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1988 JDM Formal Coupé 3.0 Turbo Test
MZ21 Toyota Soarer Limited vs F31 Nissan Leopard Ultima
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Both of these extremely unusual cars are owned by the webmaster Anthony Gerundini.
These models are both normally just Japanese Domestic Market (JDM)
bounded, although the Leopard was also known as the Infiniti M30
in the USA, where a total of 5000 were sold, some as factory
convertibles (nice). The Leopard model was also known
suffixed as 'X' back in its earlier incarnations in its Datsun
days e.g. 280X. My silver example (as all the pictures on the
right) is very possibly the
only one in the UK, and is only here as it used to belong to
Nissan UK for use by their privately owned boss Octav Botnar, and was imported
brand new in 1988. He was a self made millionaire and
philanthropist, however, according to
Wikipedia: "He fled to Switzerland in 1991 to avoid trouble
with the police (according to the British authorities, he evaded
more than £200 million in taxes)." As he left in somewhat of a
hurry, his car got left behind, and was purchased by one of his
ex-managers, who has cherished it until August 2005 when I
acquired it, the day before the Kettering TEC National. |
1988
F31 Nissan Leopard 'Ultima' 3.0 turbo front view |
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1988 MZ21 Soarer 'Limited' 3.0 turbo front quarter view |
Being the boss, he obviously chose the most exciting Nissan
model that they produced in 1988. 'Ultima' relates to the top
trim level. Something as rare as this really tickled my fancy
and I couldn't resist it, especially as its a somewhat unusual companion for my equally rare 1988 Toyota Soarer
MZ21 3.0 turbo, as pictures all on the left. In the JDM, these cars were both direct rivals.
This car was also imported into the UK from brand new, but I do
not know of it's history as yet. It may well also have been the
car of a Toyota boss too?
The engine 7MGTE setup will be very similar to the MA70 UK
market Supra turbo's we are familiar with, aside from any JDM
regulation modifications, such as different emission controls
etc. In fact the (similarly styled) Z10 and Z20 generation
Soarers seem to mirror the production dates of around 1981 and
1985 of the Supra. Thus in my opinion they are in fact just the
formal bodied versions of the Supra, otherwise with the same
running gear. |
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The first Z10 Soarer was little different from
this, with the same distinctive glass house styling, but just
with sharper edges to the front and rear, as befits its time.
It's a testament to the styling that Toyota barely felt the need
to change it, and I imagine it was something of a success in the
JDM that they were able to do so. (Consider the
contrasting huge difference in styling between MA61 and MA70
models!) I also consider the Soarer to be an effective successor
to the Crown coupe, as the last JDM 'MS112' shape 2-door Crown
disappeared in the very early eighties, as obviously the
introduction of the Soarer replaced it as Toyota's top formal
coupe in the range. As a styling comparison between the F31 and
Z20, there is little in it, it's just a matter of personal
taste. The Z20 Soarer is more bulky and dated due to it being an
intrinsically earlier design of car than the sleeker but less
distinctive Leopard. The weakest point of the Leopard styling is
the very bland frontal treatment, a vital area on any luxury
car. Personally I slightly prefer the more aggressive styling
and stance of the Soarer. The 'grille' on the M30 Infiniti
US-version is just as bad, so no easy swap there. The lack of
styling to the rounded bumpers really let it down too, shame. |
F31 Nissan Leopard Ultima rear view |
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MZ21 Soarer rear view |
The Soarer is slightly! more run-in with around 140,000 miles,
but still seems to pull really well. The Nissan is a 24V version
of the VG30DET (I think) engine, broadly also used in the Z
cars. A Nissan expert will no doubt be able to offer definitive
advice on this. So which one is faster - Well I think the
Leopard shades it. The Soarer also suffers from being quite a
heavy beast, but at least has its cylinders in the 'correct'
straight six arrangement unlike the V6 Nissan. (In fact Toyota
have only just abandoned the straight six engine with the
introduction of the new 2005 model Crown.) Turning to the
interior, the Nissan has very nice condition but sober dark grey
leather (pic below). However there isn't otherwise that cosseting luxury
feel as in the more bespoke Soarer, which had also just been
treated to a probably much-needed £470 're-Connellisation' of
the leather. So the light tan leather was in good condition and
not cracked like you see in so many tired MA70 Supras nowadays. |
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The trim level of this Soarer is called 'Limited' although
it's anything but. As a Crown enthusiast with
late import models, I was surprised to find so little of the Soarer's interior was familiar to me. All of the switchgear
seems bespoke and top quality. The most unusual feature was the
humble indicator stalks. These are electronic i.e. they do not
mechanically move up and down, but rather just dip up or down,
making a beep to signify their change in status. Sounds like a
simple thing, nut it really takes some getting used to, as you
are always trying to compensate for where you expect the stalk
to be, until you get used to it. This feature is also on my
bosses 2003 £50k BMW 7 series, and he found the same experience
as my rather cheaper machine! |
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MZ21 Soarer dash. Heater/audio
controls are on an LCD touch screen display, in addition to TV
CRT screen. |
The dials also betray the Nissan's quality. The analogue dials
on a white background (pic above) would look more in place on a boy-racer
Euro hatchback. Whereas the Soarer has the familiar digital
screen set up (pic left), similar to the 130 series Crown. Both cars have
non-touch black and white TV screens in them, which aren't
properly set up yet for UK stations, it's a bit hit and miss.
