Nissan Leopard
Encyclopedia
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. The Leopard was sold exclusively in Japan at Nissan Blue Stage dealerships.
According to a translated Japanese Wikipedia article on the Leopard, the car was based on the North American market Datsun 810, which was renamed the Nissan Maxima
, and shared a common platform with the Datsun 910. 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
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. This vehicle shared a platform with the Nissan Skyline R31, and the Nissan Laurel C32 to share development costs.
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 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.
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 produces surprisingly good torque in turbo form, and is generally quite a reliable unit.
The Leopard F31 had no factory options, but dealers offered the addition of a cellular phone and a CD player/changer. Like the Skyline
and 300ZX
, the Leopard coupe was a front-engined and rear-wheel drive vehicle. The RE4R01A 4 speed automatic
with electronic overdrive was used as well as a 5 speed manual transmission, that wasn't available on the USA-spec Infiniti M30
. The differential was a Nissan R200-type open differential
.
The Leopard F31 was equipped with the Sonar Suspension II system that was also installed on other Nissan vehicles 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 Leopard F31's production run lasted for 7 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 for the USA market.
and Altimas
. It was sold in North America as the Infiniti J30. All J30s/Leopard J Feries were built in Tochigi, Tochigi
, Japan
. Production of the Y32 Leopard ended on June 18, 1997. It had a MacPherson strut
front suspension with a multi-link suspension
for the rear wheels, and utilized HICAS
, Nissan's four wheel steering technology. The Y32 Leopard was a rear wheel drive luxury car that started production April 7, 1992 as a 1993 model to replace the Nissan Leopard F31 (which was a 2-door coupe
), and was launched in Japan after its competitor, the Toyota Windom.
The car was designed to slot between the smaller Nissan Primera
and the larger Nissan Cedric
, yet it shared a market position with the Nissan Cefiro
and the Nissan Laurel
, sold at different Nissan Japan sales channels. Also, it was fairly small and featured rounded styling uncharacteristic of the crowded executive luxury car class. The styling was meant to convey a more sport-minded appearance, in comparison to the Nissan Cedric
, Gloria
and Cima
, on which this car shared a platform, that is now reminiscent of a four-door coupé. The chief exterior designer for the J30 was Jerry Hirschberg, president of Nissan Design International (NDI
).
Power came from a 3.0 L
VG30DE V6 (shared with the 300ZX
) which produced 210 hp
and 192 lbft of torque
. While it shares the Y32 Chassis with the Nissan Cedric
/Gloria
, it was also related to the Nissan Cima
where it was offered with both the VG30DE
and VH41DE
V8. No turbo was available on this particular Leopard sedan. In Japan, three trim levels were offered, with the Type F offered with the VG30DE V6, the Type X with VH41DE V8 and a shared equipment level with the Type F, followed by the Type X-S sharing the equalivent content level with the North American V8 equipped J30, and the Type L which had the same equipment level as the Type X with the smaller V6 engine shared with the Type L-S sharing the equipment package with the Type X-S also V6 equipped.
To establish that this was a luxury vehicle, the interior was largely designed with assistance from Poltrona Frau
http://www.poltronafrau.com/portal/page/portal/UI/webpages/poltronafrau/home?lang=en of Italy. The interior treatment continued to use the contrasting arrangement used in the larger Nissan Infiniti Q45 with a dark color used for the dashboard, and center console, with a lighter shade color used inside for the seats, interior door panels, headliner, carpet, and carpeted floor mats. The driver's side window controls had an unusual placement in that the drivers window switch was both one-touch express down and double-sized, meaning it was the same width as two conventional window switches towards the top, with the front and rear passenger window switches further down, with the window lockout switch installed next to the front passenger switch, instead of the drivers window switch. The front passenger and rear passenger window switches were thumb activated, installed at the top of the interior door pull handle. This version of the Leopard was the first car sold in Japan to include a passenger-side airbag as standard equipment.
