapphire Blue, and loving every minute of it, even for a 26 year car with a modest 280HP (its a 96 which lost VVTi, and about 20HP due to 1996 emissions restrictions, but it did gain OBDII which is nice).

Yup. the Z32 paves the way for cars like the supra and RX7. no one was even talking about japanese muscle cars till the twin turbo Z came out. I miss my Z32. I recently had to let her go but it was the most fun and thrill I ever got out of a car.

I'd definitely take this car over a corvette of the era! I really like the appearance of this car and I think its holding up better than the '90 vette design which was showing its age.

On my third Z32. Used to be an automotive journalist/photographer; no cars, outside of a 997 911 or an NA1 NSX are as perfectly balanced as a comfortable/ well-performing / reliable/ beautiful/ useable/ engaging sports car as a 300ZX Z32 is. Of course, like any old car, they do break down. But if you can figure out the mechanicals on a Z, unlike most other cars, you become a better mechanic for it, since everything is a bit of a challenge to work on and there's always something new to learn. Nissan will never build another "drivers car" of this level.

I just saw one of these at the mechanic now in 2024. This car really in many ways looks relevant even today.

I'm pretty sure with the right street tire you could easily beat the 5.6 sec 0-60 times, maybe break 5 seconds, that was a lot of wheel spin.

I've loved this line since the old Datsun 240 all the way till now. As an 80s NYC kid, this was droolable machinery.

I keep coming back to this video, reliving the short period I owned a real clean 5 speed 1995 Twin Turbo Z. These were the days of Japanese giant killers. The 300ZX Twin Turbo was THE original of the 4... a bit slow in a straight line compared to its competitors, especially against the 3000GT VR4 and Supra Twin Turbo, both demolished the Z over a mile in a straight line - I saw all 4 go at it multiple times back in '96, dig, roll, road course. Dig to the mile marker, towards the end of the mile, the Supra Twin Turbo was a good 2 cars in front of the 3000GT VR4, the 300ZX Twin Turbo 2 plus car lengths behind the VR4, and the RX7 Twin Turbo behind the Z by about half a car. No matter how any of them launched, that was always the outcome, give or take a car length or two. Roll races were identical, it was crazy to see how consistent the outcome was stock vs stock for all 4. Quarter mile times reflected this as well. The Supra Twin Turbo ran 13.5s@107mph on average, and the 3000GT VR4 was 13.2s@103mph on average, .5 to .7s faster than the 300ZX Twin Turbos 13.9s@103mph average and RX7 Twin Turbos 13.8s@100mph average. The 300ZX Twin Turbo may have been a bit lackluster acceleration wise, but handled second best after the razor edged FD3 RX7, though I hated that sequential turbo set up on the FD3, so in a way i found the Z to be the best handler of the bunch. Never cared for the Supra Twin Turbo, although fast, it didn't handle very well, and again, the sequential set up annoyed me. The 3000GT VR4 was the fastest out of the 4 until over 100mph, so imo it was the fastest, as the Supras acceleration didn't impress until highway speeds (speed over 100mph in a Supra Twin Turbo is effortless). The 3000GT VR4 was far and away the fastest off the line, able to pull high 4 second 0-60 times and low 13s in the quarter mile, I own a stock 1995 VR4. But the 3000GT platform jus5 didn't have as much 'feel' as the others, it's numb and turn in / turning radius is awful, as is handling it through tight corners - it really is meant for going rapid in a straight line over long distances. The 300ZX was the original, all the others followers. Yes, they were all very different, and also all very similar. The fact remains, however, that the Z was the original giant killer, able to dispatch the C4 Corvettes of the time. I miss my Z alot.

Wow! time has blown on by. I was 20 years old when the 300ZX Turbo appeared at the dealership.

The 300zx tt was featured in Car and Drivers top ten list consecutively from 1990 to 96 , every year it was eligible. That's the best answer to those who like to hate this landmark automobile.

I still get excited when I see this car, such is the timeless styling. Hard to believe this Z is three decades old! What a great car! I know the Corvette has a fervent following and the Z was never likely to have the same kind of following but this car can match on performance!

I have owned a 93, 95 and 96 Z and an 82 Corvette. The 90's Z was a Corvette Killer! The best sports car made!

I love how this is made in the 90's nostalgic style... great video.

Timeless. Wish they release a updated 'retro" model for today's market.

It's 2024 and all I can say is. Absolutely beautiful car.

When this car went on sale, I was 5 years old and I wanted it. One reason I wanted it was because I knew the name Nissan, back when that name wasn't nearly as well known as it is now. I knew the name because my mother had a 1985 Nissan Maxima and I loved that car. Those cars also gave me a desire to travel to Japan. The May 1998 issue of Sport Compact Car was titled "How to get 450 horsepower from a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo" so I bought the magazine immediately. I learned what a mass air sensor was and then I knew I would be able to repair cars that used EFI. Also, I saw a preview of the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, and I fell madly in love with the way it looked. That is part of the reason why I chose the name Skyline Fever.

