Nissan Leopard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2007)

The Nissan Leopard is a line of luxury sports cars built by Japanese carmaker Nissan. The Leopard began life in 1980 and was discontinued in 1999. Leopards were initially based on the Japanese market Nissan Skyline and Nissan Laurel and the American Datsun 910/Nissan Maxima, then later based on the chassis of their Nissan Cedric and Nissan Gloria contemporaries and were rear wheel drive. Final versions were the contributing factors to Nissan's Infiniti M and J products.

[edit] First generation: F30 (1980-1986)

Nissan Leopard F30
Production	1980-1986
Body style(s)	2-door coupe, 4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	1.8 L OHC-I4 (Z18), 105 PS 2.0 L OHC-I6 (L20E), 125 PS 2.0 L OHC Turbo-I6 (L20ET), 145 PS 2.8 L OHC-I6 (L28E), 155 PS 3.0 L DOHC Turbo-V6 (VG30ET), 230 PS
Transmission(s)	5 speed manual transmission; 3 speed automatic
Wheelbase	103.4 in (2625 mm)
Length	182.3  in (4630 mm)
Width	66.6  in (1690 mm)
Height	52.9  in (1345 mm)
Curb weight	2465-2900 lb (1115-1315 kg)

The first Leopard (also known as Leopard TR-X) was introduced in September 1980 as a contender in the upper medium class of cars. The angular body, available as a 2-door hardtop coupe and a 4-door hardtop sedan, featured very thin C- and D-pillars and large glass surfaces. The Leopard featured some industry firsts, for instance a fuel consumption gage in the dashboard. Originally the Leopard was available with naturally aspirated inline four and six cylinder engines of 1800, 2000 and 2800 cc displacement; in September 1982 (when the car received a mild facelift) a two liter turbo-engine was added. In 1984 a limited Turbo Grand Edition with the 300ZX's 3 litre turbo engine joined the line-up.

According to a translated Japanese Wikipedia article on the Leopard, the car was based on the North American market Datsun 810 and shared a common platform with the Datsun 910, which was renamed the Nissan Maxima. The Japanese version had side view mirrors mounted on the front fenders and had small wipers attached to the top of the mirrors to remove accumulated rain on the surface of the mirror. The vehicles styling seemed to be influenced by the Toyota Soarer, however when the Leopard was introduced, the styling was already a little dated as the Soarer had been recently updated.

A list of the various trim levels the Leopard was initially available as:
L-280X SF
L-200X SF
200X SF
200X CF
180X CF
180X F

After a mild styling update, the car was offered in the following variations:
300 TURBO GRAND EDITION
TURBO ZGX SUPER EDITION
TURBO ZGX
TURBO SGX
200X ZGX
200X SGX
180X SGX
180X GX

[edit] Second generation: F31 (1986-1992)

Nissan Leopard F31
Production	1986-1992
Body style(s)	2-door coupe
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	2.0 L OHC-V6 (VG20E), 115 PS 2.0 L DOHC Turbo-V6 (VG20DET), 210 PS 3.0 L DOHC-V6 (VG30DE), 200 PS 3.0 L DOHC Turbo-V6 (VG30DET), 255 PS
Transmission(s)	4 speed automatic
Wheelbase	103.0 in (2615 mm)
Length	189.2  in (4805 mm)
Width	66.6  in (1690 mm)
Height	53.9  in (1370 mm)
Curb weight	3000-3355 lb (1360-1520 kg)

The F31 Leopard appeared in February 1986 and was only available as a luxury GT coupé. In the US, 5000 Leopards were imported and 2500 of those were converted to convertibles by ASC. In the USA, the F31 was called the Infiniti M30. It was Infiniti's first-ever coupe, as well as the only convertible offered by Infiniti at the time (of which it still is).

The F30 and F31 Leopards were direct competitors to the Toyota Soarer. Whereas the Soarer had the 1G-GTE twin-turbo 2L straight six, the very similar-looking Leopard coupé came with the options of a VG30DET, VG30DE, VG20DET (post 1988), VG20ET (prior to 1988), and VG20E. Early 2.0 turbo versions had the single-cam (per bank) VG20ET, but from August 1988, the quad cam version appeared, the body was also face lifted at this time. Available in top spec form was the 3 litre VG30DET engine which produced 190 kW/255 hp. Only the VG20ET and VG20DET engines had an intercooler, and only VG20E engined examples had the option of manual transmission.

Compared to the Soarer, the Leopard was somewhat more angular, but with neater detailing around the windows. The windows were also flush, without the strange proportions of the Soarer's glass.

The VG20 V6 is not quite as smooth as the Soarer's 1G-GTE straight-six, and actually has a lower rev limit. It produces surprisingly good torque in turbo form, and is generally quite a reliable unit.

