A Brief History of the Nissan Z

SOURCES

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 (240Z) INTRO
6:01 (240Z) EARLY DESIGN PROCESS
11:59 (240Z) ENGINEERING
21:33 (240Z) NAMING/USA TESTING
28:48 (240Z) DEBUT
34:11 (240Z) MAGAZINE REVIEWS
39:38 (240Z) RACING PEDIGREE
44:47 (240Z) CHANGES/260Z/280Z
52:59 (280ZX) INTRO
54:27 (280ZX) DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
59:29 (280ZX) MARKET INTRODUCTION
1:06:47 (280ZX) TURBOCHARGERS AND T-TOPS
1:10:57 (Z31 300ZX) Z31 300ZX OVERVIEW
1:16:57 (Z32 300ZX) INTRO
1:17:58 (Z32 300ZX) DESIGN
1:26:12 (Z32 300ZX) ENGINEERING
1:28:51 (Z32 300ZX) DEBUT
1:30:01 (Z32 300ZX) MAGAZINE REVIEWS
1:36:46 (Z32 300ZX) LATER YEARS/DECLINE
1:41:56 (350Z) INTRO
1:44:38 (350Z) 1998 Z CONCEPT
1:51:20 (350Z) HISTORY OF NISSAN DESIGN AMERICA
1:56:15 (350Z) 1999 Z CONCEPT
2:00:15 (350Z) DESIGN PROCESS
2:11:33 (350Z) 2001 350Z CONCEPT
2:13:00 (350Z) MAGAZINE TESTS
2:17:42 (350Z) INFINITI G35
2:19:52 (350Z) TRIM LEVELS/MODEL UPDATES
2:23:33 (370Z) INTRO
2:24:46 (370Z) RANDY RODRIGUEZ
2:26:08 (370Z) ENGINEERING
2:28:02 (370Z) DEBUT/TRIM LEVELS
2:30:47 (370Z) REVIEWS
2:35:17 (370Z) UPDATES
2:42:01 (RZ34) INTRO
2:42:45 (RZ34) DEVELOPMENT
2:44:08 (RZ34) DEBUT/DESIGN/COMPARISON TESTS
2:57:03 (RZ34) 2024 UPDATE

[joshm]

I daily drive a '73. After everything that could break did and was replaced or repaired by me, it's been the most reliable car ever. I love cars of that era, because there's no computers, and everything can be fixed with basic tools.

[peekaboo]

A brief three hours video on the history of the Fairlady/Z.
Your best videos are the long ones! :^)

[litwick]

It is insane how you only have 1k views on this in 11 days. This is quality content. Great work man.

[errrky]

This is by far the most comprehensive history on the Z that has been documented on this platform. Many of the prototype pics haven't been seen in other sources before. Great to see breakdown of the key people and each generation's contemporary competition and media reviews. Thank you!

[n-da-bunka]

I LOVED my 280z that I bought after earning some "serious" cash working while putting myself through college in the early 80s replacing a 1975 Celica I had been driving. It was the first car I owned that actually had A/C which waas really important in the hot Louisiana summers. I even ran some SCCA races with it. I had bought it used for $6, 200 and the large rear space came in critical when driving back to my parent's home in North Carolina. Mine had the rear louvers that were so popular in the days before tinting was available. It served me exceptionally well through college and for my first 2 years of "real" employment. My dad bought one of the Anniversary models a few years later for himself so I like to think that perhaps me having owned the earlier model may have helped him make that decision

[buckminsterfullerene]

Pound-for-pound the greatest car ever produced. IMO.

[HaHaThatIsFunny]

Just finished rewatching this for the third time. This is my favorite episode. I made Ferman Nissan an offer on that lime green vintage z back in the late '90s, but they weren't willing to budge on their price. I can't remember if they were asking 45 or 48K but I remember offering them 40 and they wouldn't take it. I thought that was around Thanksgiving 99 but he said it sold in 98

[kevinsellsit]

I strip away the old debris,
that hides a shining car.
A brilliant Red Barchetta
From a better vanished time.
Rush, Red Barchetta (The best driving song ever!)

