The Nissan 300ZX was a far cry from it’s original Datsun 240Z predecessor, but in the early 1990s, a Twin Turbo Z was still a very impressive car…it might not have been a light and nimble little machine that earlier Z and ZX cars had been, but the Z32 variation that appeared in USDM markets in 1990 was stylish, comfortable and very, very capable. The 300ZX was produced through 2000 in Japan and other markets, but left the U.S. market in 1996 after the Yen/Dollar ratio went south for Nissan’s liking. To be fair, the 300ZX was a $50,000+ coupe that had been more affordable beforehand, but still…

That being said, for the final year’s advertising, Nissan went ahead and went bonkers with the ad campaign. The car itself made an impression, but this is one of the very few 1990s-era auto advertisements that was worth remembering simply because Nissan was having way too much fun with the campaign. Van Halen’s “You Really Got Me” might have resonated with kids who grew up listening to VH years earlier (or, in my case, my parents, who had been going to the concerts since high school, when Diamond Dave was still at full action and insanity, but it was the cocky presentation of the not-a-G.I. Joe and his runaway lover in a remote-controlled T-top Nissan 300ZX that had me on the floor laughing. Hey, I was thirteen, give me a break! The one thing I didn’t know growing up was who the old Japanese man was at the end of it. That, friends, is Mr. K. – the father of the Z-car,