when Nissan entered the global car market in the 1960's, they were a realatively small automaker who at one time partnered with Yamaha to develop a prototype of a new sports car to update the Fairlady.
this new sports car would bigger, longer, and more powerful, the result?, the Yamaha YX-30 prototype was built in 1961.
Nissan executives saw this as a halo car that would improve the company's image in the minds of consumers.
by 1964, Nissan realised the Yamaha's 2.0 litre DOHC engine was not meeting their expectations and the project was scrapped.
Yamaha later finished a prototype and took their design to Toyota, resulting in the Toyota 2000GT.
Yutaka Katayama, Nissan USA's president at the time, realized the importance of an afforable sports car internationally.
Nissan had already produced the successful Fairlady series sports cars that competed mainly with english and italian roadsters and product planners envisioned a new kind of GT car that would be stylish, innovative, fast, and realtively inexpensive through use of interchangeable parts with other Nissan cars.
the comapny also had the engineering background and product development experience with the recently acquired Prince Motor Company, which manufactured the Prince Skyline that was later renamed the Nissan Skyline in 1966.
the project for the next gen Fairlady sports car was carried out by 10 people:

Mr. Yutaka Katayama (President of Nissan USA, known as "Mr. K")

Mr. Teiichi Hara (Manager, Nissan Design and Development)

Mr. Kazumi Yotsurnoto (Manager, Passenger Car Styling Section)

Mr. Yoshihiko Matsuo (Chief of Design, Styling Studio #4)(may he rest in peace -_-)

Akio Yoshida (Assistant Designer on Exterior Design)

Sue Chiba (Interior Design)

Eiichi Oiwa (Styling Studio Assistant)

Kiichi Nishikawa (Styling Studio Assistant)

Hidemi Kamahara (Design Engineer)

Tsuneo Benitani (Design Engineer)

together, they develop the first ever Nissan Z (the 240Z).

first gen Nissan Fairlady Z (240Z):
in October 1969, Nissan began sales of the 240 Z (S30) with seperate versions for the Japanese and North American markets.
the Japanese 240Z featured a 2.o litre SOHC L20A straight six engine making 130 horsepower, while the North American version was powered by a larger 2.4 litre straight L24 six engine with twin Hitachi SU type carburetors that made 151 horsepower, a third Z shared, the Z 432 (PS30) shared a performance version of the DOHC 2.0 litre S20 engine with the Nissan Skyline 2000 GTR.
in Japan, the 240Z was still known as the Fairlady to keep the car in line with the previous generation Datsun Fairlady roadsters.
Japanese versions had the Fairlady Z badges on the lower fenders with the 432 badge above (quick fact: the number "432" means 4 valves, 3 carburetors, and 2 camshafts).
but as for the North American versions?, Yutaka Katayama ensured that the car had all Fairlady Z and Nissan badging replaced with 240Z Datsun badging (this was done because Nissan was experimenting with marketing their cars on the American Market and didn't want their name on the cars in case it wasn't successful and there would be no damage on their namesake).
the 240Z was released to North America on October 22, 1969.
combining good looks and powerful performance, Nissan sold over 45,000 Datun 240Z's through the 1971 model year and over 50,000 in 1972, and 40,000 in 1973, the car was a success in the States.
in 1974, Nissan was ready to release a new Z car, the 260Z, the engine was given a larger displacement increased to 2.6 litres and a four seater version was added to the line up called the 2+2 which had a slightly longer wheelbase to accomadate the extra seating.
inspite of the increase in engine displacement, power was lowered due to new goverment emmissions regulations that were en acted in the United States in the early 1970's, the output was now 139 horsepower, however in other export regions, power was higher at 154 horsepower.
in 1975, the final S30 series Z was released in North America, the 280Z, and featured yet again a new engine displacement, once again the engine bored out, this time to 2.8 litres, a major change to was the introduction to Bosch fuel injection, replacing the previous SU carburetors.
this resulted in big power increase to 170 horsepower, offsetting increased weight from added luxury features and an ugly enlarged bumper to meet U.S federal safety regulations.
export markets outside of North America continued to recieve the 260Z until the introduction of the Datsun 280ZX (S130) at the end of the 1978 model season.