[blahblahhaha]

I know they probably only share 5% but I was so happy to find out my Infiniti FX35 "crossover" was related to the 350z and NOT the Murano!! I was 17yo lol🤷🏽‍♂️😂

[tonyadams]

Great video! I’ve owned 3 Z cars, a ‘72 240z a ‘74 260 2+2 and an ‘82 280zx. I enjoyed them all. I regret selling them over the years.
Who knows. I might find another…

[voiceofunreason]

With quality videos like this, your subscriber count will definitely grow. Job well done.

[slevpy]

you need to invest into a P-P- Pop filter

[lostunder]

My 1st love of cars was the z32 red turbo seen in the movie timecop with Jean Claude van dame. My 1st buy with my own money was a 91 white pearl na z32, and my dad used it more than me. Then, I went to a Z34, base model gun metal grey 6 spd. And I still have it. When the Z34 came out on need for speed, I made a vow to get my dream car. I was lucky enough to drive some at my old job in my early 20's. I have made so many mods to my Z34 from suspension, aero, basic power mods, and wheel tire set up. My Z has taken me to the high and lows of my life, and I wanna live long enough to be able to enjoy it as long as I can.

[Taxi]

You passed Scania Kungens Kurva on your way to Scania HQ. 20 minutes sw Stockholm C - about 1 mile from oldest IKEA in the world!

If all your efforts and downs on your last Scania make you a bit fed up the Scania dealership is cross the road from biggest MAN-dealer in Scandinavia.

Enjoy your trip!

[minhnguyen]

first time viewer but i love the 3 hour videos. learned alot

[maltebudde]

Awesome video! I really like how you narrated the individual parts!

[Strahlendersonnenlicht]

just starting now at 0:01, looking forward to a fantastic video thank you for your dedication ♥️

[mndlessdrwer]

I used to really like the 350Z, but now, having been in contact with them more, I have just grown a bit tired of them. The basic styling cues are all good things, but they were implemented with less care than I would have liked. Creases aren't as sharp as they could be and the excessively bubbly design makes it look a bit like a toy. The interior design is also quite cheezy and cheap feeling in actuality, quite unlike the more stark in aesthetic, but sturdily built Z32 300ZX. In retrospect, including the new 400Z, I think the Z32 300ZX is my favorite of the Z cars. It accomplished the low, wide, and mysteriously curvaceous look while maintaining that same ever-desirable roofline. They carried over the iconic tail lights and the originally blacked-out tail design in a light bar design that looks both eminently 90's yet also timeless. And the interior, while not covered in expensive luxurious finishes, was at least honestly built in a way that would resist rattles and squeaks by virtue of being sturdy and the steering wheel control pod design is vapor-wave futurism at its best. Heck, you could even get a digital HVAC control at your fingertips. It's a really cool interior with a lot of design effort put into making it feel cohesive and relatively unobtrusive while still being filled with as many trick features as they could reasonably afford to pack into the cost of the car. Looking at them side-by-side, the Z32 300ZX just feels more timeless to me than the 350Z. Maybe it's just because the body feels lower and leaner compared to the 350Z. Maybe I'm just being unfair because 90's JDM is my bias. Regardless of my personal opinion about the design and build quality, the 350Z was a major turning point for Nissan, as the strong reception of the car helped to raise the public image of other cars from the brand and really brought their overall sales to a level where they could afford to be more adventurous again. Without the 350Z to buoy the brand image and rake in some extra cash, it's reasonable to think that the R35 GT-R may never have happened.

[chaimshamza]

Im 20 mins in, i know yhe rest is going to top stuff, thanks for all this effort 👌

[ballsdeep]

I love the video, but I feel like the Z31 was overlooked. As a former Z31 owner, that’s usually how it goes. You have the lines of the s30 and s130 behind it and the Z32 in front so it’s usually forgotten, but it only got one segment in the video and it was such a cool car. The digital dash, the first V6 in a Japanese production sports car. The Shiro Special wasn’t even mentioned!