Nissan Had to Be Rescued. So Why Did It Bring Back the Z?

In 1996, the final Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbos reached America — the last of a flagship that Car and Driver had honored in every one of its model years here. Then the Z name disappeared from US showrooms. Not for one model cycle. For six years. The car wasn't a failure. It was priced like a flagship — and it kept climbing. Nissan's own successor program stalled, and the company's near-collapse at the end of the decade froze everything that wasn't survival. When Carlos Ghosn finally approved the new Z in 2000, the revival had a condition attached: "We will build the Z. And we will make it profitable." In August 2002, the 350Z arrived — cheaper than the car it replaced, and the beginning of the Z's second life. This is what those six years actually were: the price of ambition, a company in crisis, and the decision that brought the badge back. Subscribe for more forgotten Japanese machines — there's another one every week.