second gen Nissan Fairlady 300ZX (Z31 first model):
1984 saw a complete redesign of the Fairlady Z, curvy coke bottle 70's styling, to straight boxy and kinda curvy 80's cyberpunk inspired styling (my favorite kind of styling).
the 1984 Nissan Fairlady 300ZX even featured a new series of 3.0 litre V6 engines dubbed the VG series, the same engine was used in the Electracmotive (later to be called NPTI) GTP ZX-Turbo, a race car that dominated the IMSA GTP series in 1988 and 1989.
they were available in both the VG30E naturally aspirated, and the VG30ET turbocharged variants making between 160 to 200 horsepower, although some VG30ET powered Z cars exported outside of North America made 228 horsepower due to a longer cam duration and less emmission restrictions.
these were showcased in new wedge shaped styling and like it's predecessor, it proved to be wildly popular and was the second best selling Z car in history, selling over 70,000 units due in part not only to it's new styling but also to even more added luxury features and higher performance.
when the 300ZX Turbo was released in Japan, it offered the most horsepower available in a Japanese standard production car at the time.
much like the 280ZX before it, the first gen 300ZX was thought by enthusiasts as more GT than a true sports car, it had improved handling, acceleration, and more refinement than any previous Z car.
Nissan made various changes and claimed improvements to the Z31 model through its entire production. In 1983, Nissan first offered the 300ZX in Japan. It was introduced in the US one year later. All US-market 1984 model Nissan vehicles carried both Datsun and Nissan nameplates. Along with the arrival of their new flagship sports coupe, Nissan launched an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the brand name change from Datsun to Nissan.
the 1984 Models can technically be considered the only year of the "Datsun 300ZX", the 1984 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition was released in celebration of the company's 50th anniversary year.
it was based on the standard 300ZX Turbo, but was outfitted with every luxury feature available, a unique black interior with "bodysonic" leather seats in addition to widened fender flares, requisite badging, rear quarter panel flares, and sixteen-inch wheels.
for the 1985 model year, Nissan dropped the Datsun name brand for good, but the car dealers were still known as Datsun dealers, actor and race car driver Paul Newman competed in the 1985 GT1 Challenge and won, this was his fourth National Championship, and minor changes were made to the 300ZX that included a water-cooled turbocharger and smoked tailights.
the 1986 model saw wider flared wheel wells as well as body-color bumpers, and the rear quarter panels were designed specifically to accommodate factory ground effect style side skirts, 1986 turbo models were equipped with an ordinary hood, markedly losing the turbo "scoop" on the driver's side.
in order to keep up with quickly aging aesthetics, another slight redesign happened in 1987, consisting of new rounded, restyled and longer front and rear bumpers, new headlights, and new tail lights. The black trim on turbo models was now a charcoal instead of gloss black, and 1987 Turbo models came with special "smoked" turbo-finned wheels, all 1987 model year turbo cars also received an upgraded manual transmission, larger and more powerful brakes, and turbo cars produced from 4/87 and later came equipped with a clutch-type limited-slip differential.
for the 1988 models, there were again a few small changes, the turbocharger was switched from the Garrett T3 turbo to a lower-inertia T25 turbo, and the engine from 7.8:1 to an 8.3:1 compression ratio in order to reduce turbocharger spool time and provide an instant boost at any usable RPM.
the interior aluminum accents and chrome door handles that adorned the earlier cars were dropped in favor of matching color parts, another special edition, the "Shiro Special" (SS), was released in 1988.
it was only available in pearl white (shiro meaning "white" in Japanese), the SS package consisted of analog gauges and climate controls with a black interior, stiffer sway bars, stiffer springs, non-adjustable suspension, special seats (Recaro), a viscous-coupling limited slip differential, and a special front lower lip spoiler, this package had no options; all 88SS cars are identical, the 1989 Models are identical to 1988 models, though somewhat rare because of Nissan winding-down production early in preparation for the second generation 300ZX.