I own a cherry red 1990 300zx z32, 100% stock and in mint condition. She spends most of her time in the garage wrapped in a bubble. Most people have no idea what it is when I drive it and yet they still stare in wonderment. However, those that do know will literally follow me until I park to see her and all of her glory.

My favorite car since my childhood.

Those seat belts are insane!!!

I had an '84 300ZX back in 91-92. I wanted one of these soooo bad.

they gave them a yellow one yellow has always been THAT color 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽 i swear the 90s cars look just like the country they came from

in the late 90s I had a 73 240Z and loved it. My friend had a 95 300 and I always wanted one of these too..

I think this is the third retro review of the 300ZX. I love them

Best built 300ZX ever. It also had a 2+2 option. Already has a Bose. Minor updates factory Nav, backup camera, Apple Car Play, air bags and its ready for today’s market.

Still looks great today . Great job Motorweek !

I'm a big fan of these retro reviews 👍.

Love the 300 TT. My Mom had one; what a car! My parents also had a 240 & 260 as well. Love Z cars.

I loved my z to death, everyone regards it as a sport coupe, but to me it was more of a gt car, awesome performance while still able to drive long distances. It was so amazingly comfortable and the drive was like nothing else. The only thing I disliked about it, NO CUP HOLDERS! smh... Other than that it's my all time favorite car

I had one years ago, fantastic car! SHOULD HAVE NEVER SOLD IT!

My best friend had one around 99 to 2003. With $2,500 in upgrades, there weren't many cars that could beat it when it came to random encounters on the street. Cars have come a long way since then and it would take more than bolt ons to outrun them these days but I imagine that a refreshed engine and bigger turbos would keep it in the game.

still a beauty... i remember those crazy test rides once i got away from the sight of the dealerships

That acceleration is addicting to watch. I rewinded over and over.

The 90s were a breath of fresh air. After the neutered 1980s, manufacturers finally brought high performance back to high performance vehicles. This was the age of the DOHC twin turbo V6. The Z-32, Toyota Supra, and Mitsubishi 3000gt VR4 all had 300+ horsepower twin turbo V6s. Modifying these engines to get 500+ horsepower was not uncommon. American manufacturers followed suit with the Mustang getting better and better, and GM making some of the best Camaros and Firebirds in over a decade. This was also the decade that Dodge gave us it's Corvette killer, the Viper. It was an exciting time, but then it ended abruptly. By 2002 most of these cars were gone. It wouldn't be until 2010 before a good selection of high performance cars would be back in the spotlight.

These and other Japanese supercars were absolute headturners back in the day. They were exciting, exotic looking, drawing your eyes everytime. The nice things about these is they were more attainable than your exotics of the day, so you'd actually see them on the road. Very fun time. Japanese superstars, vs Vettes, Camaros, Firebirds, Stealths, Mustangs, DSMs, yes it was a very good time to be into cars.

I had one of these as a teenager. It was the coolest car at my high school EVEN IN 2003!

Oh, I remember the ZedX---back in it's day, it was the darling of the motoring press. It's also a reminder of a time when Nissan had more fire and passion. And 0-60 in 5.8 is still faster than some performance cars today, such as the BR-Z.

I love everything about this car. Possibly one of the best looking cars ever. Imo, reall started a sports car revolution that brought all the great 90's turbo Japanese cars. Awesome to drive.

I was in love with that car when I was a teenager as well. I still do! I saw a 1993 model with no turbo for $3900. No room for it. Wish I could rescue it!

One of the best japanese cars from the 90's (1996 I think was the last year). Great car! And another great retro review from MotorWeek

2:52 John: This car has GUTS as we westerners understand the word! LOL

The best car ever made

Had one almost exactly like this; purchased new in 1990 and kept till around 2003. Loved almost every minute but there were a couple of major disappointments. Had to replace the A-Arms with custom units from Stillen due to severe front inner tire wear. Went through two sets of front tires every 7000 miles or so. The inner couple of inches went to the cord, the rest looked like a new tire. Nissan could not fix it and the service manager at the dealership tried to tell me that because it was a sports car this was normal. There were service bulletins but never a recall. At the end of my ownership, the car continued to run rough and stall out. Nisan couldn’t deal with it and unfortunately, this time, Stillen couldn’t either. I would still own that car today if someone could’ve turned it back from an oversized scale model to a working vehicle again. Oh well, still enjoyed it for a very long time and have lots of fun memories of younger, more carefree days. Also took it to the drags once, best run (totally stock, automatic) was 14.5 at 95 mph). I’m sure the car had a little more in it with a better tune and perhaps a better driver but again, what a fun day! I miss that car and those days dearly. Happy motoring to you all and thanks for letting me share. 🙂

The 2 most beautiful cars ever made were the Jaguar XKE and the 1990 300Z. I owned a 300Z for 10 years until I got too old to get in and out of it. Damn.

The early to mid 1990's really were the best time for Japanese sports cars. You had cheap sport coupes like the CR-X, Prelude, MX-6 and the 240SX. Then you also had more serious cars like the RX-7, 3000GT, 300ZX, Supra and the NSX. What a time it was to be in. Too bad I was too young to drive any of them or afford it at that time.

holy crap this is so awesome!