They otherwise indicate some of the interior functions etc. The Soarer also has an unusual LCD type proto-touch screen, for the
majority of the heater and audio controls, but these are a bit
of a gimmick. Both cars have handy duplicate control buttons on
the steering wheel, although the Soarer's are currently all
non-operational... Although some of these features are
increasingly commonplace on todays techno-fest cars, this was
1988 remember, and Toyota in particular did have a habit of
developing some of the gizmo's on the JDM Soarer before
unleashing them on the rest of the world. Cruise works well on
both cars, in an easy to use manner once you have sussed it. (I
never understand why ANY of the switches on either cars are
shown in English when they are for the home Japanese market. Most of the Soarer's are in Japanese, more English on the Leopard.) |
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Some of the Leopard switchgear is sourced from cheaper models in
the Nissan parts bin and the interior plastics are unfortunately
of a cheaper variety. The Soarer has an unusual felt-style
covering to the expanse of dashboard plastic. The suspension is just a conventional set-up in the Nissan,
whereas the Soarer has the full-on luxo-barge Air Suspension,
with three settings. It can be manually set as standard or high,
or will also go into firmest low position under heavy breaking
or at high speeds. Both handle well enough, although the Leopard
is probably nimbler. The three speed with overdrive automatic
gearboxes have the usual faster reacting sport and lazier
economy settings. |
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Familiar 7M GTE 3 litre single turbo 24V setup,
presumably as per the MA70 Supra. |
So which car wins the test? For me the Soarer. Am I biased
towards Toyotas? Well probably else I wouldn't be doing this
site or have a shed full of Crowns, but I started off as a
wee lad with Datsun Laurel sixes and Cedrics. In fact my very
first car as a 19 year old set the template for my car
ownership. It was a South African assembled import 1981 Laurel
C230 '280L' i.e. with the 2753cc (L28 280C) engine instead of
the more usual 2.0 and 2.4 UK models. It was also 5 speed. My
Cedric was a jolly rare even then '72 K-plate 240C 230 series.
But having then discovered the Crown MS112 and MS75, I soon
then concentrated my efforts onto Toyota's. The Z20
Soarer is far from the prettiest car on the planet, but its
unusual styling and exclusivity has had me hankering for one for
the last ten odd years. (And then two come along!) Regardless of
this, the Z20 Soarer still has a noticeably distinctive all
round quality to it, and just 'feels' special. The Leopard is
still an incredibly nice and unusual car, with condition and
history in it's favour. Coming next: 1988 Soarer GZ20 2.0 twin
turbo test! Vs this MZ21, or alternatively if anyone with a
similarly equipped Supra 2.0TT wants a race! |
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Any club member who has a notable car they would like to see
featured, please contact us.
You don't even have to ramble on like I have! If you would like to feedback
or have further info about this feature, why not
drop us a line in the
TEC Club Forum? |
Pic Above - A sight ever seen
on another drive-way in the world? Sorry about about the poor
camera-phone pic quality.
More Soarer pics below and left. |
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