Third gen Nissan 300ZX (Z31 first model):
the Z-car was completely redesigned in 1984, and introduced Nissan's new series of 3.0-liter V6 engine, dubbed the VG series, the same engine was used in the Electramotive (later to become NPTI) GTP ZX-Turbo that dominated the IMSA GTP races in 1988 and 1989.
these were available in both VG30E naturally aspirated and VG30ET turbocharged forms producing 160 and 200 bhp respectively, although some VG30ET powered Z-cars exported outside of the U.S. produced 228 bhp due to a longer cam duration and less emission restrictions.
these were showcased in sleek new wedge-shaped styling and given a new name, the 300ZX. Like its predecessor, it proved to be wildly popular and was the second-best selling Z-car in history selling over 70,000 units due in part not only to its new styling but also to even more
added luxury features and high performance.
when the 300ZX Turbo was released in Japan, it offered the highest HP available in a Japanese standard production car at the time.
much like the 280ZX that preceded it, the first-gen 300ZX was thought by enthusiasts as more GT than a true sports car, it had improved handling, acceleration, and more refinement than any previous model Z-car.
Nissan made various changes and claimed improvements to the Z31 model through its entire production, in 1983, Nissan first offered the 300ZX in Japan.
It was introduced in the US one year later, all US-market 1984 model Nissan vehicles carried both Datsun and Nissan nameplates.
along with the arrival of their new flagship sports coupe, Nissan
launched an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the brand name change from Datsun to Nissan, the 1984 Models can technically be considered the only year of the "Datsun 300ZX".
the 1984 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition was released in celebration of
the company's 50th anniversary year, it was based on the standard 300ZX Turbo, but was outfitted with every luxury feature available, a unique black interior with "bodysonic" leather seats in addition to widened fender flares, requisite badging, rear quarter panel flares, and
sixteen-inch wheels.
For the 1985 model year, Nissan dropped the Datsun name brand for good, but the car dealers were still known as Datsun dealers, Paul Newman raced in the 1985 GT1 Challenge and won, this was Newman's fourth national championship, Minor changes were made to the 300ZX including a water-cooled turbocharger and smoked taillights.
the 1986 model saw wider flared wheel wells as well as body-color bumpers, and the rear quarter panels were designed specifically to accommodate factory ground effect style side skirts, 1986 turbo models were equipped with an ordinary hood, markedly losing the turbo "scoop" on the driver's side.
in order to keep up with quickly aging aesthetics, another slight
redesign happened in 1987, consisting of new rounded, restyled and longer front and rear bumpers, new headlights, and new tail lights.
the black trim on turbo models was now a charcoal instead of gloss black, and 1987 Turbo models came with special "smoked" turbo-finned wheels.
all 1987 model year turbo cars also received an upgraded manual transmission, larger and more powerful brakes, and turbo cars produced from 4/87 and later came equipped with a clutch-type limited-slip
differential.
for the 1988 models, there were again a few small changes, the
turbocharger was switched from the Garrett T3 turbo to a lower-inertia T25 turbo, and the engine from 7.8:1 to an 8.3:1 compression ratio in order to reduce turbocharger spool time and provide an instant boost at any usable RPM.
the interior aluminum accents and chrome door handles that adorned the earlier cars were dropped in favor of matching color parts, another special edition, the "Shiro Special", was released in 1988.
It was only available in pearl white (shiro meaning "white" in
Japanese), the Shiro Special package consisted of analog gauges and climate controls with a black interior, stiffer sway bars, stiffer
springs, non-adjustable suspension, special seats (Recaro), a viscous-coupling limited slip differential, and a special front lower lip
spoiler, this package had no options; all 88 Shiro Special cars are identical.
the 1989 Models are identical to 1988 models, though somewhat rare because of Nissan winding-down production early in preparation for the second generation 300ZX.