Very nice classic. This will undoubtedly be a very good investment.

Nissan did great work here. The front exterior styling does look a bit bizarrely first, but behind the wheel, it grows on you.

I still love this car when I see it :) I have a beautiful mint 91 maxima se and love it as well !

I really want to get one of these from the 90"s models. Looks awesome...and 5.6 seconds to 60mph!!

The three liter V6 that Nissan made was very durable a great car still is.

Those seatbelts would drive me fucking insane in the winter while wearing a giant jacket, can’t believe so many cars had them standard around this era Awesome car beyond that though, the simple interior can be forgiven since it was such a powerful, capable racer

I want one of these 300ZX I used to have a 1988 Nissan 200SX which is a very nice ride

The first nissan z class car I've ever laid eyes on at my neighbors was this car in 2004.White t-top,twin turbos, stick shift. The car was beefy and sounded like a beast.

I remember this car back in 1990........my friend bought one exactly the same color, red......it was a car ahead of its time, futuristic look and so nice to ride. DATSUN Z car is awesome.

Can't think of any other older car that looks this good in 2022.

Beautiful car, no idea it was a vette beater at the time though, thats awesome!

Long time Z car fan, had a 300z turbo way back in the day and I just loved these when they came out but damn they were expensive at the time, pretty complicated to, got a '06 350z roadster now, 306 hp but is a whole lot lighter and simple too, still wouldn't mind having a late '90s turbo, would just dread any major maintenance

My favorite platform ever! I own two Z32 TTs, a stock 91 and a modded 95. Stock to stock, the 300ZX TT loses in a straight line pretty badly to the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 and the Toyota Supra TT, but can beat the RX-7 TT. Around corners, the Z is by far the best imo - the VR-4 is numb and nose heavy (heavy in general), the Supra TT also feels heavy in corners and isn't as responsive, and the RX-7 TT is 'technically' the best handler, and would win around a track, but in everyday driving has too much snap oversteer, not enough torque, and feels dirty. The 3000GT was a true 'grand touring car' - heavy, ridiculously fast in a straight line (even today), and comfortable for long distances, but a dud in the corners. The Supra couldn't figure out if it was all out sports car or GT car - it handled decently, and was really fast on the highway, but was beaten by the VR-4 until over 100mph. The RX7 TT was a true sports car, unsuitable for daily driving, and by far the most unreliable. The Z32? It split the difference between GT and sports car perfectly - heavy and powerful enough to be a GT car, but handled amazingly in corners. I co own a garage that works on 90s JDM cars, I'm always elbow deep in a 6G72 TT or VG30DETT. I've driven all 4 in stock form extensively. Z32 FTW. It was the best balanced of the 4, by far.

It's so rare to see these things still on the roads these days, Oh well.... They make for great parts cars for 240sx's :)

Why is this car STILL ahhhhhhhhhhmazing!?!?!?!?!?

Dream car of 90s

This is the first fast Japanese car in America. It looks a decade newer than anything else on the market in 1990 not called a Diablo. The NSX gets a lot of credit for forcing Ferrari to up their game in ‘91, but the 300ZX forced improvements to the Corvette, Supra, 3000GT, and RX-7.

This car was so damn good looking and still is. It doesn’t seem to get quite the appreciation today as the RX7 or Supra though for some reason. I rarely ever see them anymore even on KZfaq videos or car shows. I might have to go seek one out, see if there’s any to be had for not a ton of money. The other two have skyrocketed in price these days.

I bought one of these, a 1990 TT (automatic). Little less HP, and smaller turbos, allowed quicker spooling and offered me my funnest and most capable car I've ever owned. Not the most comfortable car when driven from Minnesota to Florida but still fair. I put the same sized larger rear tires on the front so I could rotate the tires front to rear and extend some tire life but found that when the thinner and more narrow front wheels were on the rear, the car had less balance, but with that change applied to just the front, I could take any marked speed limited turn, double the posted speed and add ten miles per hour more, the BFG comp T/A's were incomparably better than the hockey puck like Dunlops that came OE. and around turns at fast speeds this car zoomed. The BFG tires offered incredible feedback and would kinda talk to me as I approached the limit of car weight, and traction. I had been out shopping for a vette and test drove this car for comparison, I bought it. Still miss it, but...The things that I didn't like....The (fan) style wheels were all the same, so the wheels on one side were faux and backwards, the exhaust rusted quickly and needed replacing after 3 years, and the timing belt replacement at 70k or so was inconvenient. These things were not deal breakers, just noticeable and like a hangnail. Clip it and forget it. Fun car, great memories, nice post. Ps, I have a sedan today that is faster than this ZX, but not rear wheel drive, and not nearly as fun.

Spider web @ 4:56! Lol, gotta love the 90's.

Used to have one of these back In 96.. she was a blast to drive and would smoke dam near anything that would try to test it! Probably one of thee best sports cars ever made... and I’m a vette owner .. lol..

My friend a flight engineer for Northwest Airlines back then had me drive his 90 Turbo home from dealer in So. Cal. I built performance cars and could drive a stick.