One of the numerous reasons the Y32 Leopard didn't meet projected sales goals 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 rounded down trunk. The styling of the vehicle was more favorably regarded in Japan than it was in the USA. Total production of this vehicle was around 7,000 units internationally.
Information for this section of the article was translated from Leopard J Ferie.com
to improve side impact crash resistance and vehicle solidity. The "J Ferie" name was dropped for this version of the Leopard. It was based on the Y33 Cedric
/Gloria
and Cima
chassis. Development of this vehicle had begun before the recession had begun in Japan, so when this vehicle appeared, economic conditions had already begun to soften, which had an effect on overall sales. Vehicles being offered from Nissan at the time overlapped with companion platform mates, and there were few distinctions between the other large Nissan sedans.
It wasn't available in North America where the Infiniti
mid-range had been replaced by the Nissan Cefiro
/Infiniti I30
. A V8 engine was no longer offered, and AWD was offered on the RB25DET
turbocharged Straight 6 engine. This vehicle also utilized Nissan's direct fuel injection engine configuration, which supplied fuel directly inside the engine cylinder, instead of inside the intake manifold just before entering the cylinders.
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
and Nissan Laurel
Nissan Laurel
In April 1968 Nissan presented its new Laurel in four-door deLuxe and Super deLuxe versions, both equipped with a 1.8 L inline-four cylinder engine and independent rear suspension. In summer 1970 a hardtop coupé joined the line-up, one year later a 2000 cc engine became available...
and the American Datsun 910/Nissan Maxima
Nissan Maxima
The first car to wear the Maxima name was introduced in 1981. It was essentially a Japanese-market Bluebird 910 with a longer nose. The car was offered as the 810 Deluxe or 810 Maxima that first year, and all 810s became Maximas for 1982...
, then later based on the chassis of their Nissan Cedric
Nissan Cedric
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family...
and Nissan Gloria
Nissan Gloria
The Gloria is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company, and later by Nissan Motors since its merger with the former - hence being originally marketed as Prince Gloria and later as Nissan Gloria...
contemporaries and were rear wheel drive. Final versions were the contributing factors to Nissan's Infiniti M and J products. The Leopard was sold exclusively in Japan at Nissan Blue Stage dealerships.
First generation: F30 (1980-1986)
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 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 gauge 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, which was renamed the Nissan Maxima
Nissan Maxima
The first car to wear the Maxima name was introduced in 1981. It was essentially a Japanese-market Bluebird 910 with a longer nose. The car was offered as the 810 Deluxe or 810 Maxima that first year, and all 810s became Maximas for 1982...
, and shared a common platform with the Datsun 910. 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
Second generation: F31 (1986-1992)
The F31 Leopard appeared in February 1986 and was only available as a luxury GTGrand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
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
Infiniti M
The "M" nameplate has been used on various mid-luxury cars from the Infiniti luxury division of Nissan.The first iteration was the M30 Coupe/Convertible, which were rebadged JDM Nissan Leopard....
. It was Infiniti
Infiniti
is the luxury division of automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America. Marketing operations have since grown to include the Middle East, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, China, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Infiniti began sales in additional...
's first-ever coupe, as well as the only convertible offered by Infiniti
Infiniti
is the luxury division of automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America. Marketing operations have since grown to include the Middle East, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, China, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Infiniti began sales in additional...
at the time. This vehicle shared a platform with the Nissan Skyline R31, and the Nissan Laurel C32 to share development costs.
The F30 and F31 Leopards were direct competitors to the Toyota Soarer
Toyota Soarer
The Soarer made its first appearance at the 1980 Osaka International Motor Show with the name "EX-8", and the Z10 series Toyota Soarer was produced from February 1981 to December 1985, with 2.0L, 2.8L or 3.0L DOHC I-6 variants. The first generation Soarer debuted with a rear-wheel drive...