Fourth gen Nissan 300ZX (Z32 second model):
a completely new body was designed for this next one, it was a more curvy, aerodynamic wedge shape almost reminescent of a computer mouse.
the only thing that's unchanged from the previous 300ZX is the 3.0 litre V6 engine, now with dual overhead camshafts, variable valve timing, and naturally aspirated, all together making 222 horsepower and 198 foot pounds of torque.
the turbo variant was upgraded with twin Garrett turbochargers and dual intercoolers making 300 horsepower with 283 foot pounds of torque, this resulted in 0 to 60 times of 5.0 and 6.0 seconds, and it has a governed top speed of 155 miles per hour.
upon its release, the 300ZX, won Motor Trend's "Import Car of the Year" in 1990 as well as "One of the Top Ten Performance Cars".
Automobile Magazine honored the 300ZX/300ZX Turbo as its "Design of the Year" and added it to their "All Stars" list.
Road & Track named the 300ZX Turbo "One of the Ten Best Cars in the World", and Car and Driver added it to their 10Best for the seven years in which it was in production in America, and sales of the second gen 300ZX in America reached one million in 1990.
Nissan utilized the Cray-II supercomputer to completely design the new 300ZX with a form of CAD software, This made the 300ZX one of the first production cars to be developed in a CAD program.
in return, it featured a whole host of technological advancements. On the twin turbo models, four-wheel steering was available under the name Super HICAS (High Capacity Actively Controlled Steering), the twin turbochargers, intercoolers, and requisite plumbing left for a cramped engine bay; however, everything fit perfectly.
Like previous generations Nissan offered a 2+2 model with the Z32, In 1993, a convertible version was introduced for the first time in the Z-car's history, as a response to aftermarket conversions, all 300ZXs now featured T-tops as standard, yet there were some rare hardtops (known as "slicktops") produced as well.
the 300ZX was doomed to the same fate of many Japanese sports cars of the time, The mid-'90s trend toward SUVs and the rising Yen:Dollar ratio were both influential in ending North American 300ZX sales in 1996 at over 80,000 units sold (production for other markets continued until 2000). Probably the biggest killer of the 300ZX was its ever-inflating price; at its release it was priced at about $30,000, but in its final year this price had increased to around $50,000.
this left many people questioning its value, and despite a final Commemorative Edition of the final 300 units shipped to America (complete with decals and certificates of authenticity), the Z-Car was on hiatus. In Japan, however, the 300ZX lived on for a few more years with a face-lift including a new front fascia, tail lights, headlights, rear spoiler, and a few other minor changes.

fifth gen Nissan 350Z (Z33):
in 1999, the French company Renault bought 44.4% of Nissan and Carlos Ghosn became its chief operating officer, but it would not be until 2001 when Ghosn became CEO that he would tell reporters: "We will build the Z. And we will make it profitable."
on January 8, 2001, Nissan introduced the Z Concept, much like the previous Z concept, it debuted at the North American International Auto Show and was painted bright orange.
the squat, long-hood/short-deck styling resulted from a competition between Nissan's Japanese, European, and American design studios, with the La Jolla, California studio's design being chosen in March 2000.
the product planners hoped to avoid the price problems that plagued the last few years of the 300ZX with a target MSRP of $30,000 while using the Porsche Boxster as a benchmark.
in the summer of 2002, the 350Z was released to wide acclaim, it employed a slightly improved version of the 3.5-liter VQ35DE DOHC V6 engine found in multiple Nissan cars at the time, including the Skyline and Pathfinder.
released on July 2002 in Japan at reorganized Nissan Japanese dealerships called Nissan Blue Stage, and August 20, 2002 in the U.S., the 350Z coupé was available in 5 trim packages: '350Z' (Base), 'Enthusiast', 'Performance', 'Touring', and 'Track' editions.
in Europe, only the 'Track' trim was available, although it was badged and marketed as '350Z', this engine initially produced 287 bhp (214 kW) and 274 lb·ft (371 N·m) torque, but in 2005 was increased to 300 bhp (220 kW) and 260 lb·ft (353 N·m). Prices started at $26,000 US, well below the $30,000 mark initially set forth by Nissan.
coupled to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or 5-speed automatic (the automatic lost 13 bhp (9.7 kW) in comparison), it was initially available only as a 2-seater hardtop. A convertible model was later introduced in 2004.
the 350Z was available in a selection of seven trim packages, depending on the year: "Base", "Enthusiast", "Performance", "Touring", "Grand Touring", "Track" and "Nismo", the base model 350Z, in comparison to the more expensive packages, did not have a limited-slip differential or a traction control system.
touring and Grand Touring models both featured leather seats, Bose entertainment systems, optional satellite navigation, VDC (vehicle dynamic control), and other user conveniences, while the Grand Touring models also added Rays Engineering forged wheels and the Brembo braking system found on the Track and Nismo models.
in 2007, Nissan dropped the "Track" version in favor of the "Nismo" edition, but retained the Brembo brakes, Rays Engineering wheels, and simple interior, but added a larger exhaust and aggressive body kit, the second Nismo edition, released in 2007, included revised camshafts, a Nismo sport tuned exhaust, custom Rays Engineering 18-inch (460 mm) wheels (19 in or 480 mm in rear), front and rear spoilers and rear diffuser, and a Brembo braking system with four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers (with 12.8 in or 330 mm front and 12.7 in or 320 mm rear rotors).
the 2005 35th Anniversary Edition and 2006 350Z were equipped with manual transmissions received a newly revised engine, which increased the redline to 7,000 rpm and increased power to 300 hp (220 kW).
2007-2008 models came with the 3.5L VQ35HR engine with dual intakes and a 7,500 rpm redline, which produced a power output of 306 hp (228 kW), and featured a more linear powerband in addition to the increased torque at lower revolutions. It is widely believed that this model year (2007–08) is the most desired among enthusiasts due to the car featuring a revised transmission (CD009) which solved all previous issues and the new engine architecture (VQ35HR) which provided an overall faster car.