The M30 had no factory options, but dealers offered the addition of a cellular phone and a CD player/changer. The sole engine was the VG30E, a 3.0 L SOHC V6 that produced 162 hp (121 kW) and 180 ft·lbf (244 N·m) of torque, also used by many previous Nissan models such as the Maxima and 300ZX. Like the 300ZX, the M30 was a front-engined and rear-wheel drive vehicle. The transmission was the RE4R01A, a four-speed automatic with electronic overdrive. There was no manual transmission option. The differential was a Nissan R200-type open differential. It is generally regarded among M30 enthusiasts that the change of powertrain, weak suspension and the lack of options in these categories was a serious mistake on Infiniti’s part, and perhaps to blame for the lackluster sales. The M30 (coupe)has a stock weight of 3333 lb (1540 kg), yet only 162 hp (121 kW), creating an inadequate power to weight ratio for the intended image of a sport coupe. Unsurprisingly, the M30 convertible weighed even more, due to massive amounts of body and chassis reinforcements. In addition, sports cars normally come with a manual transmission standard and have the option of an automatic. Instead, Infiniti didn't even give potential buyers the choice, as all M30s had the four-speed automatic.

The M30 was equipped with the Sonar Suspension II system that was also installed on the Maxima at the time, which featured a sonar module mounted under the front bumper that scanned the road surface and adjusted the suspension accordingly via actuators mounted on the strut towers. There was also a switch on the center console that allowed the driver to change between "Sport" and "Comfort" settings—essentially "firm" and "soft", respectively.

The M30 convertible was, and still is, also the sole convertible of the Infiniti line. Infiniti selected about half of the models produced from 1991 to 1992 and had them made into convertibles by the ASC (American Sunroof Corporation). While the power tops on these did not need extensive maintenance for quite a while, they could be operated manually if necessary. All M30 coupes had power tilting/sliding sunroofs standard, with "auto-cut" while sliding to the closed position to prevent anything from getting caught.

The M30’s production run lasted for only 3 years, ending in 1992 due to lagging sales. Nobody knows exactly how many models were produced, but it has been said that just over 5000 were made, half coupes, half convertibles, making the M30 the least popular Infiniti ever put into production.

[edit] Third generation: JPY32 (1992-1997)

Infiniti J30
Manufacturer	Infiniti
Parent company	Nissan
Production	1992-1997.5
Assembly	Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan
Predecessor	Infiniti M30
Successor	Infiniti I30
Class	Mid-size luxury car
Body style(s)	4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	3.0 L VG30DE V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic
Wheelbase	108.7 in (2761 mm)
Length	191.4 in (4862 mm)
Width	69.7 in (1770 mm)
Height	54.7 in (1389 mm)
Fuel capacity	19 US gal.

The third generation was called Leopard J Ferie (ferie is French for holiday) and appeared in June 1992. It came only in saloon body style and followed the rounded shape of the U13 Bluebirds and Altimas. It was sold in North America as the Infiniti J30.

The Infiniti J30 was a rear wheel drive luxury car. The J30 went into production on April 7, 1992 as a 1993 model to replace the M30 (which was a coupe), and was launched in the United States at the same time as its competitor, the Lexus GS. The car was designed to slot between the smaller G20 and the larger Q45, as Infiniti's first mid-size sedan. Also, it was fairly small but featured rounded styling uncharacteristic of the crowded near-luxury market.

Unlike earlier Infinitis, the J30 received effective advertisement with jazz music and artistic camera shots. Power came from a 3.0 L VG30DE V6 (shared with the 300ZX) which produced 210 hp and 192 lb·ft (260 N·m) of torque. While it shares the Y32 Chassis with the Nissan Cedric/Gloria, it was essentially a rebadged version of the Japan-market Nissan Leopard J. Ferie where it was offered with both the VG30DE and VH41DE V8; Limited turbo&TT*.

All J30s were built in Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan. Production of the J30 ended on June 18, 1997, replaced by the Infiniti I30 (introduced in 1996).

One of the numerous reasons the J30 failed was that its most distinguishing feature was a lack of interior room. It had the distinction of being a mid-size car with the space of a subcompact (less than a Sentra) due to its sloping roofline and shrunken trunk.

The J30 was launched with a memorable ad campaign, featuring a middle-aged yuppie wearing all black. The host (actor Jonathan Pryce) used phrases like "This is the Infiniti J30 -- and this is the clock in the J" with an elitist tone that was widely ridiculed.

The images shown to the right depict the touring model, the J30t. Among many advanced features, this model featured a rear spoiler and HICAS (four wheel steering). HICAS was only available in the J30t from 1993-1994.

[edit] Fourth generation: JY33 (1996-1999)

Nissan Leopard JY33
Production	1996-1999
Body style(s)	4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	2.5 (RB25DET), 4WD, 235 hp. 3.0 L OHC-V6 (VG30E), 160 hp 3.0 L DOHC-V6 (VQ30DE), 220 hp 3.0 L DOHC Turbo-V6 (VQ30DET), 270 hp
Transmission(s)	5 speed automatic
Wheelbase	110.2 in (2800 mm)
Length	192.7  in (4895 mm)
Width	69.4  in (1765 mm)
Height	56.1  in (1425 mm)
Curb weight	3400-3555 lb (1540-1610 kg)

The fourth and last generation of the Leopard, introduced in March 1996, again was offered as a hardtop sedan only. It was based on the Y33 Gloria and Cima chassis. It wasn't available in North America where the Infiniti mid-range had been replaced by the Nissan Cefiro/Infiniti I30.

A 1996 Nissan Leopard rear view

A view of the interior