Nissan 300zx TwinTurbo

It was at the 1990 UK Motor Show held at the NEC in Birmingham that I first saw the Nissan Z32 model, better known as the 300zx TwinTurbo. From that moment on I knew I wanted one.

I couldn't afford a new, or even nearly new example. I continued admiring them every time I passed one on the UK roads, but still wanted to own one.

In the summer of 1997 I was working for the UK arm of a US IT services company and was fortunate enough to be able to order a company car. My personal car was a 1995 Toyota Celina, of course I wouldn't be using this as my daily driver once the company car arrived. I decided this was the point where I could finally own a 300zx TT.

I traded the Celica in and finally became the proud owner of a UK spec gun metal grey 300 with an auto gearbox. It was first registered on 17th March 1990, so it was one of the early ones. I purchased it with 12 months UK MOT, so felt it would be safe to drive. However on the evening I picked it up and went out for a drive with my best mate, it became apparent that all wasn't well. The rear shocks were clearly not doing their job and had obviously failed. I don't know why I didn't pick this up on the test drive, perhaps I didn't push it as hard, perhaps my heart was ruling my head. Never the less it didn't feel safe, my dream car felt like it was trying to kill me. 😬

My mate worked in the motor trade, and questioned how it had just passed an MOT. We even dropped by the local Police motor garage and had a chat with them about what I should do. So less than 24 hours after picking it up, I found myself at the second hand "back street" car dealer complaining. They eventually agreed to replace them, I then drove home in the Celica again until it was fixed.

Picking it up a few days later, it felt like a new car, felt safe and secure on the road. I was happy again after the initial doubt following the earlier experiences. It was at this point already 7 years old, and as the shocks demonstrated, hadn't recently received the servicing and maintenance it needed.

The company car I ordered was the new model VW Passat, as it turned out being a new model there was a very long waiting list which I didn't expect. The 300 then became my daily driver for 6 months, for both personal and business mileage. Here lies a golden nugget though which I hadn't planned. For business mileage, the rate for a 3 litre engine was 63p per mile.

I regally, did at least one round trip of over 300 miles per week, which at £0.63 per mile, plus the other shorter journeys left me with at least £200 every week in expenses. I hadn't planned this, but it really worked out well for me. I can't remember the exact figure but I must have claimed about £4,500 over the 6 months in expenses. Of course I had to buy the fuel etc, but I was able to use the cash to get the 300 a set of new tyres, along with a host of other maintenance jobs that needed doing.

By the time the company car arrived, the 300 was in very good running order, and became my weekend social car. It spent most of its time parked in a dry garage which was very warm as the boiler for the central heating was also in the garage.

I did a number of upgrades, HKS exhaust, Air filter, caused a bleed on both the turbo waste gates so it was in effect running high boost pressures. I changed the front lights to the US spec rather than the UK ugly blanking plate. The rear lights were changed to the clear styles later ones. Side indicators to the later clear models. The brakes were upgraded with slotted discs along with a set of pads, it really did now have the stopping power to match its performance. With the auto box I was already pushing its capability, and didn't dare increase power / torque further. However, the auto box did mean you could concentrate on keeping it on the road with both hands on the wheel when being a bit heavy with the right foot.

I moved jobs and went contracting as an independent Network Engineer, which during the Dotcom boom of late 90s early 2000s proved to be a good earning opportunity. My daily driver was no a BMW Alpina B10 V8, which was the most expensive car I had ever purchased, in 2002 it cost me £28,800. I therefore thought I really ought to have it in the garage.

The Alpina had a 4.6l V8, the 300 had a 3.0l V6. Outside of the US, not many people have those kind of engine sizes, and very unusual to have 2 powerful motors. It was time to pass the 300 on to a new owner.

I took the following photos at a radio site where I was working at the time.

The buyer was a guy in his late 20s, we went out for a test drive, and he asked if he could put his foot down. The only thing I told him was that make sure he didn't put his foot to the floor unless he was heading in a straight line. With the limited slip differential, if you floored it when not straight, it would spin like a puppy chasing its own tail.

By the time we got back from the test drive he was beaming and clearly wanted it. I stuck to my asking price, we exchanged cash and keys and off it drove. 2 days later I received an email telling me it could out run his boss's Porsche 911, but which model it was he didn't say. Either way apparently it was drinking a lot of fuel, but he loved it and promised to look after it.

The UK V5 (Vehicle Log Book) was issued on 13th Oct 2003, and about a month later, I received an email from the guy telling me that he had killed it, and it was being written off. It had been recovered to some insurance brokers yard, which by complete coincidence, was only about 20 mins drive away. I thought I would nip out, try my luck and see if I could have a look at it.

When I got to the breakers yard, it was high up on the racking out of site. I pushed my luckk, told them I needed photos for the insurance, and they had one of the lads go and fetch it for me. I wasn't allowed to take anything, or open any doors etc. It was a simple look and take photos opportunity. I don't know what happened in the accident, but every corner had some damage.

Looks like the rear end took the brunt, and is now sporting a significant branch protruding from the side. The rest of the branch is inside the boot which the scrap yard wouldn't let me open to get a decent photo.

When I had the car, I wouldn't even consider driving into a yard like this, yet here it now is looking very sad. 😢

Even on this corner the rear wheel doesn't look straight, presumably the HICAS mechanism (rear steering) and rear suspension is all out of alignment. You can also see the rear lights and back panel pushed out by the branch now in the boot (trunk).

All looking very sorry for itself - the mighty "Tarmac Monster" (its nick name) is dead.

Perhaps this corner is the best, but the bumper is protruding further than it once did. The door mirror has also taken some damage.

Thankfully, no one was injured, just the guy's pride and bits of metal and plastic have taken the damage. Pride can be rebuilt, and the rest doesn't matter in the grand scale of life.

Interestingly enough, the UK DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) still has the vehicle listed as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). This means it hasn't yet been completely scrapped, but it isn't (or should not) be used on the road. Perhaps the Tarmac Monster isn't yet completely dead.