The 80’s ended long ago, leaving in its wake some of the greatest cars of all time, the best cartoons and TV series, the last genres of music to ever be created along with some rad clothing. Today all we see is rehashing of the music, the films, the clothes and the cars but we’ll never truly get it back. The 90’s bathed in the majesty of the glory days, polishing some of the designs and remixing the music but everyone needed a lot of drugs to get over it. Driving an 80’s classic car does however, bring you a little closer to the magic.

Having completely fallen in love with the design of the Fairlady Z, I wanted to explore more into why this series had become legendary. Nissan kicked off the 1980’s with marketing slogans as cheesy as film tag lines and the Nissan 300zx Z31. With that iconic Z style long bonnet, housing a new V6 turbo charged block, gorgeously angular lines and of course, pop up lights. The Nissan/Datsun Z series had brought many a driver thousands of smiles per hour in the past, a useable, heavily modifiable car, the home grown Japanese tuners love them. Search for “Modified Nissan Z31” and you’ll see anything from murdered out stealth wagons to a Z that resembles a spaceship.

The famed 280zx which came before, had been immortalised as “Streak” from the cartoon series Transformers, confirming its place in the automotive hall of fame. It was time to showcase what Nissan were really capable of.

At the top of the tree would have to be the Shiro special, at the time this was the fastest car out of Japan, clocked at a genuine 153mph by Motor Trend with the limiter off. There was no digital dash as with other high end models but it certainly had more grunt. The three stage moon glow pearl paint and graphite trim is a sight to behold. For you avid retro gamers out there, you’ll recognise the rear end from some of the Chase HQ style titles and later on, it was featured in some Playstation era releases like Gran Turismo. My car in particular was the three litre turbo manual, in a gorgeous metallic blue with matching interior.

I felt at home once again in the soft velour interior, the mixed blue tones complimented the orange glow of the analogue style dash. Night driving was always a pleasure in a Z, looking over at the warm glowing gauges and down to the pop up lights. It was love at first sight and reminiscent of those eccentric, exotic designs caricatured in the Manga films I used to watch as a kid. Nissan had been perfecting the DNA of the Z for some time and what they had achieved here was something exceptional.

You felt sure footed with the five transmission, although sat in the traditional lower position, rather than the slightly raised drivers position in the later Z32, it was perfect for the rest of the cockpit and felt on point. The V6 was as smooth as silk, even coupled with the single Garrett turbo, it was difficult not to open it up and enjoy the pull and the gentle hiss from the front end. But you don’t have to be fast with looks like these, the 300zx has always been a head turner and with its targa roof and long sloping front end, it was difficult not to look twice.

Top of the range and anniversary models had more tricks up its sleeve than Uri Geller. The suspension was adjustable three ways, there was cruise control, air con, fully electric seats, digital dash, voice warnings, G-force, compass readouts and more.

The car overall is heavy but that only serves to give a much smoother ride than some lighter sports GT’s of the time. I think what you have to admire about Nissan is their boldness with the Z series, unlike Porsche who just make their cars wider and quicker. Nissan have expressed a confidence unmatched by many manufacturers with the Fairlady. The Z31 to Z owners of the past probably wouldn’t be blown away by the performance until the the awesome Z32 from ‘89 but attend a classic car show and you’ll probably have the only Z31, it really feels as though it’s in a class of it’s own.

VECTOR W2 TWIN TURBO, 1980-82

In 1980, Jerry Wiegart founded a visionary car company known today as Vector Motors. Wiegart, a young and upcoming designer, was inspired heavily by aircraft, spacecraft, and aero-engineering. Wiegart also wondered why American car companies had yet to enter the world of exotics, a world dominated by the Europeans. Vector’s W2 model, dubbed as “Aircraft for the Street” would be their grand entrance into that market. The W2, true to the word “Vector” shot for the moon and back. Its statistics even by today’s standards would strike fear into the hearts of most drivers. A Donovan tuned Chevy 5.7 liter V8 with twin turbos produced over 600hp. This catapulted the car to an estimated top speed of 242mph, leaving it to be the worlds fastest production car at the time. 

Vector W8 , 1990-92

The g-force didn’t only live on in the engine bay, it continued throughout the car. Taken directly from aircraft were many toggles, switches, and gauges. These were not just for show but were actually fully functional via an onboard computer. This allowed the driver to customize and view many of the cars capabilities at once, a first for its time. A heads up display inspired by fighter jets would also be projected onto the windshield so that the driver could see MPH as well as RPM’s and other statistics. Other notables were the Millennium Falcon style shifter that sat on the left side of the driver and the automatic louvered style headlights. 

Vector W2 Interior 

The W2 sold for an asking price of $150,000, in todays money, that is the equivalent of $350,000. With such a steep price, it was difficult for Wiegart to find buyers. However, he maintained his price, noting that it was needed for further development of future models. The W2 never sold, but through a lofty PR campaign, Wiegart raised money to create and develop the W8 in 1989. The W8 was the successor to the W2 and was designed with more rounded styling cues. Other changes saw a few of the airplane switches and gauges replaced in favor of a “Knight Rider” style monochrome computer screen and an upgraded 6.0 liter V8. Only 17 of these W8’s were ever produced, but for those eager to live on in the 1980s dream, it can be yours….. for a price. At true dream car pricing, the most recent example sold at auction last year for $250,000. Not bad for the first true American exotic. 

VECTOR W2/ W8 GALLERY