sixth gen (current gen) Nissan 370Z (Z34):
it's 2008, the 350Z had ran it's course and it was time for a change.
on December 30, 2008, Nissan introduced their current gen Z-car, the 370Z, and introduced it as a 2009 model.
in June 2009, the second generation 2009 Nismo 370Z debuted, this was followed by the introduction of the 2010 370Z Roadster in late summer of 2009.
the 370Z (Z34) is powered by Nissan's 3.7 liter V6 engine, the VQ37VHR, the power output ranges from 328 to 350 horsepower, with peak torque of 268 to 275 foot pounds, depending on market and variant, the 370Z has an official 0 to 60 mph time of 5.1 seconds.
however, the car has also been tested by Motor Trend Magazine, which reported a 4.7 second 0–60 mph with 1-foot of roll out.
quarter mile times range from 13.1 and 13.6 seconds, thus making the 370Z the fastest production Z.
the 370Z came with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters, the six-speed manual is the first production car manual gearbox to feature a system that Nissan refers to as SynchroRev Match, which automatically blips the throttle to match engine and transmission speed during downshifts, thus achieving the same effect as the heel-and-toe downshift technique.

the Z-car in motorsports:
Nissan has had much success in motorsports with Z car, they achieved their first successes in rallying.

Z's three time Safari Rally victory 1971-73:
starting in 1971, Nissan (under the name Datsun) raced three 240Z's, the first entry was in the 1971 East African Safari Rally, they finished in first place overall with driver Edgar Herrmann and co pilot Hans Schuller in the #11 240Z.
in 1972, the same team won the East African Safari Rally again for the second consecutive time, this time in the #10 240Z.
1973 saw a different team win the East Africa Safari Rally, this time it was the #1 240Z of Shekhar Metha and H.W. (Lofty) Drews.
Nissan would win the Safari Rally three times in a row.

Z's Monte Carlo Rally victory 1971-73:
the Safari Rally wasn't the only rally Z-cars had won, the 240Z also had success in the Monte Carlo Rally, one of the most famous rallies in history.
in 1971 the team finished second in their class in the Monte Carlo Rally with the #62 team of Rauno Altonen and Paul Easter, in the end of the rally, they finished fifth and tenth overall.
in 1972, Jean Todd took over Paul Easter's place as co pilot for Rauno ALtonen and together they finished the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally placing third overall, this time driving the #5 240Z.
in Nissan's final Monte Carlo Rally entry with the 240Z in 1973, the #17 240Z team of T.Fall and M.Wood finished nith overall.
while they didn't win the Monte Carlo Rally, in all, they were still sucessful.

1972 Southern Cross Rally (Nissan's last rally entry):
lastly, Nissan's final rally entry with the 240Z was in the Southern Cross Rally in 1972.
if you're wondering who drove the Z in this rally, that's information I can't seem to find at all for some reason, still need to do some digging to find that tid bit of info, for now, it's a mystery.
but inspite of the info, there's at least a record on the Z team's participation in the rally, the 240Z finished first overall in the Southern Cross Rally, therefore effectively winning the rally, I just wish I knew who drove that winning car so I can their names in here.
after 1973, Nissan pulled the Z's out of rallying, there was nothing left for them to prove I guess and those Z rally cars can be found on display today at Nissan's Heritage Collection, if you want to see them you would have to make an appoiuntment to see them, cause the museum will only allowed 40 visitors ata time, but is well worth the visit.

