2003 Nissan 350Z: A Legend is Reborn

The place is the North American International Auto Show. It’s January 1999, and Nissan introduces a concept car that would make waves within the auto industry. The concept was for a new Z sports car…

The 1999 Nissan Z Concept

In 1996, Nissan discontinued the 300ZX in the United States, due to poor sales resulting from the Z’s enormous price tag and the rise of the SUV. It truly was a black day when the last U.S. spec Z rolled off the assembly line in Japan. The next few years after the 300ZX’s demise saw Nissan take a turn for the worse, as Japan’s third largest automaker suffered through severe financial woes. Seeing that Nissan lacked that one car that drew people to the showrooms, Jerry Hirshberg of Nissan Design International (now Nissan Design America) proposed the building of a new Z concept in the latter months of 1998. In three months, NDI built the first fully functional Z-Concept. The original Z Concept made its debut at the 1999 North American International Auto Show, generating much attention from Z enthusiasts and the rest of the automotive world. The original Z Concept was not without problems, however. Many Z fanatics disliked the exterior styling, and almost everyone criticized Nissan’s engine choice: the KA24DE. The KA24DE is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder (used in the 240SX and the Altima until 2001, among other vehicles), tuned to produce 200 bhp. The 1999 Z Concept went 0-60 in about 7.0 seconds. While the 1999 Z-Concept did have its pluses and minuses, the important thing it did was gauge the public’s interest in the car. Based on the response, Nissan announced in April 1999 that they would build it.

1999 & 2000: A Period of Rumor & Speculation

Following Nissan’s announcement that they would build the Z came a period of great uncertainty. Many questions remained unanswered. What most Z enthusiasts did know was that the original Z Concept had been completely scrapped. It also became pretty clear that a 6-cylinder engine would be used for the next Z. While some hardcore performance enthusiasts crossed their fingers for the RB26DETT engine (inline 6, twin turbocharged) from the famed Skyline GT-R, the realistic choice seemed to be the VQ30DE. The VQ30DE was used in the 2000 Maxima, and it has received rave reviews since its debut in the 1995 Maxima. Engine choice aside, the main question rested on the car’s styling. Many different magazines and web sites fed the public’s desire for speculation pictures, most of which couldn’t have been further off from the actual Z. The image at the right is from the August 2000 issue of Road & Track. Although most images were inaccurate, they did help to fulfill many people’s curiosity.

Even though the general public was left in the dark, Nissan higher-ups had a plan for the next Z. This plan called for a competition between Nissan designers from around the globe. Nissan design teams in Europe, Japan, and the United States all designed a plan for the 2003 Z. The U.S. team, headed by Diane Allen, won the contest. The design team in Japan would make final styling changes to the new Z. In terms of performance, Nissan decided to go all out; the company wanted to equal or beat the performance of the Porsche Boxster S, while pricing the vehicle under $30,000.

The 2001 Nissan Z Concept

Our focus now shifts to the 2001 North American International Auto Show. Once again, America’s greatest auto show would play host to a Z Concept’s debut. The 2001 Z Concept brought significant improvement to both styling and performance. The new orange concept car boasted a new 3.5 liter V6 engine, the VQ35DE, which is currently used in the 2002 Maxima & Altima. Nissan promised at that time that the Z would produce over 260 horsepower and run 0-60 in less than six seconds. The 2001 concept had 20-inch rims and Brembo brakes. The car definitely had its strong and weak points, however. Most people didn’t like the design of the grille, and many claimed that the headlights were too much like the present day Toyota Celica. Some also remarked that the exterior of the car in general looked a lot like the Audi TT. The most complaints, however, seemed to revolve around the vehicle’s interior. The interior was simply too futuristic, and there was too much aluminum trim. None of the complaints would go unnoticed, however, because there still were many changes that Nissan would make for the production Z.

Finally, The 2003 Nissan 350Z

On October 24, 2001, the world got its first chance to see the actual production Z, now officially named 350Z, at the 2001 Tokyo Auto Show. The production Z is nicely refined from the 2001 Z Concept, and is available in five trim levels: Base 350Z, Enthusiast, Touring, Performance, and Track (see price chart for options info). The VQ35DE remains for production, except Nissan has changed its power claim from 260+ horsepower to 280+ horsepower. For better weight distribution, the engine is mounted longitudinally in the back of the engine bay, which Nissan refers to as a front-midship (or simply FM) configuration. The Brembo brakes are also sticking around for the Track model, but the wheels were changed from 20-inch down to 18-inch (17-inch on some models). Also, the 18-inch wheels on the Track model are manufactured by Rays, and are supposed to be extremely light. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and a 5-speed automatic is available on the Touring model. To cut rotating mass, Nissan used a carbon-fiber driveshaft for all models, proving their commitment to competing with the world’s finest sports cars. The suspension is independent Multi-Link on both the front and rear. Front and rear stabilizer bars are also standard on all models, as well as a massive rear strut tower brace with the “Z” logo displayed on it. Viscous limited-slip differential, Vehicle Dynamic Control, and Traction Control are also available. The 350Z will hit showroom floors in August 2002, and a limited number of Zs can be pre-ordered now (see nissandriven.com for details). It’s been a long time since the 300ZX departed in 1996, but the 350Z was definitely worth the wait!