. Whereas the Soarer had the 1G-GTE twin-turbo 2L straight six, the similar-looking Leopard coupé came with the options of a VG30DET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
, VG30DE
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
, VG20DET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
(post 1988), VG20ET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
(prior to 1988), and VG20E
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
.
Early 2.0 turbo versions had the single-cam (per bank) VG20ET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
, 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
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
engine which produced 190 kW/255 hp. Only the VG20ET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
and VG20DET
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
engines had an intercooler.
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
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
V6 produces surprisingly good torque in turbo form, and is generally quite a reliable unit.
The Leopard F31 had no factory options, but dealers offered the addition of a cellular phone and a CD player/changer. Like the Skyline
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
and 300ZX
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
, the Leopard coupe was a front-engined and rear-wheel drive vehicle. The RE4R01A 4 speed automatic
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
with electronic overdrive was used as well as a 5 speed manual transmission, that wasn't available on the USA-spec Infiniti M30
Infiniti M
The "M" nameplate has been used on various mid-luxury cars from the Infiniti luxury division of Nissan.The first iteration was the M30 Coupe/Convertible, which were rebadged JDM Nissan Leopard....
. The differential was a Nissan R200-type open differential
Differential (mechanics)
A differential is a device, usually, but not necessarily, employing gears, capable of transmitting torque and rotation through three shafts, almost always used in one of two ways: in one way, it receives one input and provides two outputs—this is found in most automobiles—and in the other way, it...
.
The Leopard F31 was equipped with the Sonar Suspension II system that was also installed on other Nissan vehicles 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 Leopard F31's production run lasted for 7 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 for the USA market.
Third generation: Y32 (1992-1996)
The third generation was called Leopard J Ferie (férié is French for holiday) and appeared in June 1992. The word férié was also shared with the Honda Civic Ferio sold at the same time. It came only in saloon body style and followed the rounded shape of the U13 BluebirdsNissan Bluebird
Although Nissan's own materials indicate that the Bluebird name emerged in 1959, some records show that the name first adorned a 988 cc, four-door sedan in 1957, which was part of the company's 210 series...
and Altimas
Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size automobile manufactured by Nissan, and is arguably a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1957. It has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra but less so than the Nissan Maxima. The Altima is available...
. It was sold in North America as the Infiniti J30. All J30s/Leopard J Feries were built in Tochigi, Tochigi
Tochigi, Tochigi
is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Despite its name, it is not the capital of Tochigi Prefecture; the capital is Utsunomiya.The city took its current form on March 29, 2010 when the old city of Tochigi merged with the towns of Fujioka, Ōhira and Tsuga from Shimotsuga District to form...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Production of the Y32 Leopard ended on June 18, 1997. It had a MacPherson strut
MacPherson strut
The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:...
front suspension with a multi-link suspension
Multi-link suspension
A multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension design typically used in independent suspensions, using three or more lateral arms, and one or more longitudinal arms....
for the rear wheels, and utilized HICAS
HICAS
HICAS is Nissan's rear wheel steering system found on cars ranging from the more recent Skyline and Fairlady Z iterations to smaller models like the Nissan Cefiro , 240SX/Silvia /180SX and Nissan Serena/Nissan Largo. It is also found on models from Nissan's Infiniti division, such as the Q45,...
, Nissan's four wheel steering technology. The Y32 Leopard was a rear wheel drive luxury car that started production April 7, 1992 as a 1993 model to replace the Nissan Leopard F31 (which was a 2-door coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
), and was launched in Japan after its competitor, the Toyota Windom.
The car was designed to slot between the smaller Nissan Primera
Nissan Primera
The Nissan Primera is a medium sized family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan for the Japanese domestic and European markets.-Nissan Primera P10 :...
and the larger Nissan Cedric
Nissan Cedric
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family...
