Jake951

It's 1989, the final year of 951 production for the U.S and the first year for 300ZX Turbo. Automobile magazine published this comparison in the November '89 issue. Sorry the quality of these images isn't better. I couldn't find my original, so this B&W copy will have to do.

951S vs. 300ZX page 1
951S vs. 300ZX page 2
951S vs. 300ZX page 3
951S vs. 300ZX page 4
951S vs. 300ZX page 5

PorscheG96

I'm building one heck of a collection thanks to you!

gatorbait

Interesting article Jake, thanks.

Hate to say it, but considering the price difference between the two cars, the Z-car seemed the better value for its day. The Z-car cost $12K less, had 53 more ponies, a V6, faster steering, less lag, more torque and (arguably), a better suspension.

More relevant to today, how would a decked out 951 (e.g., a Vitesse Stage 3) do against a modified 300ZX tt?

streckfu's

What other articles have you posted? Are you hosting them anywhere??

I have the Road and Track from Jan 86 when they drove all the Porsche models in one comparison. I don't have a scanner but I can use my dital camera to post it if any one is interested.....

adrial

Here they are in color...
http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~adrialk...T%20vs%20951S/

Along with the rest of my collection
http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~adrialk...ne%20Articles/

(Should be done uploading soon)

WesM951

adrial,
Thanks for posting the articles, very interesting.

Jake951

Hard to argue with that. Buyers of the day also voted that way with their pocketbooks. The 951 was such a hard sell in 1989 that Porsche ended up discounting them heavily to move them off the dealer lots. The actual selling price of a new 951, after discounts, was more like $36k, which was more competitive with the 300ZX.

pig4bill

And a couple years later they were discounting the heck out of 300zx's. I was offered a new TT for $26k by a dealer.

The 300zx drives more like a 928 than a 944 Turbo. It felt heavy, torquey, smooth, quiet, cornered flat, fun and easy to drive. The average person would like it more than the 944.

Wahoogie

Kind of funny, my friend is getting a TT and I'm getting a 944... of course I know the better car...

James86-951

The '90 model had a huge problem with oiling. It would jump high and blow out engine seals, killing the engine. Also the VTC (variable timing camshaft) gears would develop problems. If you were to purchase a 'Z', get a 94-96 model. It has all of the updates and the better rear spoiler.

It is a GT car for sure. The road manners were great, but it was a pig on the track. Road Atlanta purchased alot of the very first cars. They were probably the only ones available with manual windows and hardtops.

TonyG

Excellent. Thanks for posting.

Jake951

The 300ZX Turbos were also infamous for warping their brake rotors, making them unsuitable for serious track use without a brake upgrade. But ultimately they suffered the same fate as the 951/944 series. Poor sales eventually killed off the 300ZX, along with the other Japanese offerings, like the 3000GT VR4, and last generation RX-7 and Supra Turbos.