DriveTime Five
Cool Nissans that aren’t GT-Rs
Any list limiting itself to just the five coolest Nissans of all time faces a problem – it would pretty much just be dominated by GT-Rs, so we are going to take it for granted that all GT-Rs are cool. With that in mind, here’s a list of the five coolest Nissans that aren’t GT-Rs! Nissan Pulsar GTI-R
Any car that is developed quickly as a homologation special is guaranteed to be something mental, and the N14 Pulsar GTI-R was no exception. Nissan sold two versions – one was the RA in full road trim, while the RB was the stripped out rally special. In standard form it could rocket to 100kmh in under five seconds. This was in 1990 when a Ferrari 348 did it in 5.6 seconds!
Fairlady Z/Datsun 240Z
This car showed the world that Japan could build a credible mainstream sports car and really put the wind up the sagging British sports car industry. The 240Z is a legend. While later models would get fatter and clumsier, the original 240Z was a delightfully lithe and responsive car to drive, with the brilliant 2.4-litre in-line six producing a delightful soundtrack.
Nissan Silvia
We were going to select a specific model of Silvia for this list (most likely the S15) but looking back at the model’s history it quickly becomes apparent that they are all cool. From the stunningly pretty first-generation Silvia (CSP311) of 1965 and the 1970s cool of the second-gen S10, right up to the drift missile awesomeness of the S13/14/15 models.
Nissan Cedric
It may be named after your grandfather, but the Cedric is one seriously cool Nissan. Usually powered by an in-line sixcylinder engine, the Cedric is remembered as a largish luxury sedan, but it has had a remarkable array of body styles over the years including coupe, wagon and, yes really, convertible variants. The third and fourth generation cars are clearly
Nissan 300ZX
While the generations of Nissan’s Z car after the original just got flabby and wandered away from the original’s purity, the Z31 300ZX from 1983 proudly wore its bulk, but added sheer blistering power to the mix. The first-generation car offered several engine options, but the king was the second-gen Z32 from 1989 with a 3.0-litre twinturbo V6.