1988 Nissan 300ZX White RWD Manual SHIRO

Price: US $16,500.00 Item location: Big Stone Gap, Virginia, United States
Description:

1988 Nissan 300ZX SHIRO

This 1988 Nissan 300ZX is a true gem. Its classic white color and clean title make it a standout choice for car enthusiasts. With a mileage of 285500, this original vehicle has been lovingly cared for by its owner for over 5 years. It runs great and is perfect for car shows or as a daily driver.

Vehicle Details

The limited Shiro Special (Shiro is Japanese for white) of early 1988 was Nissan's single biggest step toward regaining the early car's performance mojo. It embraced the analog for a more pure driving experience. The 300ZX Turbo's standard electronically adjustable suspension was summarily dismissed; in its place are higher-rate springs (207 pounds per inch, front, compared to 196; 224 pounds per inch at the rear, compared to 188.2), non-adjustable Koni shocks, and fatter anti-roll bars (26-mm and 25-mm versus 24-mm bars all around on more common ZX Turbos). The multiway-electric power leather driver's chair (and a matching passenger's-side unit) was pulled out in favor of a pair of cloth Recaros. The Tokyo-by-night digital instrumentation, so high-tech when new but so dated today, was yanked; in its place, a 150-MPH speedo and a tachometer with white numbers on black faces. The only available transmission was the Aisin-built five-speed stick. Other bits included a viscous limited-slip diff with the stock 3.70:1 gearing, a Europe-only front air dam, and special three-stage Moon Glow Pearl paint that covered just about every exterior surface (including the wheels). Graphite-colored trim stood in for basic black. The engine remained stock, but with a stiffer suspension and about 125 fewer pounds of circuit boards and other related components to carry around, the Shiro Special was degrees hotter than the average Z31. Now, the Shiro was hardly a stripper. It also came standard with T-tops; power windows, locks and mirrors; cruise control; air conditioning; and a four-speaker stereo with AM/FM tape deck head unit and a power antenna. So it's not like a driver/owner is bereft of amenities. In an era when a 300ZX Turbo started just north of $23,000, a Shiro Special stickered for($25,249) $26,812. (All Shiros were equipped the same; no substitutions or additional options were available from the factory.) Nissan assembled exactly 1,002 Shiro Specials for the American market (plus another 75 for Canada) in the early months of 1988, and declared a "white sale" in the spring of that year for American Nissan dealers. Combine the sporting attributes and the rarity, and you've got the most desirable of the Z31-generation Nissan 300ZXs. In its day, it was barely advertised, and even most of the buff books ignored it. It was a mid-year addition, so the brochures of the day didn't cover it. There isn't a badge, graphic, sticker or stripe on the car that refers to it as a Shiro Special, or an SS, or any sort of special limited edition: It's just plain white. Only Motor Trend tested a Shiro Special (referring to it simply as a special edition, without getting into specifics) with the electronic speed limiter disabled, and it topped 153 MPH, making it the fastest car in Japan at that time. (All Z31 Turbos are speed-limited to 137 MPH.) Its speed was "undoubtedly attributed to its lower stance and improved European front air dam...the speedo was wound right against the stop at 150 MPH."