, yet it shared a market position with the Nissan Cefiro
Nissan Cefiro
The Nissan Cefiro is a intermediate-size automobile range sold in Japan and other countries. The 1989 model was introduced initially as a 4-door sedan, however a wagon was later produced. A large proportion were equipped with automatic transmissions....
and the Nissan Laurel
Nissan Laurel
In April 1968 Nissan presented its new Laurel in four-door deLuxe and Super deLuxe versions, both equipped with a 1.8 L inline-four cylinder engine and independent rear suspension. In summer 1970 a hardtop coupé joined the line-up, one year later a 2000 cc engine became available...
, sold at different Nissan Japan sales channels. Also, it was fairly small and featured rounded styling uncharacteristic of the crowded executive luxury car class. The styling was meant to convey a more sport-minded appearance, in comparison to the Nissan Cedric
Nissan Cedric
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family...
, Gloria
Nissan Gloria
The Gloria is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company, and later by Nissan Motors since its merger with the former - hence being originally marketed as Prince Gloria and later as Nissan Gloria...
and Cima
Nissan Cima
The Nissan Cima is a large luxury sedan produced by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. for the Japanese market. The car's name is derived from Spanish for "summit". The hood ornament uses an image of an acanthus leaf. The acanthus leaf was commonly used by classical Greeks to make a wreath for use as a...
, on which this car shared a platform, that is now reminiscent of a four-door coupé. The chief exterior designer for the J30 was Jerry Hirschberg, president of Nissan Design International (NDI
NDI
NDI can refer to:*National Democratic Institute for International Affairs*National Datacast Incorporated, the PBS datacasting subsidiary*Non-Destructive Inspection *Non-Developmental Item, in the Federal Acquisition Regulations...
).
Power came from a 3.0 L
Litér
- External links :*...
VG30DE V6 (shared with the 300ZX
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
) which produced 210 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
and 192 lbft of torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
. While it shares the Y32 Chassis with the Nissan Cedric
Nissan Cedric
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family...
/Gloria
Nissan Gloria
The Gloria is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company, and later by Nissan Motors since its merger with the former - hence being originally marketed as Prince Gloria and later as Nissan Gloria...
, it was also related to the Nissan Cima
Nissan Cima
The Nissan Cima is a large luxury sedan produced by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. for the Japanese market. The car's name is derived from Spanish for "summit". The hood ornament uses an image of an acanthus leaf. The acanthus leaf was commonly used by classical Greeks to make a wreath for use as a...
where it was offered with both the VG30DE
Nissan VG engine
The VG engine family consists of V6 piston engines designed and produced by Nissan for several vehicles in the Nissan lineup. The VG series started in 1983 becoming Japan's first mass produced V6 engine. VG engines displace between 2.0 L and 3.3 L and feature an iron block and aluminum...
and VH41DE
Nissan VH engine
The VH series consists of 4.1 and 4.5 liter engines built from 1989-2001 by the Nissan Motor Corporation. The design consists of a 90 degree V8 with an aluminum cylinder block that features a closed upper deck and a deep skirt. The cylinder heads are also aluminum with a DOHC 4-valve design and...
V8. No turbo was available on this particular Leopard sedan. In Japan, three trim levels were offered, with the Type F offered with the VG30DE V6, the Type X with VH41DE V8 and a shared equipment level with the Type F, followed by the Type X-S sharing the equalivent content level with the North American V8 equipped J30, and the Type L which had the same equipment level as the Type X with the smaller V6 engine shared with the Type L-S sharing the equipment package with the Type X-S also V6 equipped.
To establish that this was a luxury vehicle, the interior was largely designed with assistance from Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau
A Italian furniture maker, located in Turin Italy, who was used to provide the seating for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles CA. They are recognized as designing chairs that are both modern and contemporary, using leather on most of their products...
http://www.poltronafrau.com/portal/page/portal/UI/webpages/poltronafrau/home?lang=en of Italy. The interior treatment continued to use the contrasting arrangement used in the larger Nissan Infiniti Q45 with a dark color used for the dashboard, and center console, with a lighter shade color used inside for the seats, interior door panels, headliner, carpet, and carpeted floor mats. The driver's side window controls had an unusual placement in that the drivers window switch was both one-touch express down and double-sized, meaning it was the same width as two conventional window switches towards the top, with the front and rear passenger window switches further down, with the window lockout switch installed next to the front passenger switch, instead of the drivers window switch. The front passenger and rear passenger window switches were thumb activated, installed at the top of the interior door pull handle. This version of the Leopard was the first car sold in Japan to include a passenger-side airbag as standard equipment.
