First Generation: F30 (1980-1986)
| Production | 1980.9-1986.1 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 2-door coupé 4-door sedan |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine | 1.8 L Z18 I4 2.0 L L20E I6 2.0 L L20ET turbo I6 2.8 L L28E I6 3.0 L VG30ET turbo V6 |
| Transmission | 4-/5-speed manual 3-/4-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 2,625 mm (103.3 in) |
| Length | 4,630 mm (182.3 in) |
| Width | 1,690 mm (66.5 in) |
| Height | 1,335–1,355 mm (52.6–53.3 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,095–1,315 kg (2,410–2,900 lb) |
| Related | Nissan Bluebird Nissan Skyline R30 Nissan Laurel C31 |
The first Leopard (also known as Leopard TR-X) was introduced in September 1980 as a contender in the upper medium class of cars, including its primary Toyota contender, the Toyota Chaser. The angular body, available as a two-door hardtop coupé and a four-door hardtop sedan, featured very slim C- and D-pillars and large glass surfaces. The wind resistance coefficient of the two-door version is 0.37. At the time of introduction, the two body styles both carried the same price tags. The Leopard featured some industry firsts, for instance a fuel consumption gauge in the dashboard.
Originally the Leopard was available with naturally aspirated inline four- and six-cylinder engines of 1,800, 2,000, and 2,800 cc displacement; the largest engine received an electronic engine management system developed together with Hitachi. The 1.8 liter fours were also originally available with a four-speed manual transmission, all others received five-speeds as standard (or an optional three-speed automatic). In July 1981 a two-liter turbocharged engine was added. Available as a GX, SGX, and ZGX, it had the same maximum output (145 PS) as did the more expensive and heavier 2.8. In September 1982, the Leopard received a mild facelift and with it, the under-performing 2.8 was dropped from the lineup. In June 1984 a limited Turbo Grand Edition with the 300ZX's 230 PS (169 kW) 3 litre turbo engine joined the line-up.
The car is based on the six-cylinder version of the Datsun Bluebird 910, sold in North America as the Datsun 810 (and later renamed the Nissan Maxima). The Japanese version had side view mirrors mounted on the front fenders and (uniquely) had small wipers attached to the top of the mirrors to remove accumulated rain and dirt from the surface of the mirrors. The vehicle's styling seemed to be influenced by its more successful main competitor, the Toyota Soarer. However, when the Leopard was introduced, the styling was already a little dated and the coupé-only Soarer did significantly better in the market.
A list of the various trim levels and engines that the Leopard was available with at its introduction:
| model | engine | displ. | output | weight | notes | |||
| PS | kW | at (rpm) | kg | lb | ||||
| 180X F | Z18 I4, twin-carb |
1,770 cc | 105 | 77 | 6,000 | 1,095 | 2,414 | |
| 180X CF | 1,110 | 2,447 | ||||||
| 200X F | L20E I6, Nissan ECCS fuel injection |
1,998 cc | 125 | 92 | 6,000 | 1,190 | 2,624 | four-door only |
| 200X CF | 1,200 | 2,646 | ||||||
| 200X SF | 1,255 | 2,767 | ||||||
| 200X SF-L | 1,265 | 2,789 | ||||||
| 280X CF | L28E I6, Nissan ECCS fuel injection |
2,753 cc | 145 | 107 | 5,200 | 1,230 | 2,712 | |
| 280X SF-L | 1,290 | 2,844 | ||||||
| four-door bodywork adds 10 kg (22 lb) | ||||||||
After a mild styling update, the car was offered in the following variations:
180X GX, SGX
200X SGX, ZGX
200 Turbo SGX, ZGX, ZGX Super Edition
300 Turbo Grand Edition
Read more about this topic: Nissan Leopard