Nissan 300ZX Turbos have been high on our hit parade ever since this model's introduction in 1989. With 300 horsepower, timeless good looks, and a fine balance of comfort and command, the 300ZX is a truly versatile sports car.
But if you had a voice in an improvement exercise for this Z-car, what would you add? Power? Maybe, but it doesn't need much more. Styling? Okay, but too much of a makeover might spoil the Z-car's underlying elegance. What about handling? The car already turns in like a race car and has a fierce ride with its two-position shocks set on "sport."
So how do you improve a car that has been so thoughtfully developed? The answer is, very carefully. And that appears to be the approach Stillen Motorsport adopted with its Z-car, called the SMZ. Company founder Steve Millen has been racing and modifying Nissans for years. Back in 1992, we drove a Stillen-modified convertible 300ZX, a car that already flaunted many of the styling cues you see here on his latest project.
View Price on AmazonDespite some similarity to the convertible, the SMZ is unique in a number of ways. First, it's a turbocharged coupe. Second, it was developed in cooperation with Nissan's North American operations to be sold at Nissan dealerships as a complete package, with the same warranty as a factory car, for around $14,000 more than the factory 300ZX Turbo.
If you can overlook the tall rear wing for a moment, Stillen's upgrades to the exterior are rather subtle. And even the replacement wing proves more practical than the original low-profile tail spoiler because it does not block rearward visibility. Along with the Yokohama wheels, Stillen's makeover includes a mock-louvered nose panel, a more aggressive front spoiler, and voluptuous rocker-panel and rear valance plastic.
Inside the car, a major change is carbon-fiber cladding on the door-handle surrounds, the center console, and the gearshift knob. Then, sliding down into the seat, the driver notices the big alloy pedals with black metal inserts. They're nice to look at, and helpful during heel-and-toe exercises, but a size-11 foot occasionally blips the throttle as it applies the brakes.
At the twist of the key, the results of Stillen's various engine mods become apparent. A new intake manifold and air filter improve the car's breathing, while an aluminized steel free-flow exhaust system gives the Stillen a more authoritative burble than the stock 300ZX Turbo makes. Together with an extra 2 psi of boost, these changes produce 65 more horsepower, according to Stillen spokesmen.
Any misgivings that virile exhaust note might raise about the car's drivability are erased as soon as you step off the clutch. The Z-car's flexibility is undiminished, and the SMZ moves off with docile ease. In fact, it will pull away happily in second gear.
Higher in the rev range is where the Stillen engine revisions reveal themselves. Full-throttle launches produce plenty of tire smoke, axle hop, and furious acceleration. On anything other than a scrupulously clean surface, the Stillen SMZ's two extra pounds of boost will spin the rear wheels in second gear. This despite the 275-section, 35-series Yokohama AVS tires embracing the 9.5-inch-wide rear rims. The engine is distinctly muscular in midrange, with what feels like a faster onset of boost and quite emphatic improvement in high-rpm thrust.
On paper, these translate to a 0.3-second improvement over the last standard ZX Turbo during sprints to 60 mph, and a quarter-mile performance better by 0.2 second and 1 mph. Modest accomplishments, to be sure, but they're not the whole story. The car's enhanced flexibility is demonstrated in our 5-to-60-mph street-start test, where it's a half-second quicker than the stock Z-car. The SMZ also shows its torquey midrange responsiveness.
Source: caranddriver.com
