Nissan 300ZX with M3 style mirrors

The Nissan 300ZX, also known as the Nissan Fairlady Z, is a sports car that was produced by Nissan.  It comprises the third and fourth generations of the Z-car line-up, respectively given the chassis designations Z31 and Z32.

The 300ZX name followed the numerical convention initiated with the 240Z, put forth by Yutaka Katayama, the one time president of Nissan Motors USA.  The "X" was added to the model name by its predecessor signifying "luxury".  The name was used in most markets with the exception of a few including the Japanese home market, there the car like all previous Z cars was sold as a "Fairlady Z".  Many modifications can be done to your Nissan to make it look sportier and perform better.

Installing M3 style mirrors is one of those neat projects that can really add some spice to the look of your Nissan without taking up too much of your time.  The total install time for a pair of M3 style mirrors should be less than two hours.

Aftermarket mirrors are available in different materials, including FRP plastic, carbon fiber and fiberglass.  Plenty of different styles are available such as D1 style, F1 style and M3 styles.  You can also get them in manual or electric, and get them with or without LED turn signals built in.

The toughest part of the job is actually finding a set of mirrors that will match your body color.  If your Nissan is white or black, there are usually aftermarket mirrors available in those two colors.  Any other color will need to be custom-painted to match your body paint.

Some aftermarket mirrors are manufactured with an additional lamp in the side.  This can be wired to either your parking lamps or turn-signal lamps.  Either one requires additional wiring to threaded through the door, so I usually don't recommend this approach.  Most of the cars I've seen with lamps in the side of the mirrors don't actually have them connected, they're just for show.

True to its heritage, the race-only 300ZX cars had several notable victories, including the 1986 Trans Am series and the 1994 24 Hours of Daytona.  However, auto sports politics and a  controversial GTS-1 class win at the 24 Hours of LeMans that same year prompted the International Motor Sports Association to state that the twin turbo engine illegal for future competition.  The 300ZX also holds the E/BM land speed record of 419.84 km/h (260.87 mph) from the 1991 Bonneville Speed Trial.

Throughout its life, the 300ZX has been praised by critics.  Car and Driver placed the car on its Ten Best list for 7 consecutive years and Motor Trend awarded it as the 1990 Import Car of the Year.