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The Nissan 280ZX (also known as the Datsun 280ZX) was a sports coupe produced from 1978 to 1983. It was the second generation Z-car, replacing the Datsun 280Z in late 1978. The 280ZX was replaced by the Nissan 300ZX in 1984. The 280ZX was Motor Trends Import Car of the Year for 1979.
[] Design goals
The 280ZX was a complete redesign, retaining only the L28 engine and other driveline components from the 280Z. Both 2-seater and 4-seater (2+2) designs were offered. For the first time, the 2+2 was a new design (rather than a stretched version of the 2-seater).
With the oil crisis of the late 1970s still in car designers' thinking, Nissan focused improvements over the first generation Z on fuel economy, emissions, and aerodynamics. In addition, the higher value of the Japanese Yen, and high fuel prices meant the 280ZX had to be targeted at the Grand Tourer market (where it competed with the Porsche 924). This meant luxury features such as power windows, and a high-end audio system were standard.
[] Engineering
The 280ZX adopted suspension similar to that of the concurrent 510 sedan, with MacPherson struts in front and semi-trailing arm independent in the rear. The wheelbase was down from its predecessor at just 91.3 in for the 2-seater.
The 280ZX's body was redesigned with aerodynamics in mind. Closing in the open grille of the first generation Z-car and other improvements taken from wind-tunnel testing, the cd was reduced from 0.467 to 0.385, and lift coefficient from 0.41 to 0.14. The new design had a lower center-of-gravity and near 50/50 weight distribution in both 2-seater and 2+2 designs. The rear of the car was stretched to accommodate a larger 80 L fuel tank. Overall, the new body design gave better fuel economy and high-speed stability (one of the known issues from the first generation Z-car).
Improvements were also made to braking, and steering. The 280ZX offered either unassisted rack-and-pinion steering, or Datsun 810-derived recirculating-ball with power assistance.
It is a common misconception that the 280ZX's L28 engine had less power than the L24 engine of the 1970 240Z. In fact the difference is due to Nissan adopting the SAE net standard of power measurement, which resulted in lower power ratings than the earlier gross figures. However, Nissan designers deliberately sacrificed raw acceleration for improved fuel economy in the 280ZX, so 1978 models rated at 145 hp (103 kW) actually had slower acceleration than the 240Z, largely due to increases in weight. This performance deficit was not addressed until the release of the 280ZX Turbo in 1980.
[] Changes
[] 1979-1980
Early reviews of the 280ZX were mixed. Some lamented the transformation the Z-car had made to a grand tourer, while others appreciated the improvements in refinement, comfort, and overall market appeal. The sales figures soon proved the Nissan designers right, with the 280ZX becoming a sales success.
From 1980 onwards, the 280ZX was available with a T-bar roof (on both the 2-seater and 2+2 body shapes). The T-bar roof panels could be removed and stored in bags in the rear of the car.
In 1980, a limited edition "10th Anniversary" car was released. Available in either black/gold or black/red two-tone paint, these cars came with leather seating, and other special trim features. A total of 3000 of these cars were built - most in black/gold color.
In 1979, Datsun homologated a high-downforce whale-tail type spoiler for the Datsun 280ZX by producing 1,001 280ZX-R cars. These cars also had distinctive body decals and ZX-R logos.
[] 1981
A turbocharged model (using the L28ET engine rated at 180 hp) was introduced in 1981, and was available with a 3-speed automatic transmission only. At the time of release, the 280ZX Turbo was the fastest Japanese import in the American market, and was the fastest production car money could buy, apart from two exotics (the Porsche 911SC and 928).
The L28ET used a single Garrett AiResearch TB03 turbocharger and no intercooler. Boost was limited to 6.8 psi. Other modest changes were made to the L28, with compression reduced from 8.3:1 to 7.4:1, and some minor strengthening of the engine block and rings.
The 280ZX with a 3-speed automatic delivered 0-60 mph times of 5.9 seconds, and a very respectable quarter mile time of 15.5 seconds.
One criticism of the early 280ZX was a reduction in spring rates, giving a softer ride, and making the car rather difficult to drive hard through corners, without transient oversteer, which was a feature of trailing-arm rear suspensions.
[] 1982-1983
Nissan gave the 280ZX a facelift in 1982 which added NACA ducting, new alloy wheels, and revised B-pillar garnish. Power steering became standard equipment and now used rack-and-pinion, rather than recirculating ball.
The Turbo was now offered with a manual transmission; this was a Borg-Warner T-5 5-speed model (this was the first Nissan which used a non-Japanese transmission; the T-5 was also used in the GM F-bodies and Ford Mustang).
Spring rates and sway bars were revised, which largely addressed the handling nervousness of the early 280ZX Turbo, and reviews confirmed that the 1982 280ZX Turbo was the most sporting Z-car since the original 240Z of 1970.
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