Nissan Z IV (Z32) photos

Launched in 1989 with the internal code Z32, the fourth generation was engineered from the ground up, moving the Z-car substantially upmarket in performance and sophistication compared to its Z31 predecessor. Built on a wider, lower rear-wheel-drive platform, the chassis traded the earlier strut-and-semi-trailing-arm geometry for an advanced four-wheel multi-link independent suspension, supplemented on flagship Twin Turbo models by Nissan's Super HICAS computer-controlled four-wheel steering system. The wide, low-slung body abandoned pop-up lights in favor of fixed flush-mounted projector headlamps and was offered as a two-seat coupe and a longer-wheelbase 2+2, available in both slicktop hardtop and T-bar roof configurations, while a factory-built two-seat convertible joined the range in the early 1990s. Replacing the single-overhead-cam engines of the Z31, every Z32 was powered by a 3.0-liter quad-cam, 24-valve V6: either the naturally aspirated VG30DE featuring variable valve timing or the twin-turbocharged, twin-intercooled VG30DETT flagship unit. These engines were mated to a heavy-duty five-speed manual transmission or an electronically controlled four-speed automatic gearbox. Incremental updates throughout the 1990s improved safety equipment, airbags, and emissions hardware, culminating in a final 1998 facelift for the Japanese market that introduced a restyled front fascia, HID xenon headlights, and revised tail lamps. Marketed internationally as the Nissan 300ZX across North America, Europe, and Australia, rising prices and currency shifts led to the model's withdrawal from the North American market after 1996, while domestic Japanese sales of the Fairlady Z continued until production ended in 2000.