SCCA and IMSA Championships:
while the Z cars were successful in rallying, there were also sucessful on the race track as well.
the first generation Z's (240Z/260Z/280Z) proved to be very successful in many forms of racing. The S30s won many SCCA/IMSA championship races.
the 280ZX proved successful in various classes of racing, particularly in the US. Significant results include:
1979 SCCA C Production Category (Bob Sharp Racing 280ZX)
1979 and 1980 IMSA GTU Championship (Electramotive Datsun 280ZX)
1982 and 1983 IMSA GTO Championship (Electramotive Datsun 280ZX Turbo)
in 1983, a special Electramotive 280ZX Turbo produced over 700 horsepower, and reached a terminal speed of 140 mph in the standing quarter mile.
the most notable driver to be associated with the car was actor Paul Newman, who raced with the Bob Sharp Racing team, he also helped to promote the car, even by starring in a series of commercials.
in 1984 to 1985 showroom stock racing, the 300ZX captured wins on numerous occasions, the car scored its only Trans Am win in 1986 at Lime Rock by Paul Newman for Bob Sharp Racing.
from 1985 to 1987, the Electramotive-developed GTP ZX-Turbo was raced in the IMSA GT Championship's GTP class and also the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, badged as a Fairlady Z, using a Lola T810 chassis and a VG30ET engine.
following development through 1987, the car would become dominant in IMSA GT in 1988.
additional factory endorsement, combined with a new chassis, transmission and more reliable Goodyear tires contributed to the team's success. The SOHC VG30ET was making upwards of 1,000 hp (700 kW), with a power band that extended from 4000 to 9000 rpm on a single turbo.
from 1990 to 1995, Steve Millen drove the twin-turbo 300ZX for Clayton Cunningham Racing, the car dominated the IMSA in its GTO, then later GTS categories due to its newly designed chassis and engine.
Millen would rank as the #1 Factory Driver for Nissan for 7 years and earn two IMSA GTS Driving Championships and two IMSA GTS Manufacturer's Championships.
among enthusiasts and the team themselves, the biggest triumph for the race Z32 was the victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, in the same year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 300ZX ranked first in the GTS-1 class and 5th overall.
in an attempt to level the playing field in the GTS-1 class by reducing the allowable horsepower, the IMSA declared the twin turbo VG engine ineligible.
The 1995 GTS 300ZX car would debut with the V8 Nissan VH engine at Daytona and would place first in the GTS-1 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Mosehead Grand Prix in Halifax.
the JUN-BLITZ Bonneville Z32 holds the E/BMS class land speed record of 260.88 mph set at the 1995 Bonneville Speed Trial, the vehicle was built as a partnership between JUN Auto and BLITZ.
this record remains unbroken, in 1990, JUN's first Z32 went 545 miles per hour at their Yatabe test course and hit 600 miles per hour after some tuning at Bonneville.
the 350Z replaced the Skyline GT-R and Silvia as the car for Nissan's factory and customer teams in the JGTC/Super GT's GT500 class and GT300 class respectively.
the GT500 cars used were heavily modified and featured a longer nose and tail (requiring the production of the Type-E homologation special), carbon fiber bodywork, and a tube chassis.
in 2004, Nismo won the GT500 championship. Until the 2007 season, the car was powered by a VQ30DETT V6. In order to increase competitiveness, however, a new 4.5L V8 powerplant has been developed.
the 350Z, with slightly more pedestrian modifications also competes in the GT300 class (having started there even before the Skyline GT-Rs were replaced) by teams such as Endless Sports and Mola, in 2003 Hasemi Sports won the GT300 championship with the 350Z.
in 2008 season, the 350Zs were all replaced by Nissan GT-Rs in the GT500 class, but they have continued to be used in the GT300 class as the GTR's exceed the horsepower limits which make it impossible to participate.
thus, two 350Zs competed in the series and MOLA won both Drivers' and teams' championships in the GT300 class, Two years later, Hasemi Sports won the 2010 GT300 title again before its team's withdrawal of the series in the following season, as another 350Z team MOLA also moved up to GT500 class earlier in the preseason time, it marked the first full absence of Nissan vehicles in the GT300 class since the establishment of JGTC in 1994.
The Z33 is also popular in import drag racing; one fielded by Performance Motorsport in the NHRA Sports Compact series, with twin turbo claims to put out over 1,700 horsepower and achieved 8.33 quarter mile time with its best speed of 176.72 mph, Another Z33 built by Injected Performance holds the record as the highest horsepower, street legal Z33 and highest horsepower single turbo VQ35DE with a quarter mile time of 8.80 with a speed of 163 mph, This car was also featured on the March 2008 cover of Turbo Magazine, Lazcano Racing's 370Z is powered by a Nissan VG30DETT engine and has recorded a 1/4 mile time of 6.0 at over 226MPH.

photo of HotWheels Fairlady Z was shot by me and was shot in front of a photo of Yoshihiko Matsuo on my computer screen as the background for this photo