A Car With Untapped Potential: The Nissan 240SX

The 1995 240SX had it all, well, almost. It remains one of the best examples of untapped potential in a car. It came with a rear multi-link suspension set up, a good 5-speed manual transmission, appealing ...looks, rear wheel drive, a slick interior, and tipped the scales at a meager 2758 lbs. Oh, and did I mention it was rear wheel drive? RWD was and still is a big deal for a Japanese 2-door coupe to possess. But alas the 240SX was destined to under perform. With Nissan churning out the sleek sexy V6 powered 300ZX at the time, the 240SX had to saunter around in the shadows hobbled with a slow revving 2.4L 4 cylinder truck engine producing just 155 horsepower and 160 ft lbs of torque. The lethargic 4 cylinder engine, which needed premium fuel for some reason, was enough to take the 240SX out of the realm of desirable sporting cars. A 250 horsepower quick revving power plant would have made the 240SX top notch. That considerable better theoretical engine though would also have placed the 240SX above Nissan’s flagship 300ZX at the time, and that would have been a big no no.