We built less than 20.
The Japan’s Bubble Era saw some of Japan’s most iconic cars debut. The Japanese also used as many innovations and tech in every car they made during this period. It was a great time to be a Japanese automaker.
Although most people are familiar with the innovations and cars that were released during these years, there are still some hidden gems. One of these gems is from Nissan, specifically from the in-house tuner Autech. You may be wondering what Autech is. Let’s take a look at the history of Autech. Autech was established in 1986 as a Nissan subsidiary. It is known for creating interesting and unique conversions of Nissan models. They created the Y31 Cedric’s long-wheelbase version, the R33 GT-R four-door sedan, and a Stagea wagon high-performance model called the Autech Version 260RS. Zagato even collaborated briefly with them.
Stelvio AZ-1 was one of their collabs. While it is well-known to JDM enthusiasts who are ardent, there is another. It is the predecessor to the Stelvio AZ-1, the Zagato Gavia. It is understandable that you are hearing about it for the first time. According to some reports, less than 20 of these cars were ever made. YouTube channel WasabiCars was in a position to obtain one and give some driving impressions. The video will tell you all about the car’s verdict. We won’t share our opinion. We’ll instead share some interesting facts about the car. Although the Zagato Gavia might look futuristic and futuristic, its foundations are much more modest. It rides on a modified Nissan Leopard F31 chassis that was also available in the US as an Infiniti M30.
The interior of the Zagato Gavia is also unique, with some Italian touches. The gear selector comes straight from the 1980s Nissan parts bin. The rim’s design is even more intriguing. It looks like a NACA pipe that places the car in a past era. It is not clear if it offers any benefits. You might recognize parts of the exterior from other cars, as well as parts of the headlights. The Honda CRX del Sol side mirrors and the headlights are from an S13 Silvia.
It’s interesting to see what is under the hood. It’s a GT cruiser from 1980s so one would expect a quiet and pedestrian six-cylinder. Although that’s partially true, Autech did inject some performance into it. This is actually the VG30 engine, which powered many V6 Nissans back then. This engine is actually the VG30DET and has a turbocharger. The engine is said to produce 280 horsepower (206kilowatts), which is the same power limit that was used in Japanese cars back then. It might actually be closer to 300 horsepower. This is a fascinating piece of JDM history that should be more than a footnote. The Zagato-Autech partnership didn’t work out in the end. It wouldn’t be the first time Nissan would hire an Italian design company. Italdesign created the GT-R50, which saw more success than the Zagato collaboration.