1996 Nissan 300ZX Pushes Over 1,200 Horsepower

When you see a Nissan 300ZX with drag radials in the back and the exhaust coming out of the front bumper, you know something serious is going on. The owner of this 1996 Z claims it’s the fastest of its kind in the world. Considering it’s pushing over 1,200-horsepower, it’s the kind of claim we think might be legitimate.

Check out this supercharged Buick.

The owner, Dean, has done some serious modifications to make this Z fast. The VG30DE is sleeved and has billet mains. Force feeding it is a Pulsar 7682 turbocharger. He’s also added a full Rob Build Performance kit. Without nitrous, the setup is making 1,085-hp.

He didn’t just slap all that together. Dean says he built a 1992 300ZX back in the day, allowing him to learn the platform and what worked as far as modifications. After an unfortunate accident, he swapped everything into a Z with a backseat, but quickly learned the additional weight slowed the car way down.

Thanks to his brother, Dean found his current Z, a ’96 slick top. Swapping the modifications over was overall a straightforward process, although he did have to shorten the driveshaft – a far easier solution than dealing with one that isn’t long enough.

To enhance performance, he was able to shed 320 lbs. of weight from this current Z.

In its current setup, this 300ZX has been able to achieve the quarter mile at 8.1 seconds with a trap speed of 168 mph. That’s impressive, but Dean wants to push further and get the car into the 7s. Considering it’s dangerously close, we think with a few more tweaks it can get there.

In the Hot Rod Heaven USA review, Dean says a lot of people overlook the 300ZX, focusing instead on the Supra and RX-7. That’s unfortunate, but we think it has something to do with Nissan suffering as a brand under Renault control. Hopefully a resurgence is coming for Nissan performance and this car helps show the way.

Images via Hot Rod Heaven USA/YouTube