One of the numerous reasons the Y32 Leopard didn't meet projected sales goals was that its most distinguishing feature was a lack of interior room. It had the distinction of being a mid-size car
Mid-size car
A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
with the space of a subcompact
Subcompact car
Subcompact car is a North American term used to describe automobiles whose class size is smaller than that of a compact car, usually not exceeding in length, but larger than a microcar...
(less than a Sentra
Nissan Sentra
The Nissan Sentra is a compact car produced by automaker Nissan Motors and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. The name "Sentra" is not used in Japan....
) due to its sloping roofline and rounded down trunk. The styling of the vehicle was more favorably regarded in Japan than it was in the USA. Total production of this vehicle was around 7,000 units internationally.
Information for this section of the article was translated from Leopard J Ferie.com
Fourth generation: Y33 (1996-1999)
The fourth and last generation of the Leopard, introduced in March 1996, again was offered as a hardtop sedan only, using a frameless side window approach, but using a "B" pillarPillar (car)
Pillars are the vertical supports of the greenhouse of an automobile — known respectively as the A, B, C or D-pillar moving in profile view from the front to rear....
to improve side impact crash resistance and vehicle solidity. The "J Ferie" name was dropped for this version of the Leopard. It was based on the Y33 Cedric
Nissan Cedric
The Nissan Cedric is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family...
/Gloria
Nissan Gloria
The Gloria is a large luxury car made from 1959 by the Prince Motor Company, and later by Nissan Motors since its merger with the former - hence being originally marketed as Prince Gloria and later as Nissan Gloria...
and Cima
Nissan Cima
The Nissan Cima is a large luxury sedan produced by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. for the Japanese market. The car's name is derived from Spanish for "summit". The hood ornament uses an image of an acanthus leaf. The acanthus leaf was commonly used by classical Greeks to make a wreath for use as a...
chassis. Development of this vehicle had begun before the recession had begun in Japan, so when this vehicle appeared, economic conditions had already begun to soften, which had an effect on overall sales. Vehicles being offered from Nissan at the time overlapped with companion platform mates, and there were few distinctions between the other large Nissan sedans.
It wasn't available in North America where the Infiniti
Infiniti
is the luxury division of automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America. Marketing operations have since grown to include the Middle East, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, China, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Infiniti began sales in additional...
mid-range had been replaced by the Nissan Cefiro
Nissan Cefiro
The Nissan Cefiro is a intermediate-size automobile range sold in Japan and other countries. The 1989 model was introduced initially as a 4-door sedan, however a wagon was later produced. A large proportion were equipped with automatic transmissions....
/Infiniti I30
Infiniti I
≠The Infiniti I30 and I35 are mid-size luxury cars sold under Nissan's Infiniti marque in North American markets. The I was a rebadged Nissan Cefiro and was mechanically related to the Nissan Maxima. In the GCC region it was rebadged as Nissan Maxima...
. A V8 engine was no longer offered, and AWD was offered on the RB25DET
Nissan RB engine
The RB engine is a 2.0–3.0 L straight-6 four-stroke petrol/gasoline engine from Nissan produced from 1980-2004. A special limited edition the LMRB26 was also built during this time by General Motors in Australia....
turbocharged Straight 6 engine. This vehicle also utilized Nissan's direct fuel injection engine configuration, which supplied fuel directly inside the engine cylinder, instead of inside the intake manifold just before